Analyze your investments easily with Zoho Writer's new formulas

Analyze your investments easily with Zoho Writer's new formulas

Hey Zoho Writer users!
 
We are happy to let you know that we have enhanced Zoho Writer's formula with new functions to calculate your investment's present value (PV), net present value (NPV), and future value (FV).
 
These functions can help you determine the value of a series of cash flows from an investment compared to a discount rate (such as inflation or interest). Read on to learn their syntax and how to use these functions. 

NPV function

Syntax  
=NPV(discount, cashflow1, cashflow2, ...)
 
Inputs:
discount
The discount rate of the investment over a period
cash flow
The amount of money coming in or going out in the investment period
 
Note:
The discount should be provided as a decimal number. For example if the discount is 3% then the value should be 0.03.
Calculate NPV with the initial investment amount by adding it in the first cash flow parameter as a negative amount.
Tip:
Discount can also be mentioned as a table cell reference or merge field.
Cash flow can be mentioned as a table cell reference, merge field, or a table cell range (if it is used in a table in the same document).

Examples of NPV 

Example
Syntax
Output
Calculate the NPV of a $3,000 investment with cash flows of $5,000, $2,000, and $4,500 at a discount rate of 10%
=NPV(0.1,-3000,5000,2000,4500)
5981.1488286
Calculate the NPV of an investment with cash flows of $500, $750, and $1,000 at a discount rate of 7%
=NPV(0.07,500,750,1000)
1899.799
  

PV function

Syntax  
=PV(rate, number_of_periods, payment_amount, future_value, end_or_beginning)
 
Inputs:
rate
The rate of interest over the investment period
number_of_periods
The number of months, years, or other time periods you are considering as the investment horizon
payment_amount
The amount you are investing
future_value
The expected future value of the investment
end_or_beginning
The time when payment is due in your investment period. The value should be 0 if the payment is at the end of the period and 1 if it is at the beginning.

Note:
The rate, number_of_periods, and payment_amount should have units of consistent value. For example, for a 24-month investment with monthly payments, the rate should be divided by 24 and the number_of_periods should be 24.
The future_value and end_or_beginning are optional parameters and their default value will be 0.
 
Here are some examples of PV

Example
Syntax
Output
Calculate the PV of $500 paid in 5 payments over one year with an interest rate of 5%
=PV(0.05,5,-500,0,0)
99.98713
Calculate the PV of an amount of $100 paid over 12 months, with an interest rate of 5%, paid at the beginning of the investment period
=PV(0.0041,12,-100,0,1)
338.330
 

FV function

Syntax   
=FV(rate, number_of_periods, payment_amount, present_value, end_or_beginning)

Inputs:
rate
The rate of interest over the investment period
number_of_periods
The number of months (or other periods of time) you are investing
payment_amount
The amount you are investing
present_value
The present value of the amount you are investing
end_or_beginning
The time when payment is due in your investment period. The value should be 0 if the payment is at the end of the period and 1 if it is at the beginning.
 
Note:
The rate, number_of_periods, and payment_amount should have units of consistent value. For example, for an investment for 24 months, paid quarterly the rate should be divided by 8 and the number_of_periods should be 8.
The present_value and end_or_beginning are optional parameters and their default value will be 0.

Here are some examples of FV

Example
Syntax
Output
Calculate the FV of an investment with an amount of $1,000 paid in 6 payments over one year with an interest of 7% and present value of $10,000
=FV(0.07,6,-1000,-10000)
2658889000
Calculate the FV of an investment with an amount of $500 paid over 12 months with an interest of 5% paid at the beginning of the investment period and present value of $5,000
=FV(0.0041,12,-500,-5000,1)
413203.0951
  

How to use these functions in Zoho Writer documents 

  1. Click the hamburger menu located on the top left side of the editor and click Fields.
  2. Click Formula under the Dynamic Fields category.
  3. In the New Formula popup, click Choose Function and choose your desired function from the list.
Try the new functions in Zoho Writer and let us know your suggestions and feedback in the comments below or at support@zohowriter.com or support@eu.zohowriter.com.
 
