Totals and counts function

SUMIFS

Total the rows where every condition holds.

Purpose

Total the rows where every condition holds

Returns

The total of the rows that match all the conditions

Syntax

=SUMIFS(sum_range, range1, condition1, [range2], [condition2], ...)

ArgumentRequiredWhat goes here
sum_rangeRequiredThe column of amounts to add.
range1RequiredThe first column to test.
condition1RequiredWhat that column has to match.
range2OptionalThe next column to test.
condition2OptionalWhat that column has to match.

How to use SUMIFS

SUMIFS puts the column being added first, then range and condition in pairs. That is the reverse of SUMIF, and mixing them up is the commonest thing that goes wrong here.

Every range has to cover the same rows, the added column included.

This is what a pivot table does. A pivot grouped by supplier and status is a block of SUMIFS with the labels down the side and along the top, and writing it out is how you can see what it is claiming.

One pair of conditions behaves exactly like SUMIF, so there is no reason not to start with SUMIFS and add pairs as the question gets sharper.

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
=SUMIFS(E2:E9,C2:C9,"Overdue",D2:D9,">30")Overdue and more than thirty days old. The amount column comes first.4530
=SUMIFS(E2:E9,B2:B9,"Meridian Freight")One condition, which is SUMIF written the other way round.3030
=SUMIFS(E2:E9,B2:B9,"Calder Utilities",C2:C9,"Overdue")One supplier, one status. The other Calder invoice is queried rather than overdue, so it drops out.215
=SUMIFS(E2:E9,D2:D9,">30",D2:D9,"<=60")The same column tested twice, which is how a band with two edges is written.1940

Notes

  • SUMIFS starts with the column to add. SUMIF ends with it.
  • Every range must be the same size, including the one being added.
Practise SUMIFS in Unit 14

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