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How Do I Calculate Age From Date of Birth in Word?

Published in Word Processing 3 mins read

Calculating age directly from a date of birth within Microsoft Word can be tricky because Word is primarily a word processor, not a spreadsheet program like Excel. While you can't perform complex calculations easily, you can use field codes to achieve a basic age calculation, although it's not foolproof and may require manual updates. A more robust solution is to link your Word document to an Excel spreadsheet where the age calculation is performed. Here's how to approach both methods:

Method 1: Using Word Field Codes (Basic, Limited Accuracy)

This method provides a rough estimate of age. It's not perfectly accurate as it doesn't account for the specific day.

  1. Insert a Date of Birth Field: Insert a field code for the birthdate. You might need to manually type it using Ctrl+F9 to insert field brackets {}. For example: {BirthDate \@ "d MMMM yyyy"}. You'll need to replace "BirthDate" with a bookmark that represents your birth date.

  2. Create a Bookmark for the Birthdate: Select the birthdate you've typed in your document, then go to Insert > Bookmark and give it a name, such as "BirthDate".

  3. Calculate the Years: Insert the following field code (using Ctrl+F9 to insert the curly brackets). This formula calculates the difference in years between the current date and the birthdate:

    {SET Years {=INT(({DATE \@ yyyy}-{BirthDate \@ yyyy})+({DATE \@ MMdd}<{BirthDate \@ MMdd}))}}

    Explanation:

    • {SET Years ...}: This assigns the result of the calculation to a variable named "Years".
    • {DATE \@ yyyy}: Gets the current year.
    • {BirthDate \@ yyyy}: Gets the year from the "BirthDate" bookmark.
    • ({DATE \@ yyyy}-{BirthDate \@ yyyy}) : Calculates the difference in years.
    • ({DATE \@ MMdd}<{BirthDate \@ MMdd}): This checks if the current month and day are before the birth month and day. If true (birthday hasn't happened yet this year), it results in a 1 (true), which is then subtracted to reduce the year by 1. This part is crucial for a more accurate whole-year calculation.

  4. Display the Result: Insert another field to display the calculated age: {Years}.

  5. Update the Fields: Select the entire document (Ctrl+A) and press F9 to update all fields and display the calculated age. You'll need to do this whenever you open the document or want to update the age.

Caveats:

  • This method isn't dynamic. The age won't automatically update daily.
  • The accuracy is limited, particularly for month and day calculations. You are effectively only calculating the year component of the age.
  • Field codes can be complex and prone to errors.

Example:

Suppose the bookmark "BirthDate" contains "15 July 1985". The field codes would calculate the difference between the current year and 1985, adjusting for whether July 15th has passed this year.

Method 2: Linking to an Excel Spreadsheet (Recommended, More Accurate)

This method provides a more reliable and dynamic age calculation.

  1. Create an Excel Spreadsheet: In Excel, create a cell (e.g., A1) for the date of birth. In another cell (e.g., B1), use the following formula to calculate the age:

    =DATEDIF(A1,TODAY(),"Y")
    • A1: The cell containing the date of birth.
    • TODAY(): Returns the current date.
    • "Y": Specifies that you want the difference in years. DATEDIF is an older Excel function, but still highly useful.

  2. Copy the Age from Excel: Select the cell containing the calculated age in Excel (B1 in our example) and copy it (Ctrl+C).

  3. Paste Special in Word: In your Word document, go to Home > Paste > Paste Special.

  4. Choose Paste Options: Select "Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object" or "Unformatted Text". Select "Paste link" instead of just "Paste". This creates a link to the Excel cell.

  5. Formatting (Optional): If you chose "Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object," you can double-click the pasted object to edit it in Excel directly. If you pasted as "Unformatted Text," the age will appear as plain text.

Advantages:

  • Dynamic: The age in Word will update automatically whenever the Excel file is updated (and the Word document is opened or the link is refreshed).
  • Accurate: Excel's DATEDIF function provides a precise age calculation.
  • Easier to Manage: The calculation logic is contained in Excel, which is better suited for this type of task.

How to Update the Link:

  • If the age doesn't update automatically, right-click on the linked object in Word and choose "Update Link."
  • You might need to trust the document's links for them to function correctly.

Summary Table

Feature Word Field Codes Excel Linking
Accuracy Limited (Year only, manual updates) High (Accurate date calculations, automatic updates)
Dynamic Updates No (Manual updates required) Yes (Updates when Excel data changes and Word link updated)
Complexity High (Difficult to set up and maintain) Moderate (Requires Excel knowledge)
Best Use Case Simple documents, infrequent age updates Documents requiring accurate and dynamically updating ages

Conclusion:

Calculating age in Word is possible, but linking to an Excel spreadsheet is the recommended and more accurate method. While field codes offer a basic solution, they are less reliable and require manual updates. The Excel linking method leverages Excel's powerful date calculation functions, providing a dynamic and precise age in your Word document.

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