If you have any functions that you want us to add in Zoho Writer, please let us know.
 
Regards,
Team Writer

    • Sticky Posts

    • Easily perform calculations using dates with the new DATEDIF function

      Hey Zoho Writer users! We've enhanced Zoho Writer's formula capabilities with the new DATEDIF function. This allows you to calculate the difference between dates in days, months, and years. Function syntax: =DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit) Inputs:

    • Date-based conditions and filters

      Configure conditions with date  Hi everyone! We are excited to announce that you can now compare and filter data with date-based conditions. This update lets you compare date fields in a document to a reference date and display a text or value if the

    • Introducing group by, aggregation, and repeating regions in mail merge templates

      Display data exactly the way you want and highlight key insights with Zoho Writer's enhanced merge templates. We've supercharged Zoho Writer's merge templates with the capability to dynamically group, aggregate, and repeat data as blocks. You can now

    • Say hello to an improved way to merge documents!

      Automating all your documents from start to finish is now easier than ever with Writer's new merge tools.   If you haven't seen it yet, you can read the main announcement here. Here is the full list of the features we've rolled out: 1. Dynamic Table Headers

    • Introducing Org Fonts in Zoho Writer

      Hey Zoho Writer users! We're excited to share that you can now add custom fonts (from web fonts with publicly accessible URLs) using Zoho Writer's Org Fonts. This option allows all users across your organization to use the custom font without the hassle

      • Recent Topics

      • The Social Wall: October 2025

        Hello everyone, As we head toward the end of the year, we’re bringing you a few updates to help give your social media efforts a strong finish. This month, we’re rolling out new enhancements across both the web and mobile app. Post Preview Have you ever

      • Show price book list price

        When using price books, once you add products to the price book in the Products related list you can display the Unit price which is the default list price; however, there is no option to show the price book list price. To see the price book list price

      • Zoho CRM - Scheduled Reports Which Contain Chart

        Hi Zoho CRM Team, I'm requesting that the Report Export and Scheduling feature be enhanced to include a chart, if one has been created on a report. At the moment I have a report which shows Sales This Week by Deal Owner and a pie chart at the top of the

      • Cliq File Upload

        While uploading large file like 500MB, it takes time, that fines. But if you resize window or move window in other screen, that uploading disappears. After upload complete & sent it will be visible

      • Unable to Add Asset to Work Order Due to Different Contact and Company

        Hello Zoho Team, I’m facing an issue in our environment related to asset linking in Work Orders. Here’s the situation: When our engineers go for field activities, they initially create the Work Order using the salesperson’s contact details. After completing

      • Resizing a Record Template Background Inage

        Hi everyone, I have an issue which I can't seem to resolve: Basically, I'm designing a record template in certificate form. I've specified A5 landscape. I've set my background image the same dimensions with total pixels at 443,520. Whatever I try, when

      • Analytics : How to share to an external client ?

        We have a use case where a client wants a portal so that several of his users can view dashboards that we have created for them in Zoho Analytics. They are not part of our company or Zoho One account. The clients want the ability to have user specific,

      • How to copy value from a single line field into a picklist field within a module's subform?

        Hello there, I have a single line field in a module's subform. I would like the value in the field to automatically update a picklist field within the same subform (both have items with the same names). Is this possible via function? Unfortunately, workflows

      • Zia Actions: AI-powered Workflow Automation for Faster and Smarter Execution

        Hello everyone, Workflows got a notch better with AI-based actions. Actions such as field extraction, prediction, auto reply, and content generation facilitate quick execution with improved speed and accuracy. Zia can intercept useful details in newly

      • Constant color of a legend value

        It would be nice if we can set a constant color/pattern to a value when creating a chart. We would often use the same value in different graph options and I always have to copy the color that we've set to a certain value from a previous graph to make

      • What's New in Zoho POS - October 2025

        Hello everyone, Welcome to Zoho POS's monthly updates, where we share our latest feature updates, releases, changes, and more. Let’s take a look at how October went. Process returns for refunds, exchanges, or offer store credit Returns and exchanges can

      • Is it really true that I can't set the default 'deposit to' account in 2025?

