Syntax
The generic syntax for SUMIF looks like this: The SUMIF function takes three arguments. The first argument, range, is the range of cells to apply criteria to. The second argument, criteria, is the criteria to apply, along with any logical operators. The last argument, sum_range, is the range that should be summed. Note that sum_range is optional. If sum_range is not provided, SUMIF will sum cells in the first argument, range. Examples: Basic Usage | Criteria in another cell | Not equal to | Blank cells | Dates | Wildcards | Videos
Applying criteria
The SUMIF function supports logical operators (>,<,<>,=) and wildcards (*,?) for partial matching. The tricky part about using the SUMIF function is the syntax needed to apply criteria. This is because SUMIF is in a group of eight functions that split logical criteria into two parts, range and criteria. Because of this design, operators need to be enclosed in double quotes (""). The table below shows examples of the syntax needed for common criteria: Notice the last two examples involve concatenation with the ampersand (&) character. Any time you are using a value from another cell, or using the result of a formula in criteria with a logical operator like “<”, you will need to concatenate. This is because Excel needs to evaluate cell references and formulas to get a value before that value can be joined with an operator.
Limitations
There are a couple of limitations with SUMIF that you should be aware of. First, SUMIF only supports a single condition. If you need to sum cells using multiple criteria, use the SUMIFS function. Second, the SUMIF function requires an actual range for the range argument; you can’t substitute an array. This means you can’t do things like extract the year from a range that contains dates inside the SUMIF function. If you need to manipulate values that appear in the argument before applying criteria, the SUMPRODUCT function is a flexible solution.
Basic usage
With numbers in the range A1:A10, you can use SUMIF to sum cells greater than 5 like this: If the range B1:B10 contains color names like “red”, “blue”, and “green”, you can use SUMIF to sum numbers in A1:A10 when the color in B1:B10 is “red” like this: Notice A1:A10 is now entered as the sum_range, because it is different from range, which contains only color names. To recap: criteria is applied to cells in range. When cells in range meet criteria, corresponding cells in sum_range are summed. The sum_range argument is optional. If sum_range is omitted, the cells in range are summed instead.
Worksheet example
In the worksheet shown, there are three SUMIF formulas. In the first formula (G5), SUMIF returns total Sales where Name = “jim”. In the second formula (G6), SUMIF returns total Sales where State = “ca” (California). In the third formula (G7), SUMIF returns the total of Sales > 100: Notice the equals sign (=) is not required when constructing “is equal to” criteria. Also notice SUMIF is not case-sensitive; you can use “jim” or “Jim”. Finally, notice that the last formula does not include sum_range, so range is summed instead.
Criteria in another cell
A value from another cell can be included in criteria using concatenation. In the example below, SUMIF will return the sum of all sales over the value in G4. Notice the greater than operator (>), which is text, must be enclosed in quotes. The formula in G5 is:
Not equal to
To express “not equal to” criteria, use the “<>” operator surrounded by double quotes (""):
Again notice SUMIF is not case-sensitive.
Blank cells
SUMIF can calculate sums based on cells that are blank or not blank. In the example below, SUMIF is used to sum the amounts in column C depending on whether column D contains “x” or is empty:
Dates
The best way to use SUMIF with dates is to refer to a valid date in another cell, or use the DATE function. The example below shows both methods:
Notice we must concatenate an operator to the date in E9. To use more advanced date criteria (i.e. all dates in a given month, or all dates between two dates) you’ll want to switch to the SUMIFS function, which can handle multiple criteria.
Wildcards
The SUMIF function supports wildcards, as seen in the example below:
The tilde (~) is an escape character to allow you to find literal wildcards. For example, to match a literal question mark (?), asterisk(), or tilde (~), add a tilde in front of the wildcard (i.e. ~?, ~, ~~).
Average range caution
SUMIF makes certain assumptions about the size of sum_range, essentially resizing it when necessary to match the range argument, using the upper left cell in the range as an origin. In some cases, this behavior can create a result that seems reasonable but is in fact incorrect. For an example of this problem, see this article.
Notes
SUMIF only supports one condition. Use the SUMIFS function for multiple criteria. When sum_range is omitted, the cells in range will be summed. Non-numeric criteria must be enclosed in double quotes (i.e. “<100”, “>32”, “TX”) Cell references in criteria are not enclosed in quotes, i.e. “<"&A1 The wildcard characters ? and * can be used in criteria. A question mark matches any one character and an asterisk matches any sequence of characters (zero or more). To match a literal question mark(?) or asterisk (), use a tilde (~) like (~?, ~). SUMIF requires a range, you can’t substitute an array.
Dave Bruns
Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.
