---
title: Understanding Why Budget Totals in Excel Don’t Match the Budget Overview Report
description: Learn why Budget Overview totals may match in Aclarian but not in Excel exports when some exported values are stored as text, and how to fix the issue in Excel.
---

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May 14, 2026

# Understanding Why Budget Totals in Excel Don’t Match the Budget Overview Report

## Learn why Budget Overview report totals may not match Excel export totals and how to fix text-formatted values so the numbers align.

**Overview**

You noticed that the totals in the Budget Overview report match, but the totals in your Excel exports do not. This can be confusing, especially when you’ve checked the rows multiple times and the numbers still don’t line up. After reviewing the files and screenshots, the issue is caused by a very common Excel formatting behavior.

**Why the totals don’t match**

Some of the dollar amounts in the exported file are being stored as **text** instead of real numbers. When Excel sees a value as text, it will not include it in the SUM function, even though the value looks like a normal dollar amount.

You can identify these cells by the **small green triangle** in the top left corner.

Because those cells are treated as text, Excel leaves them out of the total, which makes the sum appear lower than the amount shown in the report.

**How to fix the issue in Excel**

Follow these steps to convert the text values into real numbers:

1. Select the cells that show the green triangle
2. Click the warning icon that appears
3. Choose **Convert to Number**

Once the values are converted, the SUM function will include all rows, and the total will match the report.

![](https://support.aclarian.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Import/47046495213716.png)  
 

**How the system calculates the Budget Outflow total**

It also helps to understand how the system builds the total shown in the report. The Budget Outflow amount is made up of **two separate sections**:

- **Personnel and Operating expenses**
- **Capital expenses**

These sections belong to different account characters, so the system totals each one separately and then combines them to produce the final outflow amount of **$85,371,214**.

When Excel excludes text‑formatted values, it looks like the report and the export don’t match, but once everything is converted to numbers, the totals align.

**Summary**

The difference you’re seeing is caused by some values being stored as text in Excel. Converting those cells to numbers will allow Excel to include them in the SUM, and the totals will match the Budget Overview report.

If you need help reviewing the file or want us to double‑check the totals with you, we’re happy to assist.

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