Money Change Calculator

Calculator Use

The Money Change Calculator finds the minimum number of banknotes and coins needed to make any amount of change. For anyone who handles cash, from cashiers and bartenders making change during a busy shift to parents teaching their kids how to count change, the Money Change Calculator makes it quick and simple.

This change calculator can be used as a:

• Cash Register Change Maker
• Restaurant and Bar Change Calculator
• Retail Change Calculator
• Teaching Tool for Counting Change
• Till Change Calculator

Use this calculator to make change for common denominations of banknotes and coins in these currencies:

• United States Dollar USD $
• Canadian Dollar CAD $
• Australian Dollar AUD $
• Mexican Peso MXN $
• Philippine Peso PHP ₱
• European Euro EUR €
• British Pound GBP £
• New Zealand Dollar NZD $
• Brazilian Real BRL R$

For collecting and historical interest, retired coins are included in the denomination settings for CAD and AUD. The CAD 1¢ and 50¢, and AUD 1c, 2c and 25c denominations are available but unchecked by default. Tick the check box in the settings to include them in calculations.

How to Calculate Change

To make change with the fewest banknotes and coins, start with the largest available denomination that is less than or equal to the change amount. Use as many of that denomination as possible without exceeding the remaining balance. Subtract the value used from the change amount and repeat with the next smaller denomination, working your way down to the smallest coin.

This method is called a "greedy algorithm" because at each step it uses the largest possible denomination. The algorithm produces the most efficient result — the fewest total banknotes and coins — for all standard currency denominations.

Steps to Make Change

1. Determine the change amount. If you have a cost and amount tendered, subtract the cost from the amount tendered.
2. Starting with the largest available denomination, count how many can fit into the change amount.
3. Subtract the value of those banknotes or coins from the remaining balance.
4. Move to the next smaller denomination and repeat until the remaining balance is zero.
5. The result is the minimum number of banknotes and coins needed to make change in your scenario.

If you have disabled certain denominations in the settings, the calculator may not be able to make the exact change amount. In that case, it rounds the change to the nearest multiple of the smallest available denomination and displays a note explaining the adjustment.