IRR Function in ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor: Syntax, Worked Examples and Limitations

• Introduced: The original introduction release and date are not established by the official sources checked.
• Availability: Documented in the current ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor help; no final working-version endpoint is established.
• Scope: Docs and Desktop Editors release separately. The unversioned reference does not establish support in every older build or mobile client.
• Checked: October 14, 2026, against the official IRR reference. Documentation check; not a new native test.

=IRR(values, [guess])

The cash-flow range must include at least one positive and one negative value. guess is optional and defaults to 10%; type 0.1 or 10%, not 10.

For cash flows C0, C1, …, Cn at regular times, an IRR root is a rate r satisfying 0 = Σ(Ct/(1+r)^t) for t=0...n. This is an independent economic definition and numerical model. The ONLYOFFICE reference confirms the regularly spaced cash-flow input and the optional guess, default 10%; it does not promise a unique root or spell out convergence thresholds. The expected rates in the table were solved independently and checked by discounting every input cash flow back to a near-zero residual.

Use a blank worksheet. A semicolon in the setup table separates consecutive cells; do not type the whole sequence into one cell. Keep inputs numeric and put results in column M, starting at M2, without overwriting any input range.

Expected rates below are decimal fractions shown to six places, so 0.100000 means 10%.

Verify the rate by independently rebuilding net present value

With =IRR(B2:B4) in M2, put =B2+B3/(1+M2)+B4/(1+M2)^2 in M14. On the independent model this should be close to zero (small residuals are possible from numerical precision). The first flow at time zero must not be discounted. This check catches a common timeline error.

Keep empty periods instead of deleting them

For D2:D4 the middle payment is explicitly numeric zero. That preserves the two-year gap between initial payment and the final 1,210 receipt. Deleting the zero row would turn a two-period investment into a one-period investment and change its annualized return. Ensure cash flows are equally spaced and in chronological order; IRR has no explicit date-array argument.

Make sense of the initial guess

The vendor describes guess as an optional estimate and defaults it to 10%. For ordinary single-change-sign flows, a reasonable alternative guess will often locate the same economically meaningful root; that is a numerical expectation, not a vendor guarantee. For the separate series -100,230,-132, both 10% and 20% make the discounted sum zero. Multiple changes of sign can produce several real solutions or no usable solution. If a result changes with the guess, examine the full cash-flow polynomial and alternative rates instead of presenting one figure as uniquely correct.

Do not confuse IRR with MIRR and NPV

NPV discounts a specified stream at a user-supplied rate. MIRR explicitly separates borrowing and reinvestment rates. XIRR accepts date-aware cash flows. IRR itself assumes a regular timetable; it is unsuitable for irregular timestamps without translating them into appropriate periods.

Translate the period correctly

An IRR from monthly cash flows is monthly. For a periodic rate r, a mathematical effective annual equivalent under monthly compounding is (1+r)^12−1; this is an independent annualization calculation, not a feature built into IRR. Avoid writing r×12 as a universally exact annual effective rate.

Use an investment decision framework, not IRR alone

A higher reported IRR is not necessarily a better project when project sizes, reinvestment assumptions, constraints or risk differ. Compare present values at a chosen hurdle rate, the size and timing of cash flows, and project risk. The formulas shown are examples for education, not investment advice.

The short official reference does not specify every invalid-input error token, coercion rule or solver limit. Check numeric inputs and the actual error explanation rather than assuming another spreadsheet’s behavior.

Examples use English function names, commas and numeric decimal rates. The function-entry guide describes the function dialog; Advanced Settings covers formula language and regional formatting. ROUND explains deliberate numeric rounding, and SUM helps build cash-flow checks.

Expected values were independently calculated from the stated financial equations and separately cross-checked. No example was executed in ONLYOFFICE. Fixed-rate models omit fees, taxes, irregular dates and contractual rounding unless those assumptions are added explicitly.