SYD Function in SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026: Syntax, Worked Examples & Troubleshooting

Use SYD for a declining annual expense schedule in which the asset is expected to lose more economic value in its first years. For a four-year life, the weighting is 4:3:2:1, totaling ten units of weighting. This is a method for modelling depreciation, not advice that tax authorities accept it: SoftMaker itself warns that SYD is only partly applicable under the tax laws of some countries (including Germany).

=SYD(Cost, Salvage, Life, Per)

All four arguments are required; the vendor specifies no optional arguments or default values.

The independent mathematical model is (Cost−Salvage) × [2×(Life−Per+1)/(Life×(Life+1))]. The Per argument starts at 1 for the first period. This model assumes Life>0, 1≤Per≤Life, and conventionally Cost≥Salvage; invalid inputs should be corrected rather than relying on undocumented error handling. SoftMaker’s exact 2026 syntax.

Enter numeric inputs in B2:B4:

Enter years 1, 2, 3, 4 into A8:A11, one year per row. In C8, type this formula and copy it down to C11:

=SYD($B$2,$B$3,$B$4,A8)

In D8, type and copy down to D11:

=$B$2-SUM($C$8:C8)

Independent validation: The depreciable base is 12000−2000=10000. The denominator is 4+3+2+1=10. First-year depreciation is 10000×4/10=4000, then 3000, 2000, and 1000. In C12, =SUM(C8:C11) should give 10000, equal to the depreciable base. The cumulative book value reaches but does not pass below the 2000 salvage figure in this schedule.

SoftMaker’s 2026 documentation uses equipment costing 200000, ending at 10000, over 10 years. To reproduce the first-year figure, use:

=SYD(200000,10000,10,1)

Expected result: 34545.45 when displayed to two decimals. Independent calculation: (200000−10000) × 10 / (10×11/2) = 190000×10/55 = 34545.4545…. For the last year, =SYD(200000,10000,10,10) is expected to return 3454.55 to two decimals. These are period expenses; neither is the remaining book value.

You may model an asset’s useful life in months instead of years only if both Life and Per use months; then the result is depreciation for one modelled month. Do not enter Life=5 years with Per=12 months. A chart of C8:C11 from the four-year example slopes downward; a chart of D8:D11 shows declining remaining book value. The function does not insert actual accounting journal entries or account for mid-period asset acquisitions on its own.

• Expense differs from your schedule: Verify Per (first year is 1, not 0), Life, residual value and copied absolute references. The Per value belongs to the same period unit as Life.
• Totals do not equal cost minus salvage: Check that every period from 1 through Life is included exactly once; your sum should equal the depreciable base with valid inputs.
• Negative or out-of-range inputs: Treat zero/negative useful life or Per outside 1…Life as invalid modelling inputs. PlanMaker documents general #NUM!, #VALUE!, #DIV/0! and #NULL! error categories, but not a verified mapping for every erroneous SYD call here.
• Regional formula separator: If your installation rejects commas, use its Function dialog to determine the local separator; don’t switch the position of Life and Per.
• Tax/accounting treatment: A mathematically correct SYD result does not demonstrate tax deductibility. SoftMaker explicitly cautions about differences across countries.

Microsoft’s SYD(cost,salvage,life,per) description uses the same argument order and underlying sum-of-years’ digits idea. This establishes a documented mathematical match, not proof of identical input coercion, error codes, mobile support or file-conversion behaviour. The Microsoft page is kept separate as an Excel-only source.

The exact function and parameter order above are documented in the English PlanMaker 2026/NX reference and also in the 2024 reference; no substantive syntax change was identified between those pages. This establishes documentation coverage, not native execution in every edition. SoftMaker describes PlanMaker for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, but the individual function pages do not provide per-edition/mobile execution guarantees. Validate in the installed edition, especially in mobile or imported workbooks.

The examples use commas between arguments and a decimal point because that is the notation in the cited English references. Regional decimal settings can differ; use the argument separator shown by the installed Formula → Function dialog, and retain the same argument order. In PlanMaker enter the leading = before a formula; this is explicitly documented in its 2026 formula-entry guide. Formatting a numeric result as currency or percent changes its appearance, not the underlying arithmetic.

What was checked: Official vendor documentation and independently implemented arithmetic, with separate evidence records. What was not checked: native PlanMaker/Excel calculations, actual localized keyboards, screenshots, all Android/iOS functions. All example outputs are expected, not observed application results.

• SLN: straight-line depreciation (SoftMaker 2026).
• DDB: double-declining balance (SoftMaker 2026).
• DB: fixed-declining balance (SoftMaker 2026).

Sources accessed 2026-10-12. PlanMaker 2026 is the primary authority on this function; the 2024 page checks historical syntax, and Microsoft documents Excel behaviour only. Independent arithmetic is supplied so readers can reproduce the examples but is not a substitute for running PlanMaker.

• SoftMaker, PlanMaker 2026 — SYD reference (syntax, arguments, behaviour).
• SoftMaker, PlanMaker 2024 — SYD reference (version comparison).
• SoftMaker, Entering formulas in PlanMaker 2026 (leading equals sign, Function dialog).
• SoftMaker, PlanMaker 2026 error values (general error categories, not experimentally verified SYD error mapping).
• Microsoft, Excel SYD documentation (Excel-specific compatibility; not proof of PlanMaker runtime behaviour).