        I've been using Books for 7 years and the default account has never been a problem. I usually manually reconcile invoices and have never had a thought about which account. It has always been my account. However, I recently noticed that for the past 4

      • Loan and purchase

        My husband is lending me mobey to buy a vehicle intersst free ... I need to know how to record the cash receipt and how I pay it back... the money is for a vehicle do I just post the invoice for that as I normally would usung the loan money to pay for

      • Zoho Connect Module in Zoho Trident

        Hi I really like where Zoho Trident is going. Having Mail and Cliq in one place is especially powerful. However, Zoho Connect really needs to be included to make this a true communication and collaboration hub. I would like to request that Zoho Connect

      • Zoho FSM API Delete Record

        Hi FSM Team, It would be great if you could delete a record via API. Thank you,

      • Feature enhancement: Highlight rows based on a cell value

        Hello Sheet users, We're excited to announce a new feature enhacement, shaped directly by your valuable feedback! As you might know, conditional formatting is a great tool for anyone dealing with large data sets. Previously, if you’ve ever wanted to draw

      • File Field Validation

        Hello all, We are tracking our customer NDA agreements in our CRM and have created 2 fields to do so, an execution date field and a file upload field. I want to create a validation rule to ensure that when the execution date field is populated that the

      • 100 record view limitation

        I have just migrated from another CRM and am starting in ZOHOcrm with over 5000 contacts. It seems that my searches and sorts are limited to 100 live records....or am I missing something. This seems to be very limiting...in a lot of scenarios (mass email,

      • Fillable template with dynamic tables?

        Is there a way to build a fillable template so that users can add rows to a table? To describe what I'm trying to accomplish the table has 3 sections; a header row, some number of rows with custom information, and a summary row with totals. I can't figure

      • ZUG Meet-ups are back - Across India (December 2025)

        The Zoho User Group (ZUG) meet-ups are back, and this time, we’re travelling across India to reconnect with our amazing community! From Chennai to Delhi, Bengaluru to Mumbai, we can’t wait to meet you all in person and talk everything Zoho SalesIQ, automation,

      • Categorise Attachments

        We take ID, proof of address, right to work documentation and more.  I can upload a single file in to field, but we often receive multiple files for each category e.g. someone may send a separate file for the front and back of their national ID card.  My team don't have time to manipulate the files in order to upload them as a single file. The options, as far as I can tell, would be to create additional fields on attachments in order to categorise what the file is, or to be able to upload single

      • Send Whatsapp message from Whatsapp template with custom variables

        Hi, I'm trying to do some basic integration for sending WhatsApp messages from Zoho CRM using Zoho Desk whatsapp templates. When creating new whatsapp template in Zoho Desk we can choose ticket related fields as variables but it's not clear how to use

      • Scheduling a meeting for just a 1:1 phone call

        My business is B2C and many of my customer's don't want to engage in an online meeting for what can be handled in a regular phone call. I am trying to create a new meeting invitation, but there is no venue optoin for "phone call". How are other's handling

      • Need more details on API Usage Dashboard

        Hi Team, We have implemented Zoho Expense for a client and has done some integrations with well known third party ERP via api. Recently we have noticed a huge spike in the API consumption. But we couldn't get the root cause for the same. I accept there

      • Power of Automation:: Automating SLA Timelines for First Response & Resolution for Issues module.

