Ordinarily if you copy and paste a formula from one cell into another, Excel assumes that any cells referenced within the formula change with relation to the new location.  But sometimes you may need to perform a calculation in several places on your worksheet always referencing the same cell.  You need to use an absolute reference in your formula to make sure Excel handles the calculation correctly.

Here’s how:

In the example above, to calculate the gross wages for the employee named Adam, you might use the formula =B1*B4 to multiply the company’s hourly wage times the number of hours Adam worked this week.  Indeed, entering that formula into cell C4 yields the correct result.  But if you copy and paste the formula from C4 into the cells below, you won’t get the results you’re expecting.

The key is to make absolute reference to cell B1, the cell that contains the company’s hourly wage, because that cell needs to remain consistent in your formula even as you copy it down.

To make absolute reference to a cell, use the $ symbol before both the column and the row reference.  The correct formula to use in cell C4, therefore, which will permit you to copy the formula down and achieve the correct results, is:

=$B$1*B5

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