PRORATE Function

The PRORATE function in Smartsheet allows you to calculate a fair share of a total value based on a specific, shorter period of time within a larger date range.

Syntax

PRORATE(number, start_date, end_date, prorate_start, prorate_end, [decimal_places])
  • number
    The number to prorate
  • start_date
    The first date in the value range
  • end_date
    The last date in the value range
  • prorate_start
    The first date in the range to prorate
  • prorate_end
    The last date in the range to prorate
  • decimal_places—[optional]
    [Optional] The default is 2. The number of decimal places to round the result

Sample usage

PRORATE(100, [Due Date]1, [Due Date]4, [Due Date]3, [Due Date]4)

Usage notes

Imagine you have a total cost, revenue, or benefit for an entire year, but you only need to determine the amount applicable to a few specific months or days. PRORATE helps you accurately divide that value to match the proportion of the dates you're interested in. It's especially useful for allocating expenses, income, or resources when dealing with partial periods.

Examples

Example 1: Prorating a yearly subscription cost

Scenario: You have an annual software subscription that costs $1,200 per user (for 365 days, from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025). A new team member joins on July 1, 2025, and you want to calculate their prorated cost for the remainder of the year (July 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025).

To set this up in Smartsheet, you might have columns like this:

Column nameRow 1 (example)
Total Annual Cost1200
Original Start Date01/01/2025
Original End Date12/31/2025
Prorate Start Date07/01/2025
Prorate End Date12/31/2025
Prorated Cost

$601.64

See explanation below

Example formula in the Prorated Cost row:

=PRORATE([Total Annual Cost]@row, [Original Start Date]@row, [Original End Date]@row, [Prorate Start Date]@row, [Prorate End Date]@row)

Output: Approximately $601.64 (This represents the cost for 184 days out of 365 days, which is roughly half a year's cost).

Example 2: Prorating a project budget for a shorter duration

Scenario: A project has a total budget of $50,000 for a duration from January 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025. Due to a scope change, the project will now only run from March 1, 2025, to April 30, 2025. You want to determine the prorated budget for this new, shorter duration.

Column nameRow 1 (example)
Total Project Budget50000
Original Project Start01/01/2025
Original Project End06/30/2025
New Project Start03/01/2025
New Project End04/30/2025
Prorated Budget

$16,393.44

See explanation below

Example formula in the Prorated Budget row:

=PRORATE([Total Project Budget]@row, [Original Project Start]@row, [Original Project End]@row, [New Project Start]@row, [New Project End]@row)

Output: Approximately $16,393.44 (representing the budget for 61 days out of the original 181 days).

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