Long Subtraction Calculator
Subtract one whole number from another and see the column-by-column steps, including any borrowing.
About the Long Subtraction Calculator
Long subtraction finds the difference between two numbers by working through them one column (place value) at a time, from right to left. When the top digit in a column is smaller than the bottom digit, you borrow 1 from the column to its left before subtracting.
Formula: Difference = Minuend − Subtrahend, worked out column by column starting from the ones place, borrowing 10 from the next column whenever a digit would otherwise go negative.
This calculator lines up the two numbers, works through every column, and reports whether a borrow was needed at each step, alongside the final difference. The column-by-column steps are shown for the larger-magnitude-minus-smaller-magnitude arithmetic, with the correct overall sign applied to the final result.
Long subtraction is the standard hand method for subtracting multi-digit numbers, and understanding the borrowing process builds the foundation for more advanced arithmetic, including subtracting decimals, fractions and polynomials.