|
Classic file types are no longer available for use as of January 2021. You can transition your classic files or download a PDF. Learn More

Workiva Support Center

IF

IF

  • Last updated on

Description

Use this function to perform a logical test and return one value for a TRUE result, and a different one for a FALSE result. Supported in Chains. Can be used with CHILDREFS.

IF allows you to make logical comparisons between a value and what you expect.

 

Syntax

IF(logical_test, value_if_true, [value_if_false])

 

Inputs

This function accepts the following arguments:

Name Required Description Valid input
logical_test Yes The condition you want to test. Any value or expression that can be evaluated to TRUE or FALSE.
value_if_true Yes The value to return if logical_test is TRUE. A cell reference, a cell range, a number, a text string, or a formula which results in any of these. A hard-coded value is also acceptable. 
value_if_false No The value to return if logical_test is FALSE. A cell reference, a cell range, a number, a text string, or a formula which results in any of these. A hard-coded value is also acceptable. If omitted, FALSE is returned.

 

Examples

Sample data

  A B
1 75 Pass
2 60 Fail
3 85 Pass
4 45 Fail

Sample formulas

Use case Formula Explanation and Result
Return one value if the value in the identified cell is greater than the supplied value, otherwise return another value. =IF(A1>=70,"Pass","Fail")

This formula works in the following manner:

  • IF(: This is the function itself.
  • A1>=70: This is the logical_test. It checks if the value in `A1` (75) is greater than or equal to 70. This evaluates to TRUE.
  • "Pass": This is the value_if_true. Since the test is TRUE, the formula returns this value.
  • "Fail": This is the value_if_false.

For this data set this formula returns Pass.
Return the value of one cell if the value in another cell is greater than the supplied value, otherwise return the supplied text. =IF(A2>50,B2,"Low Score")

This formula works in the following manner:

  • IF(: This is the function itself.
  • A2>50: The logical_test. It checks if the value in `A2` (60) is greater than 50. This evaluates to TRUE.
  • B2: The value_if_true. Since the test is TRUE, the formula returns the value found in `B2`.
  • "Low Score": The value_if_false.

For this data set this formula returns Fail.
Return specified results based on the score in the supplied cell. =IF(A3=85,"Excellent",IF(A3>=70,"Good","Needs Improvement"))

This formula works in the following manner:

  • IF(A3=85,...): The first logical_test checks if `A3` (85) is equal to 85. This is TRUE.
  • "Excellent": The value_if_true for the first IF. Since the test is TRUE, the formula returns this value and stops.
  • IF(A3>=70,...): This nested IF is the value_if_false for the first IF, but it is not evaluated because the first test was TRUE.

For this data set this formula returns Excellent.
Return letter grades based on the score using multiple nested IF functions. =IF(A4>90,"A",IF(A4>80,"B",IF(A4>70,"C",IF(A4>60,"D","F"))))

This formula works in the following manner:

  • IF(A4>90,...): Checks if `A4` (45) is 90. This is FALSE.
  • IF(A4>80,...): Since the first test was false, it evaluates the next IF. Checks if 45 is 80. This is FALSE.
  • IF(A4>70,...): Since the second test was false, it evaluates the next IF. Checks if 45 is 70. This is FALSE.
  • IF(A4>60,...): Since the third test was false, it evaluates the next IF. Checks if 45 is 60. This is FALSE.
  • "F": Since all preceding tests were FALSE, the formula returns the final value_if_false.

For this data set this formula returns F.

 

Notes

  • The IF function can be nested up to 64 levels deep. 
  • If the value_if_false argument is omitted, IF returns FALSE when the condition is not met.
  • The logical_test argument can use any comparison operator (=, <>, <, >, <=, >=).
  • You can combine IF with the  AND, OR, and NOT functions within the logical_test argument to create more complex conditions.
  • You can combine IF with other functions such as ISBLANK, ISNUMBER, etc., for more advanced logical tests.

 

Tips

  • For multiple conditions, consider using the IFS function (available in Excel 2016 and later) instead of nested IF statements.
  • Use the IFERROR function to handle potential errors in your IF statements.
  • When working with text in IF functions, remember that Workiva spreadsheets are not case-sensitive by default.
  • To test for multiple conditions, you can use the AND or OR functions within the logical_test argument.
  • For complex scenarios with many conditions, consider using a VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH combination instead of multiple nested IFs.

 

Related functions

AND
CHOOSE
IF
IFERROR
IFNA
IFS
NOT
OR

Was this article helpful?
0 out of 0 found this helpful
Description Use this function to perform a logical test and return one value for a TRUE result, and a different one f...