NPV Function in Excel: Net Present Value of Future Cash Flows

⏱ 1 min readUpdated 28 September 2026

FinancialLevel: ExpertAvailable in: Excel 2007+

In this article
  1. Syntax
  2. Examples
  3. Example 1
  4. Common errors and fixes
  5. Related functions

NPV discounts future cash flows to today’s value at a given rate — the core of investment appraisal.

Syntax

=NPV(rate, value1, [value2], ...)
Argument What it means
rate Discount rate per period.
value1… Cash flows at the END of periods 1, 2, 3…

Examples

Example 1

=NPV(10%, C3:C7) + C2

Project NPV: C2 is the initial investment at time 0 (negative), added outside NPV.

Common errors and fixes

You see Why, and the fix
NPV too low/high Including the time-0 investment inside NPV discounts it by one period. Add it separately.

XNPV · IRR · XIRR

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