year 5 timetables homework

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Year 5 | Timetables Worksheets

These Year 5 timetables worksheets show a detailed train timetable featuring various cities/destinations and corresponding train times. In navigating this schedule, children are presented with a series of questions designed to test their understanding, such as “How long does the first train from Brighton take to reach Newcastle?” and “After 10 am, how many trains depart from Sheffield and Leeds?”

This Year 5 timetables worksheet engages children in deciphering train schedules as well as challenges them to employ mathematical thinking skills. Understanding timetables is a practical skill with real-world applications, making the learning experience relevant and useful.

Our Year 5 timetables worksheets are aligned with KS2 statistics and handling data on the primary national curriculum. All of our Year 5 statistics worksheets can be combined with your ideas for primary maths activities, learning resources, teaching material, visual aids, games, differentiation, display boards, homework, and lesson plans.

You might also like our Year 5 Tables Worksheets .

Explore the rest of our Year 5 maths worksheets .

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Timetables Lesson

This Year 5 Timetables lesson covers the prior learning of analogue to 24-hour digital time, before moving onto the main skill of timetables.

The lesson starts with a prior learning worksheet to check pupils’ understanding. The interactive lesson slides recap the prior learning before moving on to the main skill. Children can then practise further by completing the activities and can extend their learning by completing an engaging extension task.

National Curriculum Objective

Mathematics Year 5: (5S1)  Complete, read and interpret information in tables, including timetables

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Lesson Slides

These lesson slides guide pupils through the prior learning of analogue to 24-hour digital time, before moving onto the main skill of timetables. There are a number of questions to check pupils' understanding throughout.

Modelling PowerPoint

This powerpoint can be used to model the questions that the children will complete on the Varied Fluency and Reasoning & Problem Solving worksheets as part of this lesson.

These are the same as the lesson slides on Classroom Secrets. You can assign this as an activity for pupils to access individually in school or remotely from home.

Video Tutorial

Laura shows pupils how to read and interpret a train timetable in this Timetables Video Tutorial.

1 Prior Learning

Interactive Activity

Pupils will use their knowledge of reading, writing and converting time in these Year 4 Analogue to Digital Flashcards.

Pupils will use their knowledge of analogue and 12-hour digital time to answer the questions in this Year 4 Analogue and Digital Time Game.

2 Varied Fluency

This differentiated worksheet includes varied fluency questions for pupils to practise the main skill of this lesson.

This Year 5 Timetables Game checks pupils' understanding of reading and interpreting information presented within different timetables.

2 Reasoning & Problem Solving

This differentiated worksheet includes reasoning and problem solving questions to support the teaching of this step.

Mixed Practice

This worksheet includes varied fluency, reasoning and problem solving questions for pupils to practise the main skill of timetables.

Discussion Problem

This worksheet includes two discussion problems which can be used in pairs or small groups to further pupils' understanding of the concepts taught in this lesson.

Maths Challenge Activity

This Year 5 Timetables Maths Challenge checks pupils' understanding of reading and interpreting information within timetables in a problem solving context.

This differentiated worksheet includes varied fluency and reasoning and problem solving questions to support the teaching of this step.

2 Additional Activities

Consolidation Pack

This resource is aimed at Year 5 Expected and has been designed to give children the opportunity to consolidate the skills they have learned in Autumn Block 3 – Statistics.

Learning Video Clip

Sandy and Coral visit a music festival and work out which bands they are going to see using a timetable. They then need to leave Penzance by train, looking at the most direct and the quickest route.

Home Learning Pack

This Autumn week 8 Maths pack contains varied fluency, reasoning and problem solving worksheets.

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Free Year 5 Maths Worksheets And Homework – Download, Print, Or View Online

Anantha Anilkumar

Here you’ll find all our Year 5 maths worksheets, and Year 5 maths tests that are suitable for use during classroom lessons and as homework.

• What to expect from our Year 5 Maths worksheets

These KS2 maths worksheets cover every part of the Year 5 primary maths curriculum, to help your children practise and gain confidence in their understanding ahead of Year 6 and the KS2 SATs . Their focus is on retrieval practice – going over topics that children should already have covered and helping them strengthen their knowledge and understanding. 

