Letter grades
=IFS(E2>=90, "A", E2>=80, "B", E2>=70, "C", E2>=60, "D", TRUE, "F") assigns grade bands.
What is IFS in Google Sheets?
IFS runs several condition-result pairs in order and returns the result for the first condition that is TRUE. It replaces long nested IF trees for tiered scoring, bonus bands, and SLA buckets where each step tests a comparison.
When to use it
Use IFS when rules are inequalities or compound tests evaluated top to bottom, such as A2>=90 returns A, A2>=80 returns B.
When to skip it
Skip IFS for simple exact code maps. SWITCH or XLOOKUP on a table may read cleaner.
How it works
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1
List condition1, value1, condition2, value2, and so on in pairs.
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Put the strictest or highest-priority conditions first when ranges overlap.
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End with TRUE, catch-all as last condition to avoid #N/A if desired.
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Keep conditions mutually exclusive when possible to avoid logic surprises.
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Use LET to name repeated subexpressions inside long IFS bodies.
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Test boundary values like exactly 80 after changing thresholds.
Examples in Google Sheets
Shipping SLA
=IFS(G2<=1, "Next day", G2<=3, "Standard", TRUE, "Delayed") labels fulfillment speed.
Discount tier
=IFS(H2>=10000, 0.15, H2>=5000, 0.1, H2>=1000, 0.05, TRUE, 0) sets discount rate by order size.
Build this without starting from a blank cell
Use a Better Sheets tool for IFS, then watch a walkthrough when you want the full pattern.
Better Sheets resources
Common mistakes
- Overlapping ranges with wrong order so everyone gets the first band only.
- No final TRUE catch-all, returning #N/A on edge cases.
- Comparing text numbers to real numbers in conditions.
- IFS with too many branches instead of a lookup table.
- Forgetting IFS stops at first TRUE, skipping later valid rules.
Frequently asked questions
- IFS vs nested IF?
- IFS is flatter and easier to read for many branches.
- IFS vs SWITCH?
- IFS allows comparisons like greater than. SWITCH matches exact values.
- Why #N/A?
- No condition matched and no final TRUE default was provided.
- IFS order matters?
- Yes. First TRUE wins. Put specific rules before general ones.
- IFS with AND inside?
- Each condition can be a full expression like AND(A2>0, B2="Yes").
- IFS array spill?
- Conditions on ranges can spill results down the column.
- IFS vs LET?
- LET names intermediates. IFS chooses outputs by conditional logic.
Related Tutorials
Watch how IFS works
Learn Google Sheet Formulas The Hard Way
Related blog posts
Guides that explain IFS in more depth.
The Most Popular Google Sheet Tutorial on the IF() Formula
The IF() formula is a logical function that makes it easy for users to compare a certain value and an expected value. It takes a look at a value to see if basic conditions are met.
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Read post →Related glossary terms
SWITCH
SWITCH evaluates an expression against a list of case values and returns the result for the first match. A default value catches everything else. It cleans up nested IF chains when you compare one cell to many constants like status codes.
Read guide →LET
LET assigns names to calculated values inside one formula, then uses those names in the final expression. Repeated VLOOKUP keys, tax rates, or date bounds appear once, which shrinks formulas and can reduce recalc work on heavy sheets.
Read guide →FILTER
FILTER returns only the rows from a range that meet one or more conditions. Conditions are boolean arrays the same height as the data. FILTER spills results automatically, so it replaced many INDEX/SMALL helper-column patterns for live subsets.
Read guide →QUERY
QUERY runs a SQL-like statement against a range of cells and returns a new table of results. You pass a data range, a query string with SELECT, WHERE, ORDER BY, and optional headers. It is the fastest way to filter, sort, group, and pivot sheet data without helper columns.
Read guide →Done reading about IFS?
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