What does SUMIF do in Google Sheets?
Quick answer
SUMIF is a spreadsheet function that adds up only the values whose row meets one condition. Its form is SUMIF(range to check, condition, range to add), for example =SUMIF(D2:D100, "Done", E2:E100) to total the Amount column for jobs marked Done.
Last updated
Updated · By Robert Breen
Why it matters
Many business questions are "how much, for this group only?": revenue from one client, hours for one crew, unpaid invoices. Filtering and adding by hand every week is slow. SUMIF answers it in one cell that updates as rows change.
A small table of SUMIFs, one per status or category, gives you a live summary without building a pivot table.
A worked example
A print shop logs every order with a Status (Quoted, In production, Shipped, Paid) and an Amount. A small table next to the log lists the four statuses, with =SUMIF($B$2:$B$500, F2, $D$2:$D$500) beside each.
On Wednesday it shows $12,480 shipped but not yet paid. The owner sends reminders on those orders that afternoon. Before, that figure only came out once a month when the bookkeeper reconciled.
Often confused with
SUMIF vs SUMIFS
SUMIF takes one condition. SUMIFS takes several, such as status Done and crew A, and puts the range to add first.
SUMIF vs COUNTIF
COUNTIF counts the rows that match. SUMIF adds up a number from those rows.
SUMIF vs a pivot table
A pivot table can summarize every group at once and is easy to rearrange. SUMIF is one formula per group, which is simpler to place exactly where you want it.
Tips
- Lock the ranges with $ before copying the formula down.
- Use a drop-down for the condition column so spellings match.
- Use ">500" or "<>Paid" as the condition for comparisons and "not equal".
Related terms
Learn it in a free lesson
- Google Sheets Tutorial: Build a Job Tracker That Totals Itself (about 15 minutes)
Related in the AI glossary
Sources
Written from these official help pages. Menus change, so if a button has moved, the help page has the current wording.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does SUMIF return 0?
- Usually the condition does not exactly match the text (extra spaces, different spelling) or the amounts are stored as text. A drop-down and a number format fix both.
- Can SUMIF use wildcards?
- Yes. "Park*" matches anything starting with Park, and "?" matches a single character.
- Is SUMIF the same in Excel?
- Yes. SUMIF and SUMIFS work the same way in Excel and Google Sheets.
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