Format numbers, currency and dates in your document
By default a merge field prints exactly the value it receives, so a price stored as 53.1 shows as 53.1 and a total as 2250 . To make numbers, money and dates look consistent, add a format to the field with a pipe (| ). This works in Google Docs templates.
How it works
Inside a merge field, add a pipe and a format name after the field:
{{ unit_price | currency }} → $53.10
The field name is still just unit_price ; the part after the pipe only changes how the value is displayed. Spacing does not matter, {{unit_price|currency}} and {{ unit_price | currency }} are the same.
There is also a Formatting card in the editor's right-hand panel with every format and a copy button.
The formats you can use
| Type this | You get |
|---|---|
{{ amount | currency }} |
$1,234.50 |
{{ amount | currency(GBP) }} |
£1,234.50 |
{{ value | number(2) }} |
1,234.50 |
{{ value | number(0) }} |
1,235 |
{{ qty | number }} |
1,234 (grouped, no forced decimals) |
{{ discount | percent }} |
12.5% |
{{ date_sent | date(short) }} |
09/22/2026 |
Currency always shows two decimals with thousands separators. Use a currency code such as currency(GBP) , currency(EUR) or currency(JPY) to change the symbol; the default is $ . Percent simply adds a % sign, it does not multiply by 100 (a value of 10 shows as 10% ).
Date formats
date takes either a named style or your own pattern:
| Type this | You get |
|---|---|
{{ date_sent | date }} |
Sep 22, 2026 |
{{ date_sent | date(short) }} |
09/22/2026 |
{{ date_sent | date(eu) }} |
22/09/2026 |
{{ date_sent | date(long) }} |
September 22, 2026 |
{{ date_sent | date(iso) }} |
2026-09-22 |
{{ date_sent | date(D MMMM YYYY) }} |
22 September 2026 |
Pattern letters: YYYY year, MMMM /MMM month name, MM /M month number, DD /D day, Do day with ordinal (22nd), dddd /ddd weekday. Dates format only when the field holds a real date; free text is left as-is.
Totals
A total picks up the format of the column it sums. If your Amount column is {{ item_amount | currency }} , you can leave the total as {{=SUM(item_amount)}} and it will still show as $1,308.20. You can also be explicit: {{=SUM(item_amount) | currency }} . Both give the same result.
Tips and gotchas
- Remove your own currency symbol. Currency prints its own
$, so${{ amount | currency }}would show$$1,234.50. Delete the literal$and let the format add it. - A typo is safe. If you mistype a format, for example
{{ amount | currancy }}, the field just shows the raw value (1234.5) rather than a broken{{ }}tag, so you will spot it in Download Sample. The Merge Fields card also shows an amber badge for an unrecognised format. - Rounding. Each line is rounded to two decimals, so on rare occasions the sum of the visible lines can differ from the total by a cent.
Questions? Contact support@docupotion.com.