Spreadsheets - Guidelines for Acas reports - Acas

Use these guidelines before submitting spreadsheet reports to the Digital team.

Use these rules alongside guidance on:

Setting up the document

To first set up the document you should:

use unique names for the file, tables and worksheets (tabs)
use hyphens instead of spaces for the file name
use underscores instead of spaces in table names and worksheet names
add the title of the worksheet in cell A1 and mark it up as an H1 heading – this should be the title of the table, and if it has more than one table use a group term
include a description of what the worksheet shows in cell A2 and state in which cell each table starts
include any notes needed to understand the tables before the tables, not after them – introduce them on a separate line with a heading like 'Notes:' marked up as an H2 heading
include a contents (index) if you have more than one worksheet – you do not have to add hyperlinks as an assistive technology user will often use the 'Go to' function to navigate

To format the document you should:

put the data in a plain table format
always include a header row – this helps screen reader users to understand the table layout
remove any blank rows or columns in tables – if you want to add spacing, increase the row height and column widths
right align all data within a table and all column headings – except the column of row labels or other columns of text
use text wrapping and change column widths to the minimum needed – this helps reduce horizontal scrolling
set the default font as Verdana and 'Automatic' (not black)
use font size 12 and size 14 for H1 headings – including for text in charts
never use contrast and colour alone to convey meaning – this is not accessible for screen reader users
use the minimum number of decimal places as possible – ideally none, and usually no more than 2
use descriptive text for any links, explaining where the link takes you
state the cell location where a table begins before the start of each table, if you have more than one – for example 'Next table begins in cell A12'

Avoid using:

italics, bold or underlining – not everyone will understand it, especially if they are using a screen reader
blank cells – put a number '0' in a data table if a value is zero, or 'not applicable' (not N/A)
merged cells – for example, if 2 adjacent columns share the same heading, repeat the heading

For final checks you should:

use the accessibility checker – select 'file', then 'info', then 'check accessibility'
turn off freeze panes
turn off filters before sharing the document
make sure any images and charts have alternative text