Skip to main content
Beyond Payday — Know what’s left. Plan what’s next.
Sign InGet Started

The Mystery of the Extra Cents

A Money Detectives lesson. This page is for grown-ups: preview it before your kid plays, or talk about it after.

What you pay can be more than the price tag. Check for tax, shipping and fees.

For ages 8–10 (grades 3–5) · about 15 minutes · read-aloud on every screen

Play this lesson

What your kid learns

  • Sales tax at the register

    Many places add sales tax when you pay. It helps pay for things your state and town share. The amount is different from place to place. Some places have none.

  • Online buys add more

    Online buys usually add sales tax, too. Shipping costs extra. Sometimes there is a fee, too.

  • Read the receipt

    A receipt shows every clue: prices, tax, total and change. Plan for a little extra so you aren’t short.

The story: The Case of the Extra Cents

At a store, Leo finds that a pretend $2 toy costs $2.10 and spots the tax line on the receipt.

  1. Helper: A mystery, detectives! Leo wants a toy. The tag says $2.
  2. Seller: That will be $2.10, please.
  3. Leo: But the tag says $2. Where did 10¢ come from?
  4. Seller: Here’s a clue. Look at the receipt.
  5. Leo: Sales tax! It was added at the register.
  6. Leo: Good thing I brought a pretend $3. Always plan for a little extra.
  7. Helper: Case closed! The tag isn’t always the total.

The game: Receipt Detective

Tap the clues on this pretend receipt: the tax, the total and the item charged twice.

Games use pretend money and work with taps or a keyboard. Nothing is timed.

New words

sales tax
money added when you pay, for things we share
total
everything you pay, all added up
receipt
the paper that lists what you bought and paid
shipping
the cost to send something to you

Questions at the end

  • A pretend toy costs $3. The tax is 15¢. What is the total?
  • Where can you find the tax you paid?
  • What can an online buy add to the price?

Remember this

The tag isn’t the total.

Talk about it

Find the tax line on a receipt together. Next time, guess the total before you pay.

Try it at home: Circle the tax

  1. Look at a receipt with a grown-up.
  2. No receipt? Use one from the Receipt Detective game.
  3. Circle the tax and the total.

Look at a receipt with a grown-up, or one from the lesson. Circle the tax and the total.

For grown-ups: live facts

School standards

  • National Standards for Personal Financial Education: Spending
  • Common Core Math 3.OA.D.8
  • Common Core Math 3.NBT.A.2

Builds on

Leads to

Go deeper

Play this lesson

Lessons teach how money works. They are not financial advice.