Excel VLookup returns incorrect row

Copper Contributor

I noticed when using VLookup I'm getting incorrect returns. The answer the formula provides is actually from the column before the correct ansewer. This has recently started happening, and has been working correctly in many years of using. Even in older workbook from 3 years ago its started doing this.

8 Replies

@CWKotch 

Could you attach a small sample workbook demonstrating the problem (without sensitive data), or if that is not possible, make it available through OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox or similar?

sure thing...give me a few minutes please

@ere...on sheet 2023 i'm looking under "Take Home" and 2023rates is referanced

@Hans Vogelaar Under sheet 2023, "Take Home Pay", referances the table on 2023rates sheet.

@CWKotch 

It is a rounding problem. The times in column E are stored as fractions, and Excel cannot represent most fractions completely accurately. Hence the sum can deviate from the 'true' value by a tiny amount.

Since the first column on the 2023rates sheet increased in steps of 0.5, you can avoid the problem by rounding the sum in column I to 1 decimal place:

=ROUND(SUM(E2:E14)*24,1)

Alternatively:

=SUM(24*TEXT(E2:E14,"h:mm"))

Perfect! WOrks like the proverbial charm. Thank you very much.
Chris
It works fine, however I'm finding that the total hours worked in column E , for example, if hours worked are 11:45 hours, it make it 11:80?

@CWKotch 

Column E contains values in time format h:mm, but column I contains decimal hours.