Most of our worksheets come in pdf format, and all of them are printable. But if you’re running out of printer ink, they can be viewed online too. 

Every Year 5 maths test or worksheet comes with its own answer sheet, and guidance from the National Curriculum is included wherever it might be needed (for example, if there might be more than one correct answer for a question). Some worksheets also include model answers to help children break down the best way to solve a problem. 

Note: The National Curriculum does not specify any place value teaching for Year 5. However this is often a good time to begin revising the topic (among others) in preparation for the KS2 SATs. Have a look at these place value worksheets as part of your revision.

Similarly, addition and subtraction work is largely an extension of what was covered in previous years. Take a look at our collection of addition and subtraction worksheets for practice materials for these topics.

If you’re a parent looking for more advice, try our  home learning hub full of home learning packs , tips and teaching ideas for Year 5 Maths at Home and maths homework .

If you’re a teacher or school leader who is interested in improving maths attainment in your school or classroom, then this whole website is for you. Third Space Learning is dedicated to improving outcomes in maths with our online tutoring programme of maths interventions , together with maths resources and CPD.

Free Year 5 Maths Worksheets and Tests

A collection of worksheets and activities suitable for home learning from the Third Space Maths Hub. Register (for free) to download. Use Google Chrome

Year 5 Place Value Worksheets

Year 5 addition and subtraction worksheets, year 5 multiplication and division worksheets, year 5 fractions worksheets, year 5 decimals and percentages worksheets, year 5 statistics worksheets, year 5 measurement worksheets, year 5 maths tests, year 5 mental maths and arithmetic worksheets: fluent in five.

One of our most popular resources with parents and teachers and a great way to start or end the day, Fluent in Five worksheets include 5-10 minutes worth of quick arithmetic questions designed to help children become quicker at making mental or written calculations. 

Children are given around 5 questions per maths worksheet – more than in previous years – to get them used to completing more questions in a short space of time ahead of Year 6 and the KS2 maths arithmetic paper. 

Download the free Year 5 mental maths worksheets

Year 5 Maths reasoning and problem solving worksheets: Rapid Reasoning

Reasoning is one of the key maths skills pupils are expected to show by the time they take the Key Stage 2 SATs, and our Rapid Reasoning worksheets give them plenty of extra practice! This pack comes with six weeks of questions, with around three to four word problems to solve per day. 

Download the free Year 5 maths reasoning worksheets

Year 5 Maths worksheets place value: Code Crackers

Place value is one of the most important topics in the mathematics curriculum. This fun worksheet covers key elements of the Year 5 place value curriculum including Roman numerals, negative numbers and rounding. 

Use this free resource to recap Year 5 place value learning whilst finding the punchline to a pirate themed joke. 

Download the Year 5 Code Crackers Place Value worksheets

Year 5 Maths worksheets place value: All kind of word problems

Place value is the basis of all mathematical knowledge. This workbook encourages children to deepen their understanding of place value through a range of different problems. Children will focus on understanding and rounding decimal numbers in context (money) creating numbers with different values and understanding Roman numerals in context (years written in Roman numerals). 

Download Year 5 place value worksheets: All kind of word problems

Year 5 Maths worksheets place value: Worked Examples

As larger numbers are introduced, children can find the topic of place value more challenging. This worksheet focuses on common misconceptions and encouraging children to identify and explain errors, therefore developing their reasoning skills. 

Download Year 5 place value worksheet: Worked Examples

Year 5 Maths worksheets addition and subtraction: Let’s practise using the bar model 

Year 5 children will not only need to know how to add and subtract numbers with more than 4-decimal places, they will also need to add and subtract decimal numbers. This worksheet focuses on solving worded problems that include these elements, while also introducing the very useful visual element of a bar model. 

Download Year 5 addition and subtraction worksheets: Let’s practise using the bar model 

Year 5 Maths worksheets addition and subtraction: Worked Examples

Children can often make errors when using formal written methods of addition and subtraction, estimating or mental arithmetic methods. This worksheet encourages children to consider and discuss common errors that could be encountered. 

