Job spreadsheet-repair-broken-formulas · revised 11 October 2026
Repair the broken formulas in one Excel workbook so its totals check out
The error values and wrong totals in one workbook are traced and fixed until your agreed check cases return the answers you calculated by hand, with every change listed.
You might be seeing
- Cells show #REF!, #NAME?, #VALUE! or #DIV/0!
- A total does not change when an input does, or changes when nobody touched it
No passwords, keys, card details or admin invites needed to start.
What usually happened
In a workbook edited by several people, formulas can point at cells that no longer exist, name functions or ranges Excel cannot find, mix numbers stored as text with real numbers, or be overwritten by typed values. Some cells show an error. Others look fine and calculate the wrong thing, so the workbook cannot be trusted without following each chain of dependencies back to its inputs.
Who it’s for: A small-business owner, office manager or finance administrator who relies on one Excel workbook and no longer trusts its totals, or cannot get past its error messages.
Usually starts when: After rows were deleted, a sheet was copied or the file passed between people, cells show #REF! or #NAME? or the totals disagree with a hand calculation.
The result: Up to eight named output cells or ranges in the workbook return the answers you calculated independently for the agreed check cases, no formula error values remain in the agreed sheets, and a change log lists every formula we altered and why.
Check whether this job fits
Answer these without sending the workbook. Nothing is submitted unless you choose to contact us.
Checks you can run yourself
Find out which kind of error you have
In Excel, open the Formulas tab and use Error Checking. Note the type of each error value, and whether any cell shows a small green triangle. Do not delete or overwrite anything while checking.
Look for: A list of error types and cells. #REF! suggests deleted or overwritten cells, #NAME? a misspelt function or missing name, and a green triangle on a number can mean it is stored as text.
What you get
- A repaired copy of the workbook, with your original left untouched
- A change log listing each changed cell or range, the formula before and after, and the reason
- The check-case table with inputs, expected outputs and actual outputs, plus a list of any points that need your decision
Included
- One workbook of up to five sheets and up to eight named outputs, delivered as a repaired copy beside the original
- Find error values, formulas that break the pattern of their neighbours, numbers stored as text, circular references and formulas overwritten by typed values, using Excel's own error checking and dependency tracing
- Repair with the smallest change that restores the intended calculation, and ask you whenever the intent is not clear from the sheet
- Run the agreed check cases through the repaired copy and compare each output with your independently calculated answer
Not included
- Macros, add-ins, external data connections or links to files we cannot see
- Redesigning the model, adding new features, or restyling the layout
- Audit or assurance of financial statements, or any tax, accounting or financial advice
- Correcting the business figures typed into the workbook, as opposed to the formulas that use them
- Opening password-protected files without a route you are entitled to give us
How we know it’s done
Agreed with you before work starts. Each check produces evidence you keep.
Each agreed check case, with its inputs entered in the repaired copy, returns every expected output value to the agreed number of decimal places.
Evidence: The check-case table with inputs, expected outputs, actual outputs and a pass or fail mark for each.
No cell on the agreed sheets displays an Excel error value (#REF!, #NAME?, #VALUE!, #DIV/0!, #N/A, #NUM!) unless it is listed in the change log as intended, and no error-hiding wrapper has been added without being listed.
Evidence: A scan of the agreed sheets for error values and the change-log entries for any wrapper.
A comparison of the original and repaired copies shows that only the cells in the change log differ.
Evidence: The change log and the comparison output.
After a full recalculation of all formulas, every checked output has the same value as before the recalculation.
Evidence: Before and after values for each output.
Sign-off. You enter your own check case in the repaired copy, read the change log and confirm in writing that each repaired formula does what you meant. Payment follows sign-off.
If it fails. If the agreed check cases do not pass, you do not pay for this fixed scope. If the workbook turns out to depend on macros or links we cannot see, or no independent answer exists, we explain what we found and agree whether to re-quote or stop. No surprise work.
