Formulas let you build real calculations directly into your forms — auto-populating a field from others, running the maths on invoices and service agreements, or conditionally enabling and disabling a field depending on what's been entered elsewhere. Instead of respondents (or your team) doing sums by hand, the form does it for them, instantly and consistently every time.
Getting Access
Formulas are available on current IndyForms plans. If your account is still on a legacy Foundation plan, Formulas aren't included — switch to a current plan from your subscription page to get access.
Building a Formula is currently handled by the IndyForms Support Team rather than being self-serve. If you have a form that would benefit from a calculation, get in touch via support chat or email [email protected] and the team will build it for you.
To help Support build it quickly, it helps to describe your request in terms of the three building blocks below — which field should show the result, which fields it should pull from, and what the calculation should do.
How Formulas Work
Some fields calculate their own value automatically instead of being typed in. For example, take a look at the Invoice Totals section on this form:
It works out:
Subtotal (excl. GST) — hours worked × rate per hour, plus travel expenses if claimed (values taken from previous sections)
GST (10%) — 10% of the subtotal
Total (incl. GST) — the subtotal plus the GST
If you need a calculation added or changed, just contact Support and describe in plain language what you want the field to work out (for example, "add up the cost of every row in this table" or "only charge GST if the client is in Australia"). We'll build the formula for you.
Templates with Formulas
Look out for the Formula tag in Templates — a growing set of ready-made forms that come with calculations (and any supporting datasets) already built in, so you get the full working package rather than starting from scratch.
The NDIS Quote and Service Agreement and Schedule of Supports templates were first to launch with built-in Formulas, with more templates being added over time. These are a good starting point if you want to see Formulas in action, or as a base to adapt instead of requesting a fully custom build.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. Can I build a Formula myself in the Form Builder?
A. Not yet. Formulas are currently built by the IndyForms Support Team on request. Contact support chat or [email protected] with what you need calculated.
Q. Can a Formula stop respondents from overwriting a calculated value?
A. Yes. The Target field a Formula writes to can be set as read-only, so respondents see the calculated result but can't type over it.
Q. Can a Formula do more than maths, like showing or hiding a field?
A. Yes. Formulas can also enable or disable a field based on another field's value, so you can drive simple conditional behaviour as well as calculations.
Q. Do Formulas work inside repeating tables?
A. Yes. A Formula can calculate a value within a single Table Row, or sum a column across every row of a repeating table — useful for line-item totals and grand totals.
Q. Is Formulas available on every plan?
A. It's available on current IndyForms plans. Accounts still on a legacy Foundation plan don't have access — switch to a current plan from your subscription page.