Dyscalculia and managing money
Expert reviewed by Jim Rein, MA
At a glance
Dyscalculia can make it hard to use and manage money.
There are low-cost tools that can help make handling money easier.
Trouble with working memory can also play a role.
Being able to manage money is an important life skill. But managing money isn’t easy, and many people have a hard time with it for different reasons. Dyscalculia is a learning difference that can make managing money more challenging — and stressful.
Dyscalculia makes it hard to do math and everyday tasks that involve math. People with dyscalculia may have trouble with money management tasks like:
Figuring out what something costs
Estimating the total cost of a group of items
Paying for items with cash
Making exact change
Keeping track of spending
That’s because dyscalculia causes challenges with a set of basic math skills called number sense. Kids and adults with dyscalculia may have trouble understanding concepts like more and less or smaller and larger. They may also not understand quantities.
And people with dyscalculia may have other challenges that make doing mental math difficult, like trouble with working memory. All of this can make working with — and managing — money more difficult.
Dive deeper
Dyscalculia, working memory, and managing money
People with dyscalculia often struggle with working memory. Working memory is a skill that lets us work with information without losing track of what we’re doing. It’s like a temporary sticky note in the brain.
Trouble with working memory can make it hard to recall math facts or hold a number in mind to use it in a task. This can make it hard to count money, make exact change, or calculate total spending.
Learn more about working memory.
Strategies for managing money
Dyscalculia can affect people’s ability to manage money. But there are strategies that can help. One is to use assistive technology (AT) tools.
A calculator is a common and low-cost tool. Most cell phones have them. When shopping, a calculator can help people figure out total costs, discounts, or how much to tip. Also, people can use a notes app on a phone (or even a pad of paper) to keep track of numbers instead of trying to hold the numbers in mind.
Another tool to try is a budget app. Apps like Spendee, Wally, and Mint can help with keeping track of spending and savings. So can creating a spreadsheet to track expenses.
Learn more about assistive technology tools for math.
