FVSCHEDULE in Collabora Office: Compound a Principal Through Varying Rates
Use Collabora FVSCHEDULE with a rate range, reproduce period-by-period balances and distinguish compounding from adding percentage returns.
Verification status: See the evidence and test scope described in this guide. How formula examples are checked
Quick answer: With rates 3%, 4% and 5% in A2:A4, =FVSCHEDULE(1000;A2:A4) has independently expected result 1124.76. The function compounds the starting principal through each rate in the schedule.
Syntax and cash-flow model
=FVSCHEDULE(Principal; Schedule)
Principal is the starting capital. Schedule is a series of periodic rates, supplied as a range or a list. Both arguments are required. The dedicated Collabora help gives the same three-rate example and specifically documents that text and empty cells inside a data range are ignored.
The independent formula is Principal multiplied by every (1+rate) factor. Rates must correspond to the actual periods in the model. A rate of 3% means 0.03; it is not entered as the number three unless 300% is intended.
There are no arguments for extra deposits, withdrawals, payment timing or dates. This function models growth of a single starting amount through the provided rates, not a complete irregular cash-flow account.
Example 1: reproduce the balances row by row
Enter 3%, 4%, 5% in A2:A4. Enter starting principal 1000 in F2. In B2 use =$F$2*(1+A2). In B3 use =B2*(1+A3) and fill B3 down to B4.
Independent balances are 1030, 1071.2 and 1124.76. The final B4 value should match =FVSCHEDULE($F$2;A2:A4). The total gain is 124.76, or 12.476% of the original principal.
Adding the three rates gives 12%, but that omits interest on prior accumulated growth. =1000*(1+SUM(A2:A4)) would yield 1120, which is a different, noncompounded calculation.
Example 2: include a flat period
For rates 3%, 0%, 5%, the independent final value is 1081.5. The explicit zero contributes a factor of one, so the balance remains unchanged during that period.
A blank range cell is documented as ignored. In this no-intermediate-cash-flow model, ignoring a truly zero-return period gives the same multiplication result as including its factor one, but it loses the visible period record. A blank caused by missing data is not evidence that the actual return was zero.
Use numeric zero when a known period has zero return. Investigate missing or text-formatted rates instead of assuming an unchanged balance was intended.
Advanced application: demonstrate gains and losses
A hypothetical 10% gain followed by a 10% loss gives 1000*1.1*0.9=990, not 1000. A two-cell schedule containing 10% and −10% has that independent target under the mathematical compounding model.
The arithmetic average rate is zero, but the compounded result is a 1% total decline. The second percentage applies to a different balance. This example explains why adding or averaging returns is not enough to reproduce ending capital.
For the ordinary examples, rates stay above −100%. Extreme or invalid schedule values and their native handling are not certified by this guide.
Advanced application: compute an equivalent constant rate
For the three-rate schedule, the constant per-period rate that produces the same final factor is =(1124.76/1000)^(1/3)-1, independently approximately 3.996794773%.
If all three periods have the same duration, this is their geometric mean growth rate. It is not an annualized rate unless each period is a year. Unequal-duration schedules require an explicit time convention before annualization.
Reordering a clean numeric rate schedule leaves the final product unchanged when there are no intermediate cash flows. The intermediate balances still change, and adding withdrawals would make order financially consequential beyond this function’s simple model.
Errors and troubleshooting
Text or blank cells in a range are ignored according to the official help. A rate imported as text can therefore silently disappear from the product. Use numeric validation and inspect value types when a result seems unexpectedly small or large.
Keep the principal and rates in separate ranges; accidentally including the principal as a rate creates a huge factor. The function does not infer time intervals from date labels. Independent reference calculations here are not a native Collabora execution or a forecast of an actual investment outcome.
Availability and verification
The exact function is documented in Collabora Office 26.04 desktop help. The snapshot was retrieved on 2026-10-13 and hash-verified on October 15, 2026. Desktop help does not establish Online or mobile support. First introduced release and last functioning version are unknown; the dedicated evidence does not establish them.
No native Collabora or WPS run occurred. Worked values are independent mathematical expectations, not verification of every native error, coercion or numerical limit. Formulas use English names and semicolon separators.