Money Skills IEP goals
97 templates across 18 skills: personal finance & money management, measurement, time & money, functional academics, community access & travel, vocational & work readiness, community & safety skills, postsecondary education readiness, functional communication, fine motor skills, math problem solving, daily living skills, impulse control & inhibition, algebra & equations, fractions, addition & subtraction, number sense, independent living, transition-related skills. Open any goal to set the baseline and target from your own data, then print the matching data sheet.
97 templates · 18 skills · K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 · How we write and review goals
Top skills
The 8 most relevant skills, with sample goals. Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Personal Finance & Money Management Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Build a monthly budget from take-home pay
Budgeting from income
By the annual IEP review date, given a monthly take-home pay amount, a list of fixed and flexible expenses, a budget template, and a phone calculator, the student will fill in the budget so planned spending and saving equal the take-home pay independently with at least 90% accuracy on budget lines and totals, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Sort expenses into needs and wants
Budgeting from income
By the annual IEP review date, given 12 to 15 expense cards with prices (rent, groceries, phone bill, concert tickets, new shoes) and a needs and wants sorting mat, the student will sort each expense as a need or a want and give a reason for the hard ones independently with at least 85% accuracy on expenses sorted as needs or wants, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Name coins and bills and state their values
Identifying coins and bills
By the annual IEP review date, given a mixed set of real pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters presented one at a time, the student will name each coin and state its value in cents independently with at least 95% accuracy on coins and bills, across 3 consecutive data collection sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Count a set of like coins
Counting like coins
By the annual IEP review date, given sets of up to 10 of one coin type (pennies, nickels, dimes or quarters), the student will count the coins by the correct value and state the total in cents independently with at least 90% accuracy on coin sets, across 3 consecutive data collection sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Functional Academics Functional & Independence Skills
Pay the exact price for an item under five dollars
Paying with coins and bills
By the annual IEP review date, given a price under $5.00 at the school store or a classroom store, with a wallet of mixed coins and one-dollar bills, the student will count out the exact amount and hand it to the cashier independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly at the classroom or school store.
Decide whether there is enough money to buy an item
Deciding whether there is enough money
By the annual IEP review date, given a wallet with a known amount and 10 priced items, asked for each whether there is enough to buy it, the student will state whether there is enough money for each item independently with at least 90% accuracy on price decisions, on 3 consecutive probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Community Access & Travel Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Reload a transit card
Transit fares
By the annual IEP review date, at a transit station fare machine, with the student's card and money or a debit card, the student will add the planned amount or pass to the card and check the new balance, performing at least 6 of 7 steps independently, on 3 consecutive reloads, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected at each reload, at least monthly.
Order and pay at a sit-down restaurant
Ordering at restaurants
By the annual IEP review date, at a sit-down restaurant on a community trip, with a set amount of money or a card, the student will complete the meal from being seated to paying the check with a tip, performing at least 8 of 9 steps independently, on 3 consecutive restaurant trips, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected monthly, at each restaurant trip.
Vocational & Work Readiness Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Bag customer purchases by store rules
Retail tasks
By the annual IEP review date, during a grocery shift at the register, bagging each customer's order, the student will bag each order so heavy items are on the bottom, cold and chemical items are separate and bags are not overfilled independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive shifts, as measured by direct observation collected at each shift, scoring five orders.
Count a cash drawer at shift end
Cash handling at work
By the annual IEP review date, at the end of a school store or coffee cart shift, given the cash drawer, a count sheet and a calculator, the student will count each bill and coin, record the totals on the count sheet and compare the total with the sales report independently with at least 95% accuracy on count sheet entries, on 3 consecutive drawer counts, as measured by work-sample analysis collected at each closing shift.
Community & Safety Skills Functional & Independence Skills
Keep money and belongings secure in public
Securing belongings in public
By the annual IEP review date, during a community-based instruction outing involving a purchase, with a wallet and a bag, the student will keep the wallet, phone, and bag secured throughout the outing independently in 6 of 6 opportunities, across 3 consecutive outings, as measured by direct observation collected at each outing, recorded at six checkpoints.
Postsecondary Education Readiness Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Explain ways to pay for college or training
Paying for college or training
By the annual IEP review date, given short scenarios about students paying for college or training and a list of aid types, the student will identify the type of aid in each scenario and whether it must be paid back independently with at least 85% accuracy on aid scenarios and offer letter questions, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly during the college finance unit.
Functional Communication Social-Emotional & Communication
Speak up when an order or purchase is wrong
Speaking up when an order or service is wrong
By the annual IEP review date, during community-based instruction at a restaurant, cafe, or store when the order, item, or change is wrong, the student will tell the employee that the order or purchase is wrong and ask for the fix, performing at least 5 of 6 steps independently, on 3 consecutive scored outings or practices, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected every two weeks during community-based instruction.
All 18 skills
Every skill with goals for this group, by area. The number is how many of its goals are tagged here.
Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Math
Functional & Independence Skills
Executive Function
Social-Emotional & Communication
Motor & Sensory Skills (OT, PT & Adapted PE)
Money skills goals come from measurement, time, and money, functional academics, and personal finance. Younger students work on naming coins and bills and counting small amounts, while older students learn the next-dollar strategy, paying with a debit card, comparing prices, reading a receipt, and making a budget. Counting and value tasks are measured with percent accuracy, and real purchases are measured with a task analysis in a school store or the community. Good goals name the amount range, whether a calculator or phone is allowed, and the setting. Use real or realistic money and age-matched materials, and move practice into real stores when the student is ready so the skill carries over.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 51 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 19 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 2 goals here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 25 goals here
Frequently asked questions
What is the next-dollar strategy?
The student pays with one more dollar than the dollar amount of the price, such as $5 for $4.29, and waits for change. It lets students make purchases without counting coins.
Should a money goal allow a calculator?
If the student will use a phone calculator as an adult, use it in the goal and name it in the condition. The goal is managing money, not hand calculation.
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