YEAR Function in SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026: Formula, Examples & Troubleshooting
Learn the YEAR formula in SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026: extract the calendar year from a date value, with reproducible examples, expected answers and compatibility cautions.
Verification status: Official documentation referenced; example outcomes independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where stated. Not executed in SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026. How formula examples are checked
Quick answer: Use YEAR to extract the calendar year from a date value. The example below supplies exact inputs and independently calculated expected results, so you can check your formula before replacing the demonstration values with real workbook data.
Verification: The function is covered by a vendor reference or its published formula catalogue. The worked outputs here are independently reasoned, not screenshots or native test results from SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026. Check release-specific support and argument details in the referenced vendor help.
Syntax and arguments
=YEAR(serial_number)
Date serial, actual date cell, or DATE expression. In formula syntax, square brackets mark optional arguments; do not type square brackets into an ordinary formula unless the particular function requires array notation. The separator shown is for the example locale and might change with spreadsheet settings.
When to use it: Keep dates as dates rather than strings to support sorting and range criteria.
Prepare the example inputs
In PlanMaker 2026, enter the practice records in rows 1–9 and check the formula bar before calculating. Use comma-separated examples as in SoftMaker’s English-language reference. These two examples use literal values, so you can enter them into blank cells without first constructing a table. Their answers are independent calculations; dates must be displayed with an actual date format.
Worked example: exact formula and expected output
=YEAR(DATE(2026,10,11))
Expected result: 2026. DATE constructs October 11, 2026; YEAR extracts its year.
- Select an unused output cell (for example H2 if the practice table occupies A1:F9).
- Enter the formula exactly as shown, including the opening equals sign and quoted text.
- Compare the displayed answer to the expected result, then inspect the source cells if it differs.
For a range formula, the row numbers include data rows only unless the example explicitly refers to headers. A result that looks plausible may still be wrong if it references the wrong column.
Second example: a different input
=YEAR(DATE(2024,2,29))
Expected result: 2024. Leap day belongs to calendar year 2024.
Check the second result separately, using only the stated cell ranges. Confirm your particular 2026 installation parses the displayed argument separator.
Important edge cases and a common mistake
Watch out: A text-looking date is not guaranteed to be a recognized date value.
Check the 2026 PlanMaker manual, not an older release, when migrating dynamic arrays or date formulas. Native function execution was not available for these examples.
Troubleshooting in SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026
Use PlanMaker’s formula input row and Function Assistant to inspect argument types. Check whether a number imported from text is stored as a string and whether the array result has free output cells.
If you get the wrong answer but no error, try these checks in order: (1) evaluate the simplified first example; (2) confirm the cell values and data types; (3) check the exact row and column boundaries; (4) verify quoted text, comparison operators and separators; (5) only then add more criteria or nested functions.
For a reproducible comparison with another spreadsheet product, use the same input values in both applications and record the installed version and locale. Different default matching behavior or handling of empty values can be a migration issue rather than a mathematical disagreement.
Moving this formula between spreadsheet programs
PlanMaker is Excel-style but its A–Z manual controls the supported options for any one function. Features such as FILTER or dynamic spilling may differ by release.
Related guides already published for this function: Microsoft Excel | Google Sheets | WPS Spreadsheet | Collabora Office Calc | LibreOffice Calc
If a comparison tool says Not researched here, that means we do not yet have a checked guide for that software. It does not mean the software lacks this function. See the 12-program comparison tool for a guide-coverage matrix.
Official reference and editorial verification
- SoftMaker — PlanMaker 2026 functions reference
- Function comparison tool
- How we verify function guides
Evidence level: Vendor-published function catalogue / formula overview, checked for this editorial batch on October 11, 2026; example outputs verified by direct reasoning/arithmetic where applicable. No execution in SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026 was performed. Some platform-, language- and release-specific edge cases remain for native testing.