Download Year 5 addition and subtraction worksheets: Worked Examples

Year 5 Maths worksheets addition and subtraction: All kinds of word problems

This resource encourages children to think about maths in a more open ended way. In this workbook, children are presented with a range of problems to solve and not all of them will have one answer only. From checking the addition and subtraction answers to writing a range of ways to create a number, pupils will be challenged with this resource. 

Download Year 5 addition and subtraction worksheets: All kinds of word problems

Year 5 Maths worksheets addition and subtraction: Code Crackers

Sometimes, some simple retrieval questions to round up a topic is all that is needed. This resource focuses on adding and subtracting numbers with 4 or more digits to find the answer to a space themed joke. 

Download Year 5 worksheets addition and subtraction: Code Crackers

Year 5 Maths worksheets on Times Tables: Tarsia Puzzles 

By the time children start in Year 5, they are expected to know all their times tables in any order and the related division facts. These worksheets are a fun way to practise times tables facts independently and develop mental arithmetic skills for any children who are less confident.

Download Year 5 Tarsia Puzzles Mixed Times Tables Pack

Year 5 Maths Worksheets for long multiplication

By the end of Year 5, children are expected to be able to multipy up to 4-digit numbers by 1- and 2-digit numbers, and multiply decimal and whole numbers by multiples of 10 up to 1000, according to the National Curriculum. 

These worksheets help pupils improve their skills with the former, with 45 questions ranging from multiplying 2-digit numbers by other 2-digit numbers all the way to multiplying 4-digit numbers. Each worksheet also comes with an answer scheme and modelled answers to show children how to correctly lay out their long multiplication calculations. 

Download the free Year 5 Long Multiplication Worksheets

Year 5 Maths worksheets multiplication: All kinds of word problems

This workbook focuses on a range of different multiplication problems that require multiple steps to find an answer. The questions include comparison statements, complete the multiplication grid and multiplication questions involving money.

Download Year 5 multiplication worksheets: All kinds of word problems

Year 5 Maths worksheets multiplication: Let’s practise using the bar model

Children can find worded problems challenging to answer. This worksheet focuses on recapping multiplication facts up to 12 x 12 then progressing to up to 3-digit numbers multiplied by teen numbers. While this may seem challenging, the addition of the bar models helps pupils to visualise and answer the more complex problems.

Download Year 5 multiplication worksheets: Let’s practise using the bar model

Year 5 Maths Worksheets for long division

Long division is one of the most difficult parts of the primary maths curriculum. This set of 3 worksheets helps children practice it in stages, including several short division questions to begin with to help them get warmed up before tackling the harder questions. 

Download the free Year 5 Long Division Worksheets

Year 5 Maths Worksheets for multiplication & division: Code Crackers

Our Code Crackers worksheets give children a fun way to revise their knowledge of a topic. Each Code Crackers worksheet includes a series of questions – in this case multiplication and division problems – based on what they have learned that year, and the answers can be put together to make the punchline of a joke!

In Year 5 children will mostly be practising long multiplication and division, but some short division/short multiplication questions are also included, to help them keep their knowledge of the basics sharp. 

Download the free Year 5 Multiplication and Division Worksheets

Year 5 Maths Worksheets for multiplication & division: Worked Examples

There is a lot of content to cover for multiplication and division in Year 5, which is why we made two different worked examples worksheets. The first worksheet covers common misconceptions found when learning about prime numbers, square numbers, multiplying or dividing by a power of ten and factors. The second worksheet covers multiply 4-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers (and two 2-digit numbers) and dividing a 4-digit number by a 1-digit number.

Download Year 5 multiplication & division worksheet 1: Worked Examples

Download Year 5 multiplication & division worksheet 2: Worked Examples

Year 5 Maths Worksheets on fractions: Code Crackers

By Year 5, children have learned about both equivalent fractions and improper fractions, and even begun combining the two. Our Code Crackers fractions worksheet helps them get even more practice in solving these complicated questions. 

Download the free Year 5 Fractions Worksheets

Year 5 Maths Worksheets on fractions: Independent Recap

Our newest style of maths worksheets, independent recap sheets are meant to be completed by children with little extra support, making them perfect home learning or homework activities.

