A Formula field calculates a value from other fields in the record, such as price times quantity, the days between two dates or a score from several ratings. Add it like any field, choose Formula, and write the formula in the builder using field names, operators and functions.

Formula fields make it simple to automatically calculate a value. You can figure out total cost by multiplying the price by quantity, see if a date falls in a particular range, or use advanced functions to compute a risk score based on a formula you specify.

Here's an example of a formula in action. The screenshot below shows a Total Estimate field that is adding together numbers that represent the estimated level of effort for a software development project:

Other ways to use a Formula field

Create customized text

You can use a formula to build a customized message by combining other fields' values.

Maybe you want to display the name of a salesperson along with their region when you create a sales performance chart - you could combine a "Salesperson" field with a "Sales Region" field to create a "Sales Rep" field with a value like Mary Smith (West)

Compare dates

Sometimes it's handy to display the number of days until a specified date so that you can quickly understand a timeline. This is a snap with a formula using one of SmartSuite's built-in functions to compare a "Due Date" with today's date.

Formula fields can be added and named just like any other field. To access the Advanced Editor, adjust the toggle on the bottom left side:

When you open the field properties, however, you’ll see how this field is different.

Instead of your typical properties display, the Formula field shows you a formula “builder” interface, along with panels that provide a fields list, a selection of operators and functions, and a help text area. You’ll notice that until you type anything into the formula builder area it contains the text “Write formula here” and a bit of information about the syntax that you can use to builder your formulas.

In the formula builder you input your formula using a combination of field names, operators and functions. Inline help is available for every option.

If the entry in the formula builder is invalid, you'll know at a glance with an Invalid syntax message displayed just under the text box.

Using the # symbol, you can add comments in our Formula Builder. Anything after a # and before a line break will be ignored by our builder and can be kept as plain text. Whether you want to add notes describing what the formula is doing, or keep a list of all fields that the formula depends on, this opens up a large number of options for making formulas easier to work with.

The Fields list displayed in the -upper-left corner of the formula window includes all of the fields in the current Table. Click on any of the fields and it will automatically be inserted into the formula builder at your current cursor location. Clicking on the ? icon will have the Help panel to the right display information about that field and how to reference it in your formula. This field list will also be filtered as you type in the formula builder, showing only matching field names, functions, and operators.

The list of functions and operators is the toolbox for evaluating input data and formatting the field's output. This list will be filtered as you type in the formula builder, showing only those items that match.

Operators provide you with mathematical functions, allowing you to quickly add or multiply numbers, figure out if two values are equal, and much more.

Functions allow you to determine a value based on certain inputs. Examples of the capabilities represented in the functions library are:

The format and output of each function is beyond the scope of this help article, but we've put together a list of all Formatting, Functions, & Operators as an area to easily reference everything you need to know about how to use a Formula Field, or you can also take a look at our dedicated help article as well.

You can also find Text, Date, and Numeric examples in our Formula Operators & Functions solution template for those that are hands-on learners. It has basic formulas already set up so you can see how the information changes as you modify the example data, or even use the examples to create your own more complex formulas.

The help panel, displayed on the right hand side of the formula interface and displays help for the currently-selected field, operator, or function. In addition to a description of the selected item and its use in your formula, the help panel will display information about the syntax and example usage of the item.

To make sure people understand what the field is for, Create customized help text that is displayed to users when they are entering data, so people see it while they enter data.

Use DATEADD: DATEADD( Date, Count, Unit ) Unit is one of the following: ∙ minutes ∙ hours ∙ days ∙ weeks ∙ months ∙ years. For example, DATEADD([Due Date], 14, "days") returns the date two weeks after Due Date; use a negative number for an earlier date. For working days use WORKDAYS([Due Date], 10).

DATEDIFF([Time In], [Time Out], "hours"). Use "minutes" for minutes or "days" for days.

Count, Rollup and Formula fields share one limit per table: 30 on Team, 50 on Professional and 100 on Enterprise and Signature. Remove fields you no longer use, move some calculations into a separate table, or upgrade the plan.

Pull the value through with dot notation and a function, then multiply: SUM([Service].[Rate]) * [Hours]. SUM works when the link holds one or more records.

Last verified 21 Oct 2026 against the SmartSuite Limits article (calculated field limits) and the Formula Functions & Operators article; UI descriptions as Product wrote them