Calculate quarter from dates in Excel | Calendar Year, Financial Year, Non-Standard Calendars

2 min read 7 months ago
Published on May 10, 2024 This response is partially generated with the help of AI. It may contain inaccuracies.

Table of Contents

How to Calculate Quarter Numbers from Dates in Excel

  1. Standard Calendar Year Calculation:

    • Open Excel and input your list of dates in column A.
    • To calculate the quarter number based on the calendar year, use the formula:
      =ROUNDUP(MONTH(A2)/3,0)
      
    • Drag the formula down to apply it to all dates.
    • To add a 'Q' in front of the quarter number, use the formula:
      ="Q"&ROUNDUP(MONTH(A2)/3,0)
      
  2. Non-Standard Calendar Year Calculation (e.g., Financial Year ends in August):

    • Use the EO Month function to calculate the quarter numbers based on a year end of August:
      =ROUNDUP(MONTH(EOMONTH(A2,8))/3,0)
      
  3. Handling Non-Standard Calendars with a Calendar Table:

    • Create a calendar table with Period start dates and corresponding month numbers.
    • Use the XLOOKUP function to lookup the Period start date and return the period number:
      =XLOOKUP(A2,PeriodStartDate,PeriodNumber,"Not Found",1)
      
    • Adjust the formula to handle non-exact matches by adding the argument "next smallest item minus one."
    • Divide the returned month number by three to calculate the quarter number for non-standard calendars.
  4. Exploring Other Lookup Functions:

    • You can also use VLOOKUP or INDEX MATCH for calculating quarter numbers based on different calendar scenarios.
    • Excel provides flexibility to handle various calendar setups by adjusting the formulas to suit the specific requirements.
  5. Conclusion:

    • Excel offers versatile functions to calculate quarter numbers based on different calendar setups.
    • Adjust the formulas according to the calendar year alignment or non-standard calendar to accurately determine the quarter numbers for your data.

By following these steps, you can efficiently calculate quarter numbers from dates in Excel, whether using a standard calendar year, financial year ending in August, or non-standard calendars.