This Year 5 maths worksheet focuses on finding fractions of amounts, and includes an arithmetic warm up involving adding and subtracting fractions, before moving onto reasoning questions that test how well children have learned how to calculate fractions of amounts. 

Download the free Year 5 Fractions of Amounts Worksheet

Year 5 Maths worksheet on fractions: worked examples

There are certain aspects of fractions that will be familiar to Year 5 students but may still carry misconceptions. This worksheet focuses on showing these misconceptions to children to allow them to discuss them openly. While the worksheet covers some familiar aspects (adding and subtracting fractions, ordering fractions) a new element of different denominators has been introduced. 

Download Year 5 fractions worked examples

Year 5 Maths Worksheets on decimals and percentages: Code Crackers

A worksheet of problems covering percentages and numbers up to two decimal places, with the answers coming together to form the punchline to the joke given at the start – great for retrieval practice !

Download the free Year 5: Decimals and Percentages Worksheets

Year 5 Maths Worksheets on decimals and percentages: Independent Recap 

While decimals were introduced in Year 4, percentages are new for Year 5. These simple to follow worksheets introduce what percentages are before moving on to writing percentages as fractions and decimals.

Download Year 5 decimals and percentages worksheets: Independent Recap

Year 5 Maths Worksheets on decimals and percentages: All kinds of word problems

This workbook has a range of activities to do with decimals and percentages including converting between the two and finding percentages of amounts. 

Download Year 5 Worksheets on decimals and percentages: All kinds of word problems

Year 5 Maths Worksheets on decimals and percentages: Let’s practise using the bar model

It is often important for children to understand when they will use the maths topics they are learning. This worksheet brings percentages and decimals into a real world context (shopping, for example) to help children to understand why, for example, knowing how to find a percentage of an amount is useful. 

Download Year 5 decimals and percentages worksheets: Let’s practise using the bar model

Year 5 Maths Worksheets on decimals and percentages: Worked Examples

This worksheet covers what percentage is, converting between decimals, percentages and fractions as well as understanding the value of decimals. There are a range of common errors that are made within this unit that have been addressed to encourage children to fully understand the topic. 

Download Year 5 decimals and percentages worksheets: Worked Examples

Year 5 Maths Worksheets for statistics: Code Crackers

In Year 5 statistics, the focus is on line graphs and more complex tables. This worksheet encourages children to read and interpret line graphs and tables in order to answer retrieval, comparison and sum calculations with the ultimate reward of finding the answer to a Halloween themed joke. 

Download Year 5 Statistics Worksheets: Code Crackers

Year 5 Maths Worksheets for statistics: Worked Examples

Although children will be familiar with line graphs and tables, they are still likely to make errors, especially when reading line graphs with more than one set of data. This worksheet addresses these common errors while allowing the children to ‘be the teacher’. 

Download Year  5 Statistics Worksheets: Worked Examples

Year 5 Maths Worksheets for converting units: Worked Examples

In previous years, children will have looked at converting units (for example centimetres to metres), however in Year 5, this is a unit of its own. This worked examples worksheet on converting units covers converting between metric units of measures, metric and imperial units of measures, converting between units of time and reading a timetable. 

Download Year 5 Measurement Worksheets: Worked Examples

Year 5 Maths Worksheets for converting units: Code Crackers

There are a lot of facts to remember when learning about converting units. This fun worksheet recaps the key facts of converting between metric units of measure (including converting between units of time). 

Download Year 5 Measurement Worksheets: Code Crackers

Year 5 Maths Worksheets for converting units: Independent Recap

These easy to follow independent recap worksheets cover a range of converting units content to help secure children’s understanding of the topic. The worksheets include converting between units of metric measures, converting between metric and imperial units, converting between units of time and reading timetables.

Download Year 5 Measurement Worksheets: Independent Recap

Year 5 Maths Test: All topics

As a child gets closer to Year 6 and the Key Stage 2 SATs, it’s important they get used to the timings and styles of questions they might face. Our Year 5 maths tests includes two assessments – one arithmetic paper and one reasoning paper – with SATS style questions created by our curriculum experts, answers and a mark scheme with detailed explanations of how to solve each question. 

