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Numeracy and financial understanding go hand in hand

10 Sep 2025

When it comes to managing finances, numeracy is an essential skill. Confidence with numbers helps us deal with budgeting, bills, payslips, bank statements, interest rates and much more. Yet many adults struggle with numeracy, which can affect their ability to manage money effectively.

Building confidence with numbers and money matters is best taught early – but it's never too late to learn. The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has also highlighted the need for number skills, with bills rising and budgets stretched further than ever.

This year, the theme for Number Confidence Week is 'Money Matters'

Over the years, we've heard from learners whose improved numeracy has transformed the way they manage their money. See what they had to say below:

Ionut said taking control of his finances was life-changing:

"Everything is a lot more organised and I feel things are 100% more manageable now… It's being in control of your own expenses and money and knowing exactly where everything is. Money is numbers."

Read Ionut's story

For Jo, understanding percentages meant she could work out how much her bills were really increasing:

"Before I would've avoided that, but I was able to work out the exact impact. It made it real."

Read Jo's story

Shajna realised she was being paid less than colleagues because she didn’t have a maths GCSE:

"I’m in my mid-40s, I'm a mother of four – do I really want to go back to college? They're paying me so much less than I could be getting. So I thought, why not?!"

Read Shajna's story

After using the National Numeracy Challenge, Jo found shopping far less stressful:

"I feel a lot more confident about adding things up… knowing whether something is a bargain or not. I never would have been able to do that before."

Read Jo's story

Alma uses numeracy daily to check her payslip:

"I use numeracy to manage money, calculate my income and understand my payslip. My new confidence with numbers has been very useful in applying it to daily life tasks."

Read Alma's story

Rebecca can now decipher discounts when she’s shopping:

"Maths is all around us. Being more aware of percentages now, I've been able to look at offers when shopping such as a tag that says '25% off'."

Read Rebecca's story

Belinda explained how overcoming avoidance helped her escape debt:

"As a younger adult I used to open and close my bills and put them in a drawer because it overwhelmed me. It's so important to be comfortable enough with numbers that you can be on top of your finances and your life."

Read Belinda's story

For Peter, budgeting is about being in control:

"I'm working out what I've got, projecting what I'll need, and reconciling my bank account with what I'm spending."

Read Peter's story

And for Anne, financial confidence made her dream of homeownership possible:

"Before, I would have avoided a lot of things to do with maths, but now I'm much more proactive."

Read Anne's story

This November, join our celebrity ambassadors, schools and organisations across the UK for Number Confidence Week: Money Matters, and take the first steps towards building confidence with numbers.

Try the National Numeracy Challenge

However you feel about maths, you’re not alone. The National Numeracy Challenge is a free and easy-to-use website you can use to improve your confidence with numbers, in your own time and at your own pace.

It’s ideal for brushing up, checking your level, or for catching up on learning you missed, and it’s all about the maths you need in daily life and at work – no algebra or trigonometry.

Give it a go

Image showing the Challenge on a computer monitor

Numeracy and financial understanding go hand in hand

This year, the theme for Number Confidence Week is 'Money Matters'

Ionut said taking control of his finances was life-changing:

For Jo, understanding percentages meant she could work out how much her bills were really increasing:

Shajna realised she was being paid less than colleagues because she didn’t have a maths GCSE:

After using the National Numeracy Challenge, Jo found shopping far less stressful:

Alma uses numeracy daily to check her payslip:

Rebecca can now decipher discounts when she’s shopping:

Belinda explained how overcoming avoidance helped her escape debt:

For Peter, budgeting is about being in control:

And for Anne, financial confidence made her dream of homeownership possible:

Read more about our work

Try the National Numeracy Challenge

Links

Support us

Numeracy and financial understanding go hand in hand

This year, the theme for Number Confidence Week is 'Money Matters'

Ionut said taking control of his finances was life-changing:

For Jo, understanding percentages meant she could work out how much her bills were really increasing:

Shajna realised she was being paid less than colleagues because she didn’t have a maths GCSE:

After using the National Numeracy Challenge, Jo found shopping far less stressful:

Alma uses numeracy daily to check her payslip:

Rebecca can now decipher discounts when she’s shopping:

Belinda explained how overcoming avoidance helped her escape debt:

For Peter, budgeting is about being in control:

And for Anne, financial confidence made her dream of homeownership possible:

Read more about our work

Try the National Numeracy Challenge

Links

Support us

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