RRI Function (LibreOffice Calc)
Calculate a compound growth rate with LibreOffice RRI. Use consistent period units, positive starting values and growth or decline examples, without confusing it with cash-flow IRR.
Verification status: See the evidence and test scope described in this guide. How formula examples are checked
Quick answer: RRI finds the constant compound rate per period that changes a starting value into an ending value. For positive starting and ending values, the relationship is (FV/PV)^(1/periods)−1. It describes growth between two endpoints, without intermediate payments.
Syntax and arguments
=RRI(periods; pv; fv)
All three arguments are required. Calc commonly separates arguments with semicolons.
| Argument | Meaning |
|---|---|
| periods | Number of equal compounding periods, greater than zero |
| pv | Present starting value; the documented deposit case requires a positive value |
| fv | Desired ending value, expressed in the same units as pv |
The output is a rate per supplied period. If periods counts months, the result is monthly; if it counts years, the result is annual. There is no payment-date or cash-flow-range argument.
Worked example: reproduce the official growth example
- Enter 4 in B2, 7500 in B3 and 10000 in B4.
- Enter
=RRI(B2;B3;B4)in B6. - Format B6 as a percentage.
The independently calculated result is approximately 0.0745699318, or 7.45699318% per year when the four periods are years. LibreOffice Help reports the example rounded to 7.46%.
As a reverse check, =B3*(1+B6)^B2 should recover approximately 10000. Use the underlying full-precision rate, not a manually retyped 7.46%, when checking the endpoints.
Second example: declining value
For a value falling from 1000 to 810 across 2 periods:
=RRI(2;1000;810)
The expected result is -10% per period, because 1000×0.9×0.9=810. Negative growth is meaningful in this positive-endpoint example. It does not require entering the starting value as a negative cash outflow.
The result is different from a simple average of annual percentage changes. RRI supplies the single compounded rate connecting the endpoints, regardless of an unobserved path between them.
Advanced application: convert a monthly growth rate consistently
Suppose 1000 grows to 1210 in 24 months. =RRI(24;1000;1210) is expected to return approximately 0.79741404% per month. If that rate is in E2, =(1+E2)^12-1 converts it to an effective annual rate of approximately 10%.
Multiplying the monthly rate by 12 gives a nominal arithmetic annualization, approximately 9.5689685%, which is a different quantity. Label the chosen rate convention rather than treating the two conversions as interchangeable.
For a sales or quantity index, the same endpoint calculation can summarize compound growth when both endpoints are positive and periods are consistently defined. It does not establish a forecast, investment suitability or a guaranteed future return.
Domain checks and troubleshooting
The inspected LibreOffice source rejects periods ≤ 0 and pv = 0, then evaluates the endpoint-ratio power expression. The user-facing Help is stricter for its deposit use case and says pv must be positive. Follow that documented positive-starting-value contract rather than inferring support for negative investments merely because the implementation tests only zero.
Positive pv with fv equal to zero gives a mathematical endpoint rate of -100% for a positive period count. A negative endpoint ratio generally has no real-valued fractional root; this guide does not recommend such inputs or claim an exhaustive native error table for them.
Check whether intermediate contributions or withdrawals occurred. If so, a two-endpoint growth rate mixes performance with those cash flows; IRR or XIRR may be a more appropriate calculation for a properly specified cash-flow model. RRI itself cannot infer those missing payments.
- LibreOffice 26.8.1.1 RRI implementation, inspected October 17, 2026, source review only.
Availability and verification
The introduction release has not been established from the reviewed evidence. The current desktop Calc reference was checked October 17, 2026; a last functioning version or retirement is not established.
New expected results are independently calculated and checked against the documented contract, not tested in LibreOffice Calc. No screenshot or fresh application execution is claimed.