Both papers should take about one hour to complete, and cover every part of the curriculum, from place value to geometry and 3d shapes. This makes them useful for checking children’s overall understanding of the maths they’ve learned in Year 5, as well as providing them with exam practice.  

Download free Year 5 Maths Test

Year 5 Maths Test: Times Tables

While Year 5 children are past the newly introduced multiplication tables check, knowing your times tables is a key part of many other maths topics they will learn. So it’s always worth keeping up with practice, and these quick worksheets help a child see exactly which ones they know by heart, and which they struggle with. 

Download the free Year 3 Times Tables Tests

Also in this series…

• Year 2 Maths Curriculum Toolkit for 6 & 7 Year Olds
• Year 2 Maths Worksheets
• Year 3 Maths  Curriculum Toolkit for 7 & 8 Year Olds
• Year 3 Maths Worksheets
• Year 4 Maths Curriculum Toolkit for 8 & 9 Year Olds
• Year 4 Maths Worksheets
• Year 6 Maths Curriculum Toolkit for 10 & 11 Year Olds
• Year 6 Maths Worksheets

DO YOU HAVE PUPILS WHO NEED MORE SUPPORT IN MATHS?

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Since 2013 these personalised one to one lessons have helped over 150,000 primary and secondary students become more confident, able mathematicians.

Learn about the Year 3-5 programme or request a personalised quote for your school to speak to us about your school’s needs and how we can help.

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FREE Fluent in Five Weeks 1 to 6 (Years 1 to 6)

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Times tables worksheets

Mixed worksheets

Printable times tables quiz generator

Times tables worksheet, name:_____________, timestables.co.uk, answer sheet.

Would you like to practise your tables? Below you will find tables practise worksheets. Click on one of the worksheets to view and print the table practice worksheets, then of course you can choose another worksheet. You can choose between three different sorts of exercises per worksheet. In the first exercise you have to draw a line from the sum to the correct answer. In the second exercise you have to enter the missing number to complete the sum correctly. In the third exercise you have to answer the sums which are shown in random order. All in all, three fun ways of practicing the tables in your own time, giving you a good foundation for ultimately mastering all of the tables. Choose a table to view the worksheet.

Practise with tables worksheets

A great addition to practising your tables online is learning them with the assistance of worksheets. Here you can find the worksheets for the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 times tables. You can also use the worksheet generator to create your own worksheets which you can then print or forward. The tables worksheets are ideal for KS1 and KS2 practise.

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Free Year 5 worksheets

Help your students master Year 5 skills with our wonderful Free Year 5 worksheets. With just 5 to 10 minutes a day, your students can horn in there class.

Our amazing worksheets will give your children plenty of practice to excel in all the topics including arithmetic, reasoning, spelling and, spelling punctuation and grammar. All the sheets are fully aligned with the British National Curriculum.

The engaging worksheets focus on a variety of skills and topics including rounding, multiplication, decimals, fraction, adverb, model verb, fronted adverbial and much more… These easy handy sheets are perfect as a daily warm-up, morning work, homework or review.

Also Read: What is a fronted adverbial? FREE word mat & worksheets

Free Year 5 Worksheets (Maths and English) ​

New worksheets posted daily!

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Times Tables Homework Grids

Subject: Mathematics

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

5 April 2016

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5 times table worksheets

Free 5 times table worksheets

Click on one of the worksheets to view or print them. The 5 times table offers various exercises. For example, you can look for blocks and colour them with the numbers that are part of the 5 times table. Alternatively, you can draw lines from questions to the correct answers. The exercises on the worksheets will prepare you for any future maths problems.

The 5 times table is usually the 4th times table students will learn. This following the tables of 1, 2 and 10. The 5 times table can be easily remembered by adding 5 every time. The answers will always end in a 5 or 0. Moreover, when using the number line, you will make gradual jumps of 5. This will look as follows: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 etc. This will aid you in remembering the answers and you'll be able to check whether your guesses are correct.

The times tables are the basis of more elaborate calculations and one's general maths comprehension. The exercises provided here are suited for maths education taught in primary school. These free 5 multiplication facts table worksheets for printing or downloading (in PDF format) are specially aimed at primary school students. You can also make a multiplication worksheet yourself using the worksheet generator. These worksheets are randomly generated and therefore provide endless amounts of exercise material for at home or in class.

