Calculating Variance Percentage in Excel

When calculating variance percentage in Excel, it's important to take into account the sign of the numbers. Here's how you can calculate variance percentage even when the figures are negative:

1. First, subtract the old figure (b) from the new figure (a) to get the difference. For example, if your old figure is -100 and your new figure is -50, the difference would be 50 (-50 - (-100) = 50).
2. Next, divide the difference by the absolute value of the old figure (|b|). In our example, the absolute value of -100 is 100, so we would divide 50 by 100 to get 0.5.
3. Finally, multiply the result by 100 to get the variance percentage. In our example, we would multiply 0.5 by 100 to get a variance percentage of -50%.

So the formula you would use in Excel would be: This formula will give you the correct variance percentage, taking into account the sign of the numbers.