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

    • Zoho Writer's WordPress extensions

      Hey Zoho Writer users! Say goodbye to all your WordPress content publishing woes with Zoho Writer's WordPress extensions. Publish content with all your formatting and images, republish content when you update a document, and more—from a single window
    • 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
    • Recent Topics

    • Zoho desk desktop application

      does zoho desk has a destop applicaion?
    • ZOHO Work Drive Back Up

      I am looking for a ZOHO Work Drive backup solution. Something that is cloud based. There's lots of these kinds of options for Google Drive and other providers, but I have not seen anything for WorkDrive. Any suggestions?
    • ZOHO Reports - Filter Logic?

      Hi, I need a way to apply filter logics such as ((1 AND 2) OR 3). All I can see as of now is a way to enter different AND filters in the respective filter column. But how can I add an OR filter? Any advice would be highly appreciated. Mark
    • Scanned Doc - selecting Item overwrites Rate

      I have a Vendor Invoice which was uploaded to Documents. I select Add To > New Bill. The OCR is actually quite good, but it is reading an Item Description instead of an Item Number. I remove the description and select the correct Item Number... and it
    • Recruit API search

      Hi all, Attempting to call the search api endpoint from Postman using the word element as mentioned in api docs Search Records - APIs | Online Help - Zoho Recruit When making the call to /v2/Candidates/search?word=Saudi receive response of { "code": "MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND",
    • Saving reading position + Keep screen on

      While Zoho Notebook is excellent for saving and annotating articles, its utility is severely limited by the lack of reading progress synchronization. On the Android app, if a user exits a long note after reading 50%, the app fails to save the position.
    • Multiple Vendor SKUs

      One of the big concerns we have with ZOHO Inventory is lack of Vendor Skus like many other inventory software packages offer. Being able to have multiple vendor skus for the same product would be HUGE! It would populate the appropriate vendor Sku for
    • Zoho LandingPage is integrated with Zoho One!

      Greetings to the Zoho One users out there! We're delighted to let you know that Zoho LandingPage is available in Zoho One too! With Zoho LandingPage, you can host custom-made landing pages, and persuade the visitors to dive deeper by making further clicks,
    • Android app sync problem - multiple devices have same problem

      Hello, I am having a problem with synchronization in the Android app. When I create a drawing, the data does not sync correctly—only a blank note is created without the drawing. I tested this on multiple devices, including phones and tablets, and the
    • How can i resend a campaign to only one of the recipients on the original campaign

      How can i resend a campaign to only one of the recipients on the original campaign ? Sincererly, Mike
    • How to show branch instead of org name on invoice template?

      Not sure why invoices are showing the org name not the branch name? I can insert the branch name using the ${ORGANIZATION.BRANCHNAME} placeholder, but then it isn't bold text anymore. Any other ideas?
    • Create CRM Deal from Books Quote and Auto Update Deal Stage

      I want to set up an automation where, whenever a Quote is created in Zoho Books, a Deal is automatically created in Zoho CRM with the Quote amount, customer details, and some custom fields from Zoho Books. Additionally, when the Sales Order is converted
    • Marketing Automation Requirements Questions

      I would like to set up a multi-email drip campaign- please see the structure below and confirm if I can achieve this set up in Zoho marketing automation. Where applicable, highlight gaps and workarounds. Thanks Drip email campaign- Can I create one drip
    • Zoho CRM for Gmail Extension Not Working in Brave Browser?

      Is anyone able to get the Zoho CRM Chrome Extension working in the Brave browser? They're both built on the Chromium platform and every other Chrome Extension works with the exception of Zoho CRM for Gmail so any ideas here?
    • Sharing URLs and direct access

      Hello, I am storing my team's email signature images on Workdrive. I am creating a public image download share and adding “?directDownload=true” so that the image can be accessed without the Workdrive interface. A few questions: 1) Can we generate friendly
    • how to change the page signers see after signing a document in zoho sign

      Hello, How can I please change the page a signer sees after signing a document in Zoho Sign? I cannot seem to find it. As it is now, it shows a default landing page "return to Zoho Sign Home". Thanks!
    • Question about using custom_fields in Storefront Add-to-Cart API (error 2003 – required details)

      Hi everyone, I’m working with the Zoho Commerce Storefront API, specifically the Add to Cart endpoint: POST /storefront/api/v1/cart According to the documentation, this endpoint supports a custom_fields parameter for adding line-item custom data. I’m
    • Can a project be cloned?

      Good afternoon, greetings. I would like to ask if it's possible to clone a project in Microsoft Project. I found a way to do it using templates, but I'm not sure if there's a direct way to clone a project. Thank you in advance for your attention, and
    • Timesheet Tasks in Zoho Books: associate to service item

      How do we associate a service item to timesheet tasks in Zoho Books? For example: Joe spent 5 hours on project:task1 which is Service Item#1 (Income:Service1). When the invoice is issued thru the Project Invoice section, this is not available. When the
    • Why Sharing Rules do Not support relative date comparison???

