How to fix #DIV/0! in a percent change formula

Q: How do I handle a negative starting value?

Divide by its absolute value: =(C2-B2)/ABS(B2), so going from a loss to a profit shows as growth.

Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)

=IF(B2=0,"New",(C2-B2)/B2)

Handle a starting value of 0 separately: =IF(B2=0,"New",(C2-B2)/B2).

Result on the example: one result per row in D2, filled down to D6
Works in: Every current version
Google Sheets: Same formula

See it work

The formula is already in D2, filled down to D6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.

How it works

Percent change divides by the old value. The chair had no sales last year, so the formula divides by 0 and returns #DIV/0!. Growth from zero has no meaningful percentage, so IF labels it "New" and calculates the rest as usual.

=IF(B2=0,"New",(C2-B2)/B2)

Result0.15

B2$12,000
The value in B2.
B2=0FALSE
The = operator tests whether the two sides are equal.
C2$13,800
The value in C2.
C2-B21800
The - operator subtracts.
C2-B2)/B20.15
The / operator divides.
IF(B2=0,"New",(C2-B2)/B2)0.15
IF: Returns one value if a test is true, another if false.
- logical_testB2=0FALSE
- value_if_true"New"not used
- value_if_falseC2-B2)/B20.15

In Google Sheets

The same formula works in Google Sheets: =IF(B2=0,"New",(C2-B2)/B2). We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.

Other ways to do it

Each one was run on the same example sheet.

Formula	Result	When to use it
=IFERROR((C2-B2)/B2,"New")	15.0%, New, -10.0%…	The same result, but it would also hide errors you didn't expect.
=IF(B2=0,"",C2/B2-1)	15.0%, , -10.0%…Different result	C2/B2-1 is the same percent change; this version leaves new products blank. Chair is blank instead of "New".

Common mistakes

Don't show 100% for growth from zero; it suggests the value doubled.
A blank last-year cell counts as 0 and triggers the same error.

Try it yourself

Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.

Fix #DIV/0! in a percent change formula

In D2, calculate the percent change from last year to this year, showing "New" when last year is 0. Fill down to D6.

Questions

What about a drop to zero?

That works: the mouse shows -100%.

How do I handle a negative starting value?

Divide by its absolute value: =(C2-B2)/ABS(B2), so going from a loss to a profit shows as growth.

Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.