What are the steps of long division?

Divide, multiply, subtract and bring down, then repeat until there are no digits left to bring down. Whatever is left at the end is the remainder.

How do you do long division with remainders?

Work through the steps as normal. When there are no more digits to bring down, the number left after the last subtraction is the remainder. For example, 1457 ÷ 6 = 242 remainder 5.

How do you write a remainder as a fraction?

Put the remainder over the divisor. 85 ÷ 9 = 9 remainder 4, so the answer is 9 4/9.

What is the difference between short division and long division?

They are the same method. Short division keeps the multiplying and subtracting in your head, which suits one-digit divisors. Long division writes every step down, which helps with two-digit divisors.

How do you check a long division answer?

Multiply your answer by the divisor and add the remainder. You should get the number you started with: 242 × 6 + 5 = 1457.

What grade learns long division?

In the US Common Core, grade 4 covers one-digit divisors (4.NBT.B.6), grade 5 adds two-digit divisors (5.NBT.B.6) and grade 6 expects fluency (6.NS.B.2). In England, short division is taught in Year 5 and formal long division in Year 6.

Are there free long division worksheets with answers?

Yes. Use the Print a worksheet button on this page. Each worksheet is freshly made, and the answer key can show answers only or answers with worked steps.

Grades 4 to 6 (Years 5 and 6 in England)

Long division, step by step

Here are the long division steps, worked through slowly, plus how to handle long division with remainders and two-digit divisors. Try the free practice set below, then print fresh long division worksheets with an answer key.

The method, step by step

Divide: see how many times the divisor goes into the first digit (or the first two digits, if the first is too small) and write that number above.
Multiply: multiply the number you just wrote by the divisor and write the product underneath.
Subtract: take the product away. What is left must be smaller than the divisor.
Bring down: bring the next digit down beside what is left to make a new number.
Repeat until there are no digits left to bring down. Whatever is left at the end is the remainder.
Check: multiply the answer by the divisor and add the remainder to get back the number you started with.

CCSS 4.NBT.B.6CCSS 4.OA.A.3CCSS 5.NBT.B.6CCSS 5.NF.B.3England: Y5 Multiplication and divisionEngland: Y6 Multiplication and divisionEngland: Y6 Fractions (including decimals)

Worked example

1457 ÷ 6 = ?

6 doesn't go into 1, so start with 14. 6 goes into 14 twice: write 2 above the 4.
Multiply 2 × 6 = 12 and subtract: 14 − 12 = 2.
Bring down the 5 to make 25. 6 goes into 25 four times: 4 × 6 = 24, and 25 − 24 = 1.
Bring down the 7 to make 17. 6 goes into 17 twice: 2 × 6 = 12, and 17 − 12 = 5.
There are no digits left to bring down, so 5 is the remainder.
Check: 242 × 6 = 1452, and 1452 + 5 = 1457.
1457 ÷ 6 = 242 remainder 5

Practice now

Question 1 of 100 correct

938 ÷ 7 = ?

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What long division is really doing

Long division shares a number out one place value at a time. In 1457 ÷ 6, you first share the 14 hundreds: each of the 6 groups gets 2 hundreds, and 2 hundreds are left over. Those 2 hundreds can't be shared as hundreds, so they are exchanged for 20 tens, and with the 5 tens already there you have 25 tens to share. Bringing down the next digit is exactly that exchange.

Picture it with base-ten blocks: hundred flats, ten rods and unit cubes. When the flats won't share out evenly, you break the leftover flats into rods and carry on. The written method is a record of the same sharing, which is why each digit of the answer sits above the place it came from.

Long division with remainders

A remainder is what is left when the sharing can't go any further. It must always be smaller than the divisor; if it isn't, the digit above it can go up by one. For example, 50 ÷ 7 = 7 remainder 1, because 7 × 7 = 49 and 50 − 49 = 1.

In word problems, the remainder needs a decision. 52 people traveling in minibuses that hold 8 gives 52 ÷ 8 = 6 remainder 4, so 7 minibuses are needed: the last 4 people still have to travel. 52 cupcakes packed in boxes of 8 fill only 6 boxes. And if $52 is shared between 8 people, each gets $6.50, because money can be split into cents.

