Bernie,
thanks for reply but, if I try entering e.g. -2:00, I get the message "the
formula you entered contains an error". Should I be formatting this cell
differently?

"Bernie Deitrick" wrote:

The easiest way - and the most maintainable - is to use two cells for your adjustment - one for
adding, and one for subtracting.

HTH,
Bernie
MS Excel MVP


"pjk@boro" wrote in message
...
My spreadsheet calculates hours worked based on start/finish times. Example
start 09:00 finish 12:30 = 03:30. That's ok. I also have a cell for
adjustments. if I enter 02:30, my final total will be 06:00. My problem is it
won't allow me to enter a minus figure in the adjustment cell. depending how
I format the cell, excel either says I can't enter it or ignores it in the
calculation.
Has anyone any ideas?