Numbers function

ROUNDUP

Round away from zero.

Purpose

Round away from zero whatever the digits say

Returns

The number rounded up to the places you asked for

Syntax

=ROUNDUP(number, [places])

ArgumentRequiredWhat goes here
numberRequiredThe figure to round, or the cell holding it.
placesOptional2 for cents, 0 for whole pounds. None means 0.

How to use ROUNDUP

ROUNDUP ignores what the next digit is and always rounds away from zero. 1.1 to nought places is 2.

It is the right answer whenever a part period counts as a whole one: months of ageing, days chargeable, boxes needed.

For a negative number, away from zero means further negative, so -1.1 becomes -2.

Examples

Every result below is worked out by the same evaluator that marks your answers, on the sheet shown here.

Payables ageing — October.xlsxSheet1
Harbour Foods payables at 31 October 2026, with supplier terms alongside
ABCDEFGH
1InvoiceSupplierStatusDays overdueAmountSupplierTerms (days)
2INV-8801Brightwell PaperOverdue12940Ashgrove Catering30
3INV-8802Calder UtilitiesQueried471180Brightwell Paper30
4INV-8803Meridian FreightOverdue632450Calder Utilities14
5INV-8804Ashgrove CateringOn terms0405Meridian Freight45
6INV-8805Brightwell PaperOverdue38760Thornbury Print60
7INV-8806Thornbury PrintOverdue911320
8INV-8807Meridian FreightOn terms0580
9INV-8808Calder UtilitiesOverdue24215
FormulaResult
=ROUNDUP(D3/30,0)Forty-seven days is into a second month, so the answer is two months overdue.2
=ROUNDUP(E2/100,0)Nine hundred and forty pounds needs ten hundred-pound units to cover it.10
=ROUNDUP(D9/30,0)Twenty-four days is a part month, and a part month counts as one.1

Notes

  • ROUNDUP on a figure that is already whole leaves it alone. It rounds up, not to the next one up.
Practise ROUNDUP in Unit 18

A reference tells you what it does. A unit makes you use it.