      I am creating a Sharing Rule and simply want to share where "Last Day of Coverage" (Date field) is Greater than TODAY (Starting Tomorrow). However, sharing rules don't have the option to compare a date field to a relative date (like today), only to Static
    • Task/Activity indicator in SalesPipeline overview has disappeared

      I Just logged in my ZOHO CRM first 2026 checking my salespipeline overview , Every record card used to show an indication that there was an open task (Yellow if the expiry date was close, red if the expiry date was today and grey when it had expired).
    • Tip #56- Accessibility Controls in Zoho Assist: Hearing- 'Insider Insights'

      As we begin the new year, it’s a great time to focus on making our tools more inclusive and accessible for everyone. Remote support often involves long hours in front of screens, varying lighting conditions, and users with diverse accessibility needs.
    • Zoho Desk Android app update: Table view for All Departments view, custom button

      Hello everyone! In the latest version(v2.9.25) of the Zoho Desk Android app update, we have introduced Table view for the 'All Departments' view in the ticket module. We also have supported an option that allows tickets in the Table view to be sorted
    • What's New - December 2025 | Zoho Backstage

      In December, Backstage introduced a focused set of updates that improve how you manage registrations, communicate with attendees, and track participation. These enhancements are designed to give organizers greater flexibility and clearer control across
    • Need code format to specify default values

      Can someone please direct me to the code syntax or the proper translation per the instructions circled below. These instructions don't seem correct.
    • Problem with CRM Connection not Refreshing Token

      I've setup a connection with Zoom in the CRM. I'm using this connection to automate some registrations, so my team doesn't have to manually create them in both the CRM and Zoom. Connection works great in my function until the token expires. It does not refresh and I have to manually revoke the connection and connect it again. I've chatted with Zoho about this and after emailing me that it couldn't be done I asked for specifics on why and they responded. "The connection is CRM is not a feature to
    • Add multiple users to a task

      When I´m assigning a task it is almost always related to more than one person. Practical situation: When a client request some improvement the related department opens the task with the situation and people related to it as the client itself, the salesman
    • A Roundup of Zoho Sprints 2025

    • Sorting Custom Date in API isn't working w pagination limit

      How can we sort a custom field with DATE using pagination? Starting at page=1 then moving to page=2 with a limit of 10 each, its all messed up and even shows some of the same records as page 1? https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v2/INVOICE_MODULE/search?criteria=(FM_Contact_ID:equals:1234)&sort_by=Invoice_Date&sort_order=desc&per_page=10&page='
    • SAP Business One(B1) integration is now live in Zoho Flow

      We’re excited to share that SAP Business One (B1) is now available in Zoho Flow! This means you can now build workflows that connect SAP B1 with other apps and automate routine processes without relying on custom code. Note: SAP Business One integration
    • Enhancement in Role and Profile mapping of agents in Sandbox

      Hello everyone! We have brought in a modification in the way users are mapped to a particular role and profile in Sandbox. What has changed? When agents are copied from production to Sandbox: If a user's current role and profile is available in Sandbox,
    • The reason I switched away from Zoho Notebook

      My main reason for switching to Zoho was driven by three core principles: moving away from US-based products, keeping my data within India as much as possible, and supporting Indian companies. With that intent, I’ve been actively de-Googling my digital
    • Decimal places settings for exchange rates

      Hello, We are facing issues while matching vendor payments with banking feeds. As we often import products/services exchange rate comes into play. Currently, ZOHO allows only six digits for decimal places. We feel that conversions like JPY to INR require
    • Zoho removed ability to see all Scheduled Reports!

      If you are not the owner of a scheduled report, Zoho recently removed the capability to see each scheduled report. As an admin who relies on seeing all scheduled reports being sent, this is a terrible update. Now I cannot see ANY scheduled reports...even the ones I am being sent!!  This should be a setting for admins to control.  This is a bad update.
    • Automate Backups

      This is a feature request. Consider adding an auto backup feature. Where when you turn it on, it will auto backup on the 15-day schedule. For additional consideration, allow for the export of module data via API calls. Thank you for your consideration.
    • GCLID and Zoho Bookings

      Is there anyway to embed a Zoho Bookings signup on a landing page and pass the GCLID information? More specifically, can this be done using auto-tagging and not manual tagging the GCLID? I know Zappier has an integration to do this but is there a better
    • Merge Items

      Is there a work around for merging items? We currently have three names for one item, all have had a transaction associated so there is no deleting (just deactivating, which doesn't really help. It still appears so people are continuing to use it). I also can't assign inventory tracking to items used in past transactions, which I don't understand, this is an important feature moving forward.. It would be nice to merge into one item and be able to track inventory. Let me know if this is possible.
    • Create PO from an invoice

      We are a hardware and software sales company which receives orders over the internet. We drop ship most of our products from a warehouse outside of our company. Our orders get sync'd into Zoho from our store via onesaas as invoices. It would be great
    • Blueprint or Validation Rules for Invoices in Zoho Books

      Can I implement Blueprint or Validation Rules for Invoices in Zoho Books? Example, use case could be, Agent confirms from client that payment is done, but bank only syncs transactions tomorrow. in this case, Agent can update invoice status to done, and
    • Resetting auto-number on new year

      Hi everyone! We have an auto-number with prefix "D{YYYY}-", it generates numbers like D2025-1, D2025-2, etc... How can we have it auto-reset at the beginning of the next year, so that it goes to D2026-1? Thanks!
    • Next Page