PlanMaker IRR Function: Find Investment Returns from Cash Flows
Calculate IRR in PlanMaker with reproducible cash flows, documented arguments, independently checked examples and practical interpretation limits.
Verification status: See the evidence and test scope described in this guide. How formula examples are checked
Quick answer: For cash flows -1000, 550, 605, =IRR(B2:B4) has an expected result of 10% per cash-flow period. IRR finds a rate that balances equally spaced payments and receipts. It returns a rate, not a currency profit.
Availability and version history
- Introduced: Documented in the PlanMaker 2016 manual; the original introduction release and date remain unknown.
- Availability: Documented in the 2026 English reference; no final supported-version endpoint is established.
- Scope: Versioned documentation does not establish identical behavior across desktop, mobile or localized builds.
- Checked: October 14, 2026, against the official IRR reference, with independent cash-flow calculations. No native PlanMaker test.
Syntax, inputs and solver limits
=IRR(Values [, Guess])
- Values: a range or array of cash flows in time order. Payments are negative and receipts positive; SoftMaker requires at least one of each sign.
- Guess: an optional initial estimate. The 2026 IRR reference does not state a numeric default.
Amounts can vary, but intervals must be equal. A monthly series returns a monthly rate; an annual series returns an annual rate. Irregular dates call for XIRR’s date-aware interface.
SoftMaker documents 20 iterations and an accuracy target of 0.00001%. If the search cannot reach that accuracy, it returns #NUM!; another Guess may help. A guess does not change cash-flow timing or guarantee a solution. Do not type the optional brackets, and follow your installed editor’s formula separators.
Reproducible worksheet
Use a blank worksheet and enter this table in A1:B4:
| Row | A: Period | B: Cash flow |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Period | Cash flow |
| 2 | 0, initial investment | -1000 |
| 3 | 1, end of first interval | 550 |
| 4 | 2, end of second interval | 605 |
Enter =IRR(B2:B4) in B6 and format it as Percentage. Expect approximately 10.000000%. In B7, enter =B2+NPV(B6,B3:B4); expect a result close to 0.
The time-zero investment belongs outside NPV’s future-flow range. PlanMaker’s NPV reference treats its series as future period-end cash flows. The direct arithmetic check is:
-1000 + 550/(1+0.10) + 605/(1+0.10)^2 = 0
The two discounted receipts are exactly 500 each. Retain the unrounded B6 rate for B7 rather than retyping a displayed percentage. NPV can also compare projects at a rate you choose instead of solving for a rate.
Three practical cash-flow variations
Keep A:B unchanged. Enter the following three independent numeric series in D2:F5, with headings in D1:F1:
| Row | D: Regular receipts | E: One empty period | F: Loss-making stream |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | -1000 | -5000 | -1000 |
| 3 | 400 | 0 | 300 |
| 4 | 400 | 3000 | 300 |
| 5 | 400 | 3500 | 300 |
Enter =IRR(D2:D5) in D7 and fill across to F7. Expected periodic rates are:
| Result | Expected rate per period |
|---|---|
| D7 | 9.701026% |
| E7 | 10.947294% |
| F7 | -5.088544% |
In D8 enter =D2+NPV(D7,D3:D5) and fill across through F8; each result should be close to zero. Four cash-flow entries span three intervals after the initial amount.
The numeric zero in E3 preserves a period with no transaction. Deleting it would move later receipts earlier. The loss-making series has a valid negative mathematical root; a negative percentage is not automatically a calculation error. These examples have one initial outflow followed by nonnegative receipts, avoiding the multiple-root pattern below.
Advanced example: two different rates can both balance the same project
In H2:H4, enter -100, 230, -132. This stream changes sign twice. Put 10% in J2 and 20% in J3, then enter =$H$2+NPV(J2,$H$3:$H$4) in K2 and fill to K3. Both mathematical results are 0:
-100 + 230/1.10 - 132/1.10^2 = 0
-100 + 230/1.20 - 132/1.20^2 = 0
An IRR solver can therefore face more than one root. =IRR(H2:H4,10%) and =IRR(H2:H4,20%) supply different starting estimates, but this guide does not promise which root a specific PlanMaker build selects. Inspect the cash-flow pattern and several NPV rates rather than treating one returned number as a unique economic answer.
Annualize only when the period is known
If the original B2:B4 series represents monthly flows, enter =(1+B6)^12-1 in B10. The expected effective annual equivalent is approximately 213.842838%. In B11 enter =B6*12; this produces 120%, a nominal annualized figure. They answer different questions.
If those same rows represent years, B6 is already an annual periodic rate and the monthly annualization is inappropriate. Neither conversion repairs irregularly spaced transactions.
Troubleshooting and interpretation
- #NUM!: check signs, numeric inputs, intervals and repeated sign changes before trying another Guess. The documented convergence limit is not a guarantee that every valid root is found.
- Only one cash-flow sign: supply the complete payment/receipt stream; both signs are a documented prerequisite.
- Blanks, text or logical values: the short IRR entry does not specify every coercion rule. Use explicit numeric zero for a known empty period instead of assuming blank handling matches another spreadsheet.
- Wrong magnitude: check whether the result is monthly, quarterly or annual and whether percentage formatting is applied.
- Multiple roots: a sign change is necessary for ordinary input, but the sign requirement alone does not establish uniqueness or investment suitability.
MIRR’s official interface accepts separate financing and reinvestment rates; IRR does not. A calculated return also omits any fees, taxes or transactions you left out. Compare the full cash-flow model and chosen discount-rate assumptions, not just the highest displayed return.