1) Your formula is testing whether the result of the MATCH is #N/A. If that
returns TRUE (ie. the result is #N/A) then VLOOKUP is going to try and look
up something that the formula has established doesn't exist.
2) Your formula doesn't have a FALSE condition.

Try using this version:

IF(ISNA(MATCH(A5,PATIENTS!$A$2:$A$2070,FALSE)),"", VLOOKUP(A5,PATIENTS!$A$2:$
M$2070,3,FALSE))

Notice the additional ,"", which will return a blank if the test returns
TRUE.

--

Regards
Andy Wiggins
www.BygSoftware.com
Home of "Save and BackUp",
"The Excel Auditor" and "Byg Tools for VBA"


"ErinGertz" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm trying to type in a social security number and then write a vlookup
formula for the next cell so it pulls up the patient's last name. The
worksheet I need to pull the info from is called PATIENTS. That sheet is
set up so that the first column has the social, then 2nd column is another
identifying #, then the 3rd column is the patient's last name. The first
box that I type in the social security number in the current worksheet is
A5. This is the formula I've written:


=IF(ISNA(MATCH(A5,PATIENTS!$A$2:$A$2070,FALSE)),VL OOKUP(A5,PATIENTS!$A$2:$M$
2070,3,FALSE))

But I keep getting the error message #N/A

Please help!