When it fits, and when we stop
It fits when
- You can say what the main outputs should be and supply check cases whose answers you worked out independently, by hand or from another source
- The workbook is an ordinary Excel file whose results come from formulas, not from macros or live connections
- You may share the file with a contractor, and it holds no personal or confidential data beyond what you can share, or it can be replaced with invented values
- A named person can answer questions about the intent of formulas
We stop and tell you if
- The results depend on macros, add-ins or live data connections that we cannot run or see
- Nobody can say what the correct answer should be and none can be calculated independently
- The workbook is larger or more tangled than the agreed scope, and you do not want it re-quoted
- The file contains personal or confidential data for which no secure route has been agreed
What could go wrong
Your original workbook is never changed. The repaired copy is a separate file, and the change log lists every difference, so you can reverse any change by copying the old formula back.
Scroll the table sideways to read it all.
| Risk | How we handle it |
|---|---|
| The error is hidden rather than fixed, for example by wrapping a formula so it shows zero. | Microsoft advises fixing the cause rather than masking the error. We repair the formula and do not use error-hiding wrappers unless you ask for one and the log says so. |
| A formula is changed to match what the sheet looks like it should do, not what you meant. | Check cases come from you, calculated independently, and unclear intent is a question to you, not a guess. |
| Results shown are stale because the workbook was set to recalculate only on request. | We check the calculation mode and run a full recalculation before comparing any result. |
A reviewer who did not do the repair compares the original and repaired workbooks, checks that only logged cells changed, and re-runs the check cases. You confirm that the intent of each repaired formula matches what you meant.
How we deliver
We arrange the work and independent review, then show you the result against the agreed checks. You keep authority over your systems.
- Agree the outputs, the check cases and the repaired-copy approach in writing
- Make a working copy and run Excel's error checking and dependency tracing across the agreed sheets
- List each error value, inconsistent formula, text-stored number and overwritten formula, and ask you about any unclear intent
- Repair each with the smallest change and record it in the change log
- Run every check case, then force a full recalculation and confirm the results do not move
- Have an independent reviewer compare original and repaired copies to confirm that only logged cells changed, then hand over
This is a one-off job, not a subscription. We confirm eligibility, the total price, a start window and a delivery date before you accept. Work starts only after the agreed files, the secure handling route and the acceptance checks are written down. An enquiry creates no charge or booking. We give no legal, medical, financial or tax advice.
Need to keep it working?
If the same workbook keeps breaking because several people edit it, a monthly check of its formulas and structure can be agreed separately.
Ongoing work is separately scoped and quoted: no monitoring, response-time guarantee or automatic subscription is included in this job.
Explore an ongoing engineering lane, or mention the responsibility you need in your enquiry.
What you can check
This is a new service. We have not delivered this job for a client yet.
Other ways to get this done
- Excel can mark cells whose formulas break the pattern of their neighbours, and trace which cells feed a result. For a small workbook, working through these yourself may be enough. support.microsoft.com
- If someone built the workbook for you, ask them to explain it first. They may know what a formula was meant to do.
Questions
Can you fix a workbook that uses macros?
Not under this price. Macro code is a different job. We can repair the ordinary formulas around it if the results do not depend on the macros.
Do you check that my numbers are right?
We check that the formulas do what you meant, using check cases you calculate independently. We do not audit your figures or give accounting advice.
Will you change my original file?
No. You get a repaired copy and a change log. The original stays as it is.
What if I do not know what a formula was meant to do?
We ask you about it and may suggest options. We do not guess the intent of a formula that affects your totals.
Send an enquiry
Send us
- What the workbook is for, how many sheets it has, and which outputs you do not trust
- The error messages you see (type only, such as #REF!) and when they started
- Two or three invented check cases with the answer you expect; no workbook in the first enquiry
Later, once you agree
- The workbook through the secure route we agree in writing, with confirmation that you may share it
- At least three independently calculated check cases, covering a normal case and an edge case
- A named person to answer questions about what a formula was meant to do
You keep ownership of every file we work on and of what we return. No upload portal exists yet, and the first enquiry never includes documents: send a description, counts and an invented or redacted sample only. Work can start only after we have agreed with you, in writing, a secure way to hand the files over, who may see them, how long we keep them and how we delete them. If we cannot offer a way you are comfortable with, we decline and nothing is charged. Files may be handled by automated software, including services run by other companies, and we tell you which in writing before any file moves. We work on copies, never on your only original, and we do not send, publish or contact anyone for you.
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