When do you know when to use brackets in formulas?

Hi Lorraine, Welcome to the forum, Thank you for your post, in answer to your question; Consider the Acronym BODMAS when you create a formula, BODMAS = Brackets, Ordinals, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction - this is the order in which Excel works out a formula's operators; Parentheses aka brackets. Using brackets in your formulas is a good habit to get into even when they are not strictly needed because they help to clarify the order and make the formula easier to understand. It is also possible to put parentheses within parentheses. When parentheses are nested the ones on the inside are evaluated first. When you enter parentheses you will notice that Excel tries to help you by making the matching parentheses bold as you pass over it with the mouse. Your parentheses must balance. For every open parentheses there must be a corresponding close parentheses. If you try to submit a formula which does not contain the same number of open and close parentheses, Excel will prompt you and tell you that the formula you have entered is incorrect. I hope that has made it a little clearer, if so, please click the resolved link, best regards Pete.