Money, Shopping, and Everyday Finance · Money Basics
Find a percentage of an amount
Find 10%, 25%, 50%, and 5% of an amount using simple division, for discounts and tips.
≈ 5 min · Difficulty 3/5
Real-life hook
An $80 jacket is 25% off. How much do you save? Knowing how to take a percentage of an amount tells you in seconds.
The idea
A percentage is a part out of 100. Find 10% by dividing by 10, then build the rest: 50% is half, 25% is a quarter, and 5% is half of 10%.
Worked examples
10% of $80 = 8
- Divide by 10.
- 80 ÷ 10 = 8. So 10% is $8.
25% of $80 = 20
- A quarter means divide by 4.
- 80 ÷ 4 = 20. So 25% is $20.
Common mistake
Watch out: Confusing 10% with 10 — taking off $10 instead of 10%.
Better: 10% of $80 is $8, not $10. Divide the amount by 10.
Use it in real life
A shirt is $18 with 50% off. Half of 18 is 9, so you save $9 and pay $9.
Try it yourself
Answer a few questions. Your progress saves automatically in this browser.
Practise: Percent of an amount
Preparing your questions…
Where you'll use this
- Working out a sale discount
- Leaving a tip
- Checking a percentage off is right
Frequently asked questions
How do I find a percentage of an amount?
Start with 10% by dividing by 10, then combine: 50% is half, 25% is a quarter, and 5% is half of 10%.
How do I work out 10% of a number?
Divide the number by 10. 10% of $80 is 80 ÷ 10 = $8.
How do I calculate a discount?
Find the percentage of the price, then subtract it. For 25% off $80: 25% is $20, so the discount is $20 and you pay $60.