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Excel – what to do when the numbers don’t line up:

Guest writer Carlton Collins expains the quick fix to this problem:

Posted on September 20, 2016 by David Conley in Tools
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One of the most frustrating things in spreadsheet preparation occurs after you double check your numbers but find that you just can’t make the dollar amounts align properly for your presentation. Guest editor Carlton Collins shows you how to solve this problem in the September, 2016, issue of the Journal of Accountancy. Need more Excel Tips? Follow this link.

Excel: The right format is the wrong format

By J. Carlton Collins, CPA

September 1, 2016

Q. I can’t figure out why the decimals and commas in my Excel-based cash flow statement (using the “Accounting Format”) don’t line up properly (as pictured below). What’s going on?

techqa1


A.
The problem is that you have selected the Right Align format, which overrides the Accounting Format‘s decimal orientation. You can correct this problem by selecting column H, and from the Home tab’s Alignment group, making sure the Align Right, Align Left, and Align Center formats are deselected. Thereafter, the numbers will align ­according to their decimals, as pictured below.

techqa2

About the author

J. Carlton Collins (carlton@asaresearch.com) is a technology consultant, a CPE instructor, and a JofA contributing editor.

 

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David Conley
David is a partner at Smith, Conley & Associates, PC. In addition to writing and tax consulting, he is active in the pro-life community serving as President of the Fayette County Right to Life chapter of Georgia Right to Life.
He is also a founding Board Member and Finance Director of the Fayette Pregnancy Resource Center and serves on the Board of the National Equal Rights Institute.
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