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# Finding five percent of an amount
- URL: https://www.esheets.io/finding-five-percent-of-an-amount/
- Published: 2025-04-04T20:23:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-21T16:42:08.000Z
- Author: Richard Linnington
- Tags: Maths, Number

Working out 5% of an amount is a handy skill—whether you're grabbing a 5% discount in a sale, calculating tips, or splitting a cost. It’s a small percentage, but knowing how to find it quickly can save time and money in everyday situations. [Jump to the questions](#practise-now)

## Practise now

Worksheet preview and key skills 

### Worksheet preview

Practise finding five percent of an amount with this self-marking maths worksheet.

The interactive worksheet below generates questions, gives instant feedback, and lets students record their score.

#### What you’ll practise

- Finding 10% of the amount.
- Halving 10% to find 5%.
- Using division or decimal methods accurately.
- Checking the answer is smaller than 10%.

Use the interactive worksheet below, or read the [Topic guide](#topic-guide) for the method and worked example.

## Topic guide

### What this worksheet practises

This worksheet focuses on a core mental arithmetic skill: finding exactly 5% of a given amount. Being able to quickly calculate 5% without a calculator is incredibly useful for figuring out discounts, interest, or tips.

### Key method

You shouldn't try to calculate 5% directly. Instead, use 10% as a stepping stone.

- First, find 10% of your starting amount. You do this by dividing the number by 10 (which moves the decimal point one place to the left).
- Second, because 5 is exactly half of 10, simply halve your 10% answer to find 5%.

### Worked example

**Find 5% of £420.**

Step 1: Find 10% by dividing by 10.

10% of 420 = 420 ÷ 10 = 42.

Step 2: Halve the 10% amount to find 5%.

Half of 42 is 21.

5% of £420 is £21.

### Common mistakes to avoid

The most common mistake is forgetting the second step and giving the 10% value as the final answer. Another error is dividing by 5 initially instead of 10\. Dividing an amount by 5 actually gives you 20%, not 5%. Always go through 10% first.

### Things to remember

This "stepping stone" method is extremely versatile. Once you know 10% and 5%, you can build almost any arithmetic percentage mentally. Need 15%? Just add your 10% and 5% answers together. Need 2.5%? Halve your 5% answer.