An Excel running total adds each new value to the total above it, so you can see how a balance or cumulative amount changes down a list.
The right formula depends on whether your data is a simple range, an Excel Table, or grouped into categories.
What is a running total in Excel?
A running total, also called a cumulative total, is the sum of values from the first row through the current row.
For example, if daily sales are 120, 85, and 95, the running totals are 120, 205, and 300.
Each result includes all the values before it and the value on its own row.
Suppose the amounts are in cells B2:B6, with a header in B1.
Put the running total in column C.
The formula in C2 should include the first amount; the formula in C3 should include the first two amounts, and so on.
Use a SUM formula for a running total
Enter this formula in C2:
=SUM($B$2:B2)Copy it down column C alongside your data.
The first reference, $B$2, is absolute, so it stays fixed at the start of the list.
The second reference, B2, is relative, so it expands as the formula moves down.
For amounts of 120, 85, 95, 40, and 60 in B2:B6, the results in C2:C6 are 120, 205, 300, 340, and 400.
The formula in C4 becomes =SUM($B$2:B4), covering every amount from the start through row 4.
Why use dollar signs in the formula?
The dollar signs lock the starting cell when you fill the formula down.
Without them, =SUM(B2:B2) would shift to =SUM(B3:B3) in the next row, returning only that row's amount instead of a cumulative sum.
You can also create the formula by selecting the first cell reference in the formula bar and pressing F4 to cycle through reference types in desktop Excel.
Use a direct addition formula
For a short list, you can add each amount to the previous running total.
Enter =B2 in C2, then enter this in C3 and fill down:
=C2+B3This method is easy to follow, but it depends on the previous result.
If a formula is deleted or overwritten in the middle of the list, later totals may be wrong.
The expanding SUM formula does not depend on the preceding result, so it is usually easier to repair and audit.
Create a running total in an Excel Table
An Excel Table can extend formulas automatically when you add rows.
Select the data, choose Insert > Table, and confirm that the table has headers.
If the amount column is named Amount, add a running-total column and enter:
=SUM(INDEX([Amount],1):[@Amount])In supported Excel versions, INDEX([Amount],1) points to the first amount in the table, while [@Amount] refers to the amount on the current row.
Excel generally fills a calculated-column formula through the table and carries it into new rows.
Table formula behavior can vary if calculated columns are disabled or if formulas are edited inconsistently.
If the results do not fill down, copy the formula into the table column.
The basic range formula also works in older Excel versions, while structured references are available in Excel versions that support Tables.
Calculate a running total by category
To keep separate cumulative totals for each category, use SUMIFS.
Suppose categories are in A2:A7, amounts are in B2:B7, and the cumulative result goes in C2:C7.
Enter this in C2 and fill down:
=SUMIFS($B$2:B2,$A$2:A2,A2)The first range sums amounts only through the current row.
The criteria range checks categories over the same rows, and A2 supplies the category for the current result.
For example, if row 2 is “Books” with 30 and row 3 is “Travel” with 50, their running totals are 30 and 50.
If “Books” appears again with 20 on row 4, its running total becomes 50.
This formula calculates a running total in the order the rows appear.
Sort the data into the order you want before relying on the cumulative figures.
Sorting changes which entries are included at each point in the list.
Common problems and edge cases
- Totals restart unexpectedly: Check that the starting reference is locked, as in
$B$2.
If it shifts, the range may no longer include the first value. - New rows are not included: A regular range formula covers only the rows you fill it into.
Copy the formula down for new data, or use an Excel Table to help extend the calculated column. - Blank rows appear in the list:
SUMignores blank cells, so a blank amount does not stop the cumulative total.
The result will repeat until a later numeric value is included. - Numbers are stored as text: Values that look like numbers but are stored as text may not add as expected.
Convert them to numbers, for example with Excel's warning menu orVALUE, before calculating totals. - Negative values reduce the total: This is expected.
A refund of -25 lowers the cumulative balance by 25. - Dates or times are involved: Excel stores dates and times as numbers.
A running sum of date values may produce serial numbers or unexpected date displays; format the result as a number or currency when summing amounts.
Excel and Google Sheets compatibility
The expanding-range formula =SUM($B$2:B2) works in modern desktop Excel, Excel for the web, and Google Sheets.
The category formula using SUMIFS is also supported in these spreadsheet apps.
Excel Table structured references are specific to Excel and are not interchangeable with ordinary Google Sheets ranges.
In locales that use semicolons as function argument separators, replace commas in formulas such as SUMIFS with semicolons.
The range notation and dollar-sign behavior remain the same.
When sharing a workbook with people using different spreadsheet apps, the standard range-based formula is the most portable option.