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