        Hello Everyone, Ever wished SLAs could update automatically based on issue severity i.e no manual tracking, no missed timelines? That is exactly what one of our customers, Alex, wanted to achieve in the Issues module. So, we have setup a simple automation

      • Finding missing records

        I have a challenge and I am not really sure where to start with it. I can't find any similar threads on here, can anyone help: I have two forms, FormA and FormB. Both forms have records that contain a field called Job_Number. What I am trying to achieve

      • Power of Automation :: Quick way to associate your Projects with Zoho CRM

        A custom function is a software code that can be used to automate a process and this allows you to automate a notification, call a webhook, or perform logic immediately after a workflow rule is triggered. This feature helps to automate complex tasks and

      • Free webinar! Build smarter apps with Zoho Sign and Zoho Creator

        Hello, Bring the power of digital signatures to the apps you build in Zoho Creator! Connect Zoho Sign as a microservice and enable seamless e-signature workflows in your applications. This integration allows you to automate signing tasks using Deluge.

      • Tables improvement ideas / features

        Heya, I've been using Zoho Tables for a few months now and wanted to post some features that I think will be greatly beneficial for the tool: 1. Ability to delete a record in automation or move a record in automation. - Usecase: I move a record from one

      • Can I add Conditional merge tags on my Templates?

        Hi I was wondering if I can use Conditional Mail Merge tags inside my Email templates/Quotes etc within the CRM? In spanish and in our business we use gender and academic degree salutations , ie: Dr., Dra., Sr., Srta., so the beginning of an email / letter

      • Move orders scan ISBN

        Hi We have ISBN setup to be searched in items zoho but move orders dissent recognize the ISBN is there q missing configuration? regards, JS

      • What's New - October 2025 | Zoho Backstage

        Hey everyone! We’ve been busy rolling out a host of upgrades for Zoho Backstage. While some major features are still going through final rounds of testing to make your event experience smooth as butter, here’s what was new and improved in October 2025.

      • Zoho Analytics - Feature Request For Time Based Data Source Fetch

        Hi Analytics Team, I have a client using Zoho CRM and they want a weekly report at 4:30pm every Friday, emailed to the sales team showing a pie chart of Closed Won Deals for that week. This is easy to achieve in Analytics but not so easy to ensure the

      • Updating custom fields in Zoho Projects

        Hi I am wondering if anyone has experience with custom fields in Zoho Projects. I am struggling to update the field using either deluge or the api endpoint. My code is: //custom_Map = map(); custom_Map = {"UDF_DOUBLE_1":"0.27"}; update_Map = map(); update_Map.put("custom_fields",custom_Map.toList());

      • Issue in Zoho People Regularization – Incorrect Hour Calculation

        I have noticed that when applying attendance regularization in Zoho People for previous dates, the total working hours are not calculated correctly. For example, even if the check-in is 10:00 AM and check-out is 6:00 PM, the system shows an incorrect

      • Zoho People Attendance Regularization – Wrong Total Hours Displayed

        While using Zoho People, I observed that the attendance regularization is showing wrong total hours when applied to past dates. For example, if a check-in is added at 10:00 AM and check-out at 6:00 PM for a previous date, the system sometimes calculates

      • Add Flexible Recurrence Options for Meeting Scheduling in Zoho Cliq (e.g., Every 2 Weeks)

        Hello Zoho Cliq Team, We hope you are doing well. Currently, when scheduling a meeting inside Zoho Cliq, the recurrence options are limited to Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly. There is no ability to set a meeting to occur every X weeks — for example,

      • How do I see the total leads during a certain period?

        I understand I can get the count of leads and potentials but the total number of leads in a certain period should be equal to Leads+potentials because when we convert a lead it gets moved to potentials and no longer exists there. is there a way i could

      • AI generated meeting notes associated to Account or Deal

        As our organization works to improve efficiency we are looking for a solution to leverage AI to generate meeting notes and then add those notes to a CRM record such as an Account or Deal. I see Zoho has a Notebook AI offering that talks about the ability

      • Subform Disabled Fields Should Remain Disabled on Edit/View

        Currently, when we disable a subform field using on user input or on add new row, it works perfectly during the initial data entry. However, when the record is saved and reopened for viewing or editing, these disabled fields become editable again. This

      • Next Page