check register

[Sarah98]

Hello! I am a very novice user of Excel so this is probably an elementary problem for most. I would like to use the check register template in Excel but need to create about 50 worksheets with the same template. When I copy and paste the first initial template into a new worksheet...the cells that are to automatically update when amounts are put into the register are not changing. I am guessing I am not copying and pasting the formulas correctly  If I could get tips I would appreciate it. 

Thanks!

[#2]

Hello @Sarah98,

Without seeing a sample of the file that you are having issues with, it would be difficult to provide a proper solution. However, just a thought, be sure that when you copy the template to a new worksheet that the formulas are not pasted as values and that the formulas remain intact.

[#3]

@Sarah98 

Why do you "need to create about 50 worksheets with the same template"?

I always will ask that question, because often users, new ones especially, will think they "need to" do something or other, often have duplicate sheets for different variations on a central commonality. The reality is--although there undoubtedly are valid reasons for such duplicates--Excel can do wonderful things with, in this case, a SINGLE check register, drawing multiple reports FROM that single register. Reports based on such things as different budget categories, different payees, different income sources...you name it.

Hence my question: Why that "need"?

[#4]

@mathetes  I am a Corporate representative payee for about 50 people at my job and I wanted to create a check register in one place instead of having a paper register for each person. 

[#5]

@PReagan  I believe I figured it out. Thank you!

[#6]

@Sarah98 

In response to my impertinent "Why?" you wrote: I am a Corporate representative payee for about 50 people at my job and I wanted to create a check register in one place instead of having a paper register for each person.

And I'm going to push back on this: unless you're expecting each of those 50 people to be accessing the spreadsheet itself, instead of a printed copy, you still would most likely be better off with a single register for all income, with the ability that Excel excels in--extracting specific rows of information, creating a personalized printout (or PDF) on demand for each of them. With 50 separate registers, you're going to have to go to each of those separate registers to record a transaction. With it all combined, you stay in one place, just noting for each transaction, which person it applies to.

But it (obviously) is your choice.

[#7]

@mathetes well that sounds amazing but I do not have the smarts, patience or time to set that up. :) 

[#8]

@Sarah98 

You definitely have the patience and time. What you're doing will take both in abundance.

As for smarts, I think it's more a matter of experience. You wouldn't be in that position without the smarts.

Anyway, this will take more refinement to be fully functional, but I started just a few minutes ago with one of the Microsoft templates for a check register, modified a column to make it accept name, took off the "balance" column, since we'll want to calculate that on the fly, and created

• a single data register for entry of all transactions (are you doing withdrawals as well as payments in?)
• and an output sheet on which you select the individual's name and see the result.

Try it out. Add some transactions. Add a name and some transactions. You'll see that any new name is automatically added to the drop down (oh: assuming you have the most current version of Excel); the report will grow in length to accommodate more transactions. For now, keep the transactions in chronological order, although a possible refinement to the sort would make it possible to sort the reported transactions into chronological order even if entered randomly.

As I said, it would take more work to make it fully functional (like, how to we show last month's or last quarter's closing balance, and then all transactions since?), but my main goal is to show how that can work, and illustrate how easily Excel can extract individualized reports from a single table.Tables