Older children also write remainders as fractions or decimals. 85 ÷ 9 = 9 remainder 4, and the 4 left over is 4 ninths, so the answer is 9 4/9. 47 ÷ 4 = 11 remainder 3, and 3/4 = 0.75, so 47 ÷ 4 = 11.75.

Dividing by a two-digit number

The steps are the same with a two-digit divisor, but the divide step needs an estimate. For 3744 ÷ 48, 48 doesn't go into 3 or 37, so start with 374. Round 48 to 50: 50 goes into 374 about 7 times. 7 × 48 = 336, and 374 − 336 = 38. Bring down the 4 to make 384. 8 × 48 = 384 exactly, so 3744 ÷ 48 = 78.

If an estimate is too big, the product will be larger than the number you are dividing, so try one less. If it is too small, what is left will be bigger than the divisor, so try one more. Writing out the first few multiples of the divisor before you start (48, 96, 144, 192 and so on) makes every step quicker.

Short division or long division?

Short division, often called the bus stop method, is the same process with the multiplying and subtracting done in your head; only the small carried digits are written down. It is quick with one-digit divisors. Long division writes every step out, which makes it easier to follow with two-digit divisors. Both give the same answer, and pupils in England learn both.

How it is taught in school

In the US, Common Core introduces dividing numbers of up to four digits by one-digit numbers, with remainders, in grade 4 (4.NBT.B.6). Two-digit divisors follow in grade 5 (5.NBT.B.6), where students also solve division problems whose answers are fractions or mixed numbers (5.NF.B.3). By grade 6, students are expected to divide multi-digit numbers fluently using the standard algorithm (6.NS.B.2).

In England, Year 5 pupils divide numbers of up to 4 digits by a one-digit number using short division and interpret remainders to suit the context. In Year 6 they use long division to divide numbers of up to 4 digits by a two-digit number, and give remainders as whole numbers, as fractions or by rounding, depending on the question.

How parents can help

Check times tables first. Long division is a chain of small division facts, and slow recall makes every step feel hard.
Say the four steps out loud together: divide, multiply, subtract, bring down. Many children remember the order as Dad, Mom, Sister, Brother.
Use squared paper so each digit sits in its own column. Digits drifting out of line cause a lot of wrong answers.
Always check by multiplying back: the answer times the divisor, plus the remainder, should give the starting number.
Print a fresh worksheet, let your child mark it with the answer key, and read the worked steps together for any they missed.

Common mistakes

Forgetting a zero in the answer. In 618 ÷ 6, after bringing down the 1, 6 goes into 1 zero times, so write 0 above it. The answer is 103, not 13.
Leaving a remainder bigger than the divisor. If you are dividing by 7 and have 9 left, the digit above was too small.
Bringing down two digits at once, or the same digit twice. Bring down exactly one digit each round.
Ignoring the question when there is a remainder. 52 people in minibuses of 8 need 7 minibuses, not 6 remainder 4.
Writing a digit of the answer in the wrong column. Each digit goes above the last digit you used in that step.

Questions people ask

What are the steps of long division?: Divide, multiply, subtract and bring down, then repeat until there are no digits left to bring down. Whatever is left at the end is the remainder.
How do you do long division with remainders?: Work through the steps as normal. When there are no more digits to bring down, the number left after the last subtraction is the remainder. For example, 1457 ÷ 6 = 242 remainder 5.
How do you write a remainder as a fraction?: Put the remainder over the divisor. 85 ÷ 9 = 9 remainder 4, so the answer is 9 4/9.
What is the difference between short division and long division?: They are the same method. Short division keeps the multiplying and subtracting in your head, which suits one-digit divisors. Long division writes every step down, which helps with two-digit divisors.
How do you check a long division answer?: Multiply your answer by the divisor and add the remainder. You should get the number you started with: 242 × 6 + 5 = 1457.
What grade learns long division?: In the US Common Core, grade 4 covers one-digit divisors (4.NBT.B.6), grade 5 adds two-digit divisors (5.NBT.B.6) and grade 6 expects fluency (6.NS.B.2). In England, short division is taught in Year 5 and formal long division in Year 6.
Are there free long division worksheets with answers?: Yes. Use the Print a worksheet button on this page. Each worksheet is freshly made, and the answer key can show answers only or answers with worked steps.

Updated November 1, 2026.

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