A to Z of Excel Functions: The PDURATION Function
26 June 2023
Welcome back to our regular A to Z of Excel Functions blog. Today we look at the PDURATION function.
The PDURATION function
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/./image1-1684839349.png/3de85dc828fe95a15c85360f79784aa3.jpg)
Well, maybe that’s not what the PDURATION function measures… In fact, this function actually returns the number of periods required by an investment to reach a specified value. Its syntax is straightforward:
=PDURATION(rate, pv, fv)
where:
- rate is the interest rate per period
- pv is the present value of the investment
- fv is the desired future value of the investment.
All three arguments are required.
PDURATION uses the following equation:
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/./image2-1684839392.png/a5bc7f1a0f3b4c3e8a9a2440a090bfbe.jpg)
It should be noted that:
- PDURATION requires that all arguments are positive values; this breaches the sign convention of other financial functions
- if argument values are not valid, PDURATION returns the #NUM! error value
- if arguments are not using valid data types, PDURATION returns the #VALUE! error value
- it does not cater for regular payments.
Please see my example below:
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/./image3-1684839416.png/754c1e413a23847a301b7f4bc636ad91.jpg)
We’ll continue our A to Z of Excel Functions soon. Keep checking back – there’s a new blog post every business day.
A full page of the function articles can be found here.