Excel Formula to Round Dates to the First or Fifteenth-Based Month in WPS Office
Question details
The user needs an Excel-compatible formula that returns the first day of the current month when a date falls on or before the 15th, and the first day of the next month when the date falls after the 15th.
- Product
- WPS Spreadsheets
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- The user has a date cell such as G38 and wants reporting, billing, or payroll periods to start on the nearest monthly boundary based on the 15th cutoff.
- Observed behavior
- Dates on or before the 15th should return the first day of the current month; dates after the 15th should return the first day of the next month.
Open your WPS Spreadsheets workbook and confirm that the date cells are stored as actual date values rather than text. If a date cell shows a green triangle or is left-aligned as text, convert it to a date before using DATE, YEAR, MONTH, DAY, or EOMONTH.
Use the DATE Formula to Return the First of the Current or Next Month
Use this formula when you want a clear, Excel-compatible solution that handles the 15th cutoff without an extra function.
The DATE function constructs a date from year, month, and day values. In this formula, the month argument adds 1 when the day is greater than 15 because DAY(G38)>15 returns TRUE, which Excel treats as 1.
Click the cell where you want the rounded date to appear, such as H38 next to your original date in G38.
Type =DATE(YEAR(G38),MONTH(G38)+(DAY(G38)>15),1) and press Enter. Replace G38 with your actual date cell reference.
Use the fill handle at the lower-right corner of the result cell to apply the formula to the remaining rows in your date list.
Use the EOMONTH Alternative Formula
Use this shorter alternative if your version of WPS Spreadsheets supports EOMONTH and you prefer a compact formula.
Round Dates to the First or Fifteenth-Based Month with WPS Spreadsheets
WPS Spreadsheets supports the same DATE, YEAR, MONTH, DAY, and EOMONTH functions used in Excel, so you can enter the formula directly in your workbook and get the first day of the current or next month based on the 15th cutoff.
- 1. Open your workbook in WPS Spreadsheets: Launch WPS Office, open the .xlsx or .xls file that contains the dates you want to round.
- 2. Select the first result cell: Click the cell next to your date cell, for example H38 if the date is in G38.
- 3. Enter the rounding formula: Type =DATE(YEAR(G38),MONTH(G38)+(DAY(G38)>15),1) and press Enter.
- 4. Apply the formula to the remaining rows: Drag the fill handle down the column to copy the formula to all date rows.
- 5. Format the cells as dates if needed: Select the result cells, press Ctrl+1, choose Date, and select a date format such as MM/DD/YYYY.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the formula =DATE(YEAR(G38),MONTH(G38)+(DAY(G38)>15),1) do?
It extracts the year from G38, uses the month of G38, adds 1 to the month if the day is greater than 15 because TRUE equals 1, and forces the day to 1. This returns the first day of the current month for dates on or before the 15th and the first day of the next month for later dates.
What is the difference between the DATE formula and the EOMONTH alternative?
Both produce the same rounding result. The DATE formula is transparent and dependency-free because it is built from YEAR, MONTH, and DAY. The EOMONTH alternative is shorter but works by returning the last day of a month and then adding 1.
Why does my formula cell show a serial number instead of a date?
The result cell is likely formatted as General or Number. Select the cell, press Ctrl+1, choose Date, and select a date format such as MM/DD/YYYY.
Will these formulas work if my dates are stored as text?
No, date functions require actual date values. If your dates are stored as text, you can convert them with Text to Columns or DATEVALUE before applying the formula.
Can I use these formulas in Microsoft Excel files opened in WPS Office?
Yes, WPS Spreadsheets is compatible with Excel .xlsx and .xls files and supports the same DATE, YEAR, MONTH, DAY, and EOMONTH functions, so the formula works without changing the file format.