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FDA approves the new Covid vaccine. Here's the best time to get it.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the new Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.

It’s the third time the vaccines have been updated to match circulating strains since the original series. The shots should be available within days. The agency hasn't yet approved a third vaccine, from drugmaker Novavax.

The timing of the new vaccines — last year's rollout was in mid-September — is significant, since most of the U.S. is still caught in the summer wave of Covid illness. As of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported, the number of people testing positive for Covid keeps rising and emergency room visits for Covid have been increasing since mid-May. Hospitalizations are rising , too.

Here’s what to know about the updated vaccines.

How are the new Covid vaccines different? 

The new shots from Pfizer and Moderna are designed to target the KP.2 strain, a descendant of the highly contagious JN.1 variant that began circulating widely in the U.S. last winter. The drugmakers started making the new doses in June after the FDA advised them to freshen the formulas to match the version of the virus that was gaining ground in the U.S. 

A third vaccine, from drugmaker Novavax, has been updated to target the JN.1 strain. JN.1 and KP.2 have largely faded from circulation, according to the CDC.

As of Saturday, a sister strain called KP.3.1.1 accounted for about 36% of all new Covid cases, while another sister strain, KP.3, accounted for about 17%. 

It’s unclear exactly how effective the vaccines will be against the newer strains, but experts expect that they will protect against severe illness.

A spokesperson from Pfizer told NBC News that data submitted to the FDA shows that its vaccine generates a “substantially improved” immune response against multiple currently circulating variants, including KP.3, compared to earlier versions of the vaccine. 

There are “very minor sequence differences” between the variants, said John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College. 

A paper published this month in the journal Infectious Diseases found that KP.3.1.1 shares similarities with JN.1 and KP.2, although it has a few additional mutations that may help it spread more easily. 

“All these changes are incremental. They do not change the overall big picture,” Moore said. “KP.3.1.1 is just another step in the road that the overall omicron lineage is taking towards greater transmissibility.”

Who should get the new Covid vaccine?

In an earlier interview, Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and a former White House Covid-19 response coordinator, said Covid is most likely endemic in the U.S., meaning the virus is following “a relatively predictable pattern that will last a very long time.” 

That means we’ll be getting a yearly updated Covid vaccine to protect against mutations and waning immunity, just like annual flu shots.

As of May 11, only 22.5% of adults got last year’s updated Covid vaccine, according to data from the CDC . Only 14.4% of children ages 6 months through 17 years got vaccinated.

For this fall, the CDC recommended that all Americans ages 6 months and older get the new shots.

But Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Toronto, said it’s challenging to make a one-size-fits-all recommendation on who should get the vaccine, especially for healthy, young adults.

“It’s fair to say that the vaccines are still helpful, certainly at an individual level, and to some extent at a community level,” he said.

It’s critically important that people at the highest risk of a severe Covid infection — including people over 65 or with weakened immune systems or underlying health conditions, such as heart disease or obesity — get the vaccine, Bogoch said

“The heavy lifting of the vaccine is really in protecting the most vulnerable people from severe outcomes, like hospitalization and death,” he said. 

When should I get the new Covid vaccine?

Millions of people in the U.S. have had Covid within the last few weeks and months. An advantage of the summer wave is that people who have recently recovered have an immune boost to fight off future infections. 

Because the vaccines will be available earlier this year than last, the question of timing for the most protection through the winter is more urgent. According to CDC guidance, if you’ve recently had Covid , “you may consider delaying your vaccine dose by 3 months.”  

For people at high risk of severe illness, experts say get the vaccine when it becomes available. That's because infection may not provide as much protection as vaccination, said Dr. Ofer Levy, the director of the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. 

Protection from infection can vary based on the severity of infection, the strain, as well as a person’s age and health. 

For the young and healthy, it may not be as beneficial to get the vaccine so close to recovery from infection, said Akiko Iwasaki, professor of immunology at the Yale School of Medicine. High levels of antibodies present from recent infection may prevent the vaccine from stimulating new immune cells.

