All versions
Financial
The Excel SYD function returns sum-of-years'-digits depreciation — an accelerated method that weights early years more, but less aggressively than DDB.
Quick answer:
=SYD(10000, 1000, 5, 1) // year 1
Syntax
=SYD(cost, salvage, life, per)
| Argument | Description | |
|---|---|---|
cost | Required | Initial cost. |
salvage | Required | End value. |
life | Required | Useful life. |
per | Required | The period. |
How to use it
SYD returns sum-of-years'-digits depreciation — an accelerated method that weights early years more, but less aggressively than DDB.
=SYD(10000, 1000, 5, 1) // sum-of-years digits year 1
Try it: interactive demo
Live demo
This is the formula pattern SYD uses — copy it into Excel with your own numbers.
Result: computed in Excel
Practice workbook
Download the free SYD practice workbook
Every example on this page, ready to open in Excel — plus practice challenges with answers on a separate tab. No sign-up required.
Frequently asked questions
How does SYD weight depreciation?
By a declining fraction (life/SYD, then (life-1)/SYD…), so early years get more.
SYD vs DDB?
SYD is accelerated but smoother than the steep double-declining DDB.
Which Excel versions support it?
All modern versions.
Why might it return #NUM! or #VALUE!?
Out-of-range arguments (e.g. negative rate or settlement after maturity) give #NUM!; non-numeric inputs give #VALUE!.
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