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How to group data by month using formulas instead of a pivot in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Pivot-style summaries (formula approach)Excel & Google Sheets
=SUMIFS(B2:B7,A2:A7,">="&DATE(2024,1,1),A2:A7,"<="&EOMONTH(DATE(2024,1,1),0))✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Date | Amount |
| 2024-01-05 | 500 |
| 2024-01-20 | 300 |
| 2024-02-10 | 700 |
| 2024-02-25 | 200 |
| 2024-03-15 | 900 |
| 2024-03-28 | 100 |
=SUMIFS(B2:B7,A2:A7,">="&DATE(2024,1,1),A2:A7,"<="&EOMONTH(DATE(2024,1,1),0))→0
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Step by step
- 1Place dates in A2:A7 and amounts in B2:B7 in your flat data table.
- 2In a summary table, list the first day of each month in column D (e.g., D2 = DATE(2024,1,1), D3 = DATE(2024,2,1)).
- 3In E2 write =SUMIFS(B$2:B$7,A$2:A$7,">="&D2,A$2:A$7,"<="&EOMONTH(D2,0)).
- 4EOMONTH(D2,0) returns the last day of the month in D2 — this bounds the upper date without hardcoding day counts.
- 5Copy E2 down for each month row; the formula adjusts D2 reference automatically.
Tips
- Use EOMONTH(start,0) rather than adding 30 days — it handles months of different lengths and leap years correctly.
- To group by month-year label, use TEXT(D2,"mmm yyyy") in an adjacent column for readable headers.
- In Google Sheets, wrap the SUMIFS in ARRAYFORMULA to spill results for all months at once from a single cell.
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Frequently asked
How is this different from grouping in a pivot table?
A pivot's date grouping requires a manual Refresh when data changes and the month list is generated automatically. The SUMIFS approach updates instantly and lets you control exactly which months appear.
Can I group by year and month at the same time?
Yes — add YEAR() and MONTH() helper columns, then SUMIFS on both: =SUMIFS(B2:B7,YEAR(A2:A7),2024,MONTH(A2:A7),3).
What if dates are stored as text?
Use DATEVALUE() to convert text dates to serial numbers before the SUMIFS comparison, or clean the source data with Text to Columns.
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