“If there’s a lot of antibodies already circulating, those antibodies are going to block the [vaccine] from doing its job,” she said. “That’s one reason why it’s not recommended to get the vaccine immediately after you’ve had Covid.”

Dr. Paul Sax, clinical director of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said there’s no harm in getting the vaccine now, although it may make more sense to wait since Covid cases tend to pick up around November.

“Assuming that’s the case again this year, I would say sometime in October when people get their flu shot would be perfect,” Sax said. 

There’s not a risk to getting it right away, but the initial protection from the vaccine may not last through an expected winter wave, Sax said. 

“The good thing is that all of us with our immunity from prior vaccines or getting Covid or both don’t have as much of a risk of severe disease,” he said. “But if you want to really completely avoid getting infected it’s that antibody spike after the vaccine that happens one to three weeks after that’s most protective.” 

Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, said that people who recently had Covid can wait a few months before they get their updated vaccine. 

“Immunity does wane from having had Covid or getting the vaccine,” Juthani said Wednesday during a media briefing with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials ahead of the winter respiratory virus season. “If you don’t feel strongly about getting the vaccine right away, then waiting about three months from when you had Covid, and particularly, so that as we’re approaching the holidays, that you get that shot before the big holidays and when you may be gathering with people.” 

“If you feel strongly that you really want to get the shot as soon as it’s available, even if you had Covid this summer, then of course you can get that,” she added. “There’s nothing to say that you can’t in September or October.”

Data from prior Covid vaccines suggests that the initial protection against infection peaks about a month after the shot and starts to wane over the next several months, even when the vaccine is well matched to the circulating strains. 

Fortunately protection against severe disease remains robust for much longer, Iwasaki said.

Ultimately you never know when you may become infected with the virus, she said.

“It’s kind of a risky calculation because waves just means that there is a large number of infections in the population, but at the individual level you can get infected tomorrow,” she said. “So it’s very difficult to predict what is the best time to get it.” 

Iwasaki plans to get the vaccine herself sooner rather than later since she has not been infected or had a booster in some time. 

Sax recommends that his patients wait two to three months after recovering before getting another shot. 

“The reality is, your infection gives you some boost of your own immunity,” he said.

What are side effects of the new Covid vaccines?

Like other versions of the Covid vaccines and similar to flu shots, the most common reaction is some pain at the injection site. Other side effects include :

• Muscle pain

The CDC says the side effects typically resolve after a few days. Serious side effects , such as the life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, are rare.

Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines have been associated with a small but increased risk of myocarditis , the inflammation of the heart muscle, mostly in young men. Most people make a full recovery.

How much will it cost?

Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are charging up to $150 per dose for a Covid vaccine , according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The vast majority of people with public and private health insurance should pay nothing out of pocket for the updated Covid vaccines —as long as they stick with an in-network provider, said Jennifer Kates, director of the Global Health & HIV Policy Program.

Medicare and Medicaid require that the vaccines are free for patients. The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, requires private insurers to cover all vaccines that are recommended by the CDC’s vaccine committee and director.

However, Kates added that the ACA’s requirement does not apply to grandfathered plans — plans that existed before the ACA was signed into law — and short-term health plans. 

“People enrolled in these plans may face cost sharing for the Covid vaccine, or the vaccine may not be covered at all,” she said.

Children without insurance can get free vaccines through the government-run Vaccines for Children Program.

For adults without health insurance, the situation is a bit different. The CDC’s Bridge Access Program — which has been paying for shots for uninsured adults — is expected to shut down in August because of a lack of funding.

Once the funding runs out, uninsured individuals may be able to access free Covid vaccines through community health centers and other safety net providers that participate in the Section 317 vaccine program for adults, Kates said. Section 317 is a federal initiative that gives funding to states to provide vaccines for uninsured and underinsured adults.

“Some state and local health departments may also have a limited supply for people without insurance, but any supply will be very limited,” Kates said.

Berkeley Lovelace Jr. is a health and medical reporter for NBC News. He covers the Food and Drug Administration, with a special focus on Covid vaccines, prescription drug pricing and health care. He previously covered the biotech and pharmaceutical industry with CNBC.

Akshay Syal, M.D., is a medical fellow with the NBC News Health and Medical Unit.