Money Word Problems (Grades 3-4)

Help students build real‑world math skills with this free set of money word problems for grades 3–4. These problems give learners practice with counting coins, adding prices, comparing costs, and calculating change – all essential skills for everyday financial literacy.

This worksheet is designed for upper‑elementary students who are beginning to work with multi‑step word problems and real‑life math scenarios. It’s perfect for classroom use, homework, math centers, or extra practice at home.

What Students Will Practice

This worksheet helps students strengthen skills such as:

• Adding and subtracting money amounts
• Counting coins and bills
• Determining how much more money is needed
• Calculating change after a purchase
• Solving multi‑step word problems
• Understanding real‑world financial situations

These skills support grade‑level standards for operations, problem solving, and financial literacy.

Example Problems (Not from the PDF)

Here are a few sample problems similar to the style included in the worksheet:
Liam has 85¢. He wants to buy a pencil that costs $1.09. How much more money does he need?
A snack costs $2.45. If Maya pays with $5.00, how much change should she get back?
Jordan buys a notebook for $1.75 and a folder for $0.90. How much does he spend in total?

These examples show the types of reasoning students will use while completing the worksheet.

Answer Key Included

An answer key is included on the second page of the PDF. It provides:
Correct answers for each problem.
Brief calculations for teachers or parents to review
Quick checking for independent work

Teaching Tips

To get the most out of this worksheet:

• Encourage students to underline important information in each problem.
• Have them write out the amounts to visualize the math.
• Ask students to explain how they solved each problem.
• Pair students to discuss different solution strategies.
• These steps help build confidence and deeper understanding.

Download the Worksheet

Download Printable PDF