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Inconsistent Calculated Column Formula

The 2025 version of the Excel Checkbook has a handy feature called Frequent Payees, which provides a drop-down list in the register to quickly select a payee which can also automatically fill-in the Sub-Category column with a value.

Unfortunately, Excel will show a green triangle and/or a yellow warning triangle in that column because you’ll have a mix of entries that will be from manually choosing a sub-category vs. having that cell populated via the frequent payee feature. Excel wants to warn about this harmless inconsistency.

While those little green triangles are harmless, it’s annoying to see them! If you’d like to watch a short video for this, click here.

Two Options

This is the easiest solution and it’s what I prefer. Click the yellow-warning triangle and then choose Error Checking Options.

On the screen that appears next, UN-check the setting noted below in the screenshot and then click OK.

This option will only work in the Windows version of Excel. Mac users, please use option #1. With this option, you try to either select the entire column, or use your mouse and select as many cells under Sub-Category as needed.

At the top of the sub-category column, carefully position your mouse so that it’s right on the edge of the blue/black seam. You want to see the mouse turn into a large black arrow that points down. Click once, and the whole column should be selected.

Next, click the little triangle warning symbol, and click on Ignore Error. Note: it might take several seconds before the ‘triangle warning’ symbol appears so that you can click it. If you never see the yellow-triangle, try using your mouse to select a majority of the sub-category cells and then look for the yellow-triangle to appear so you can click it.

NOTE: The option above will have to be done in all of the register worksheets that you are using. However, Option #1 resolves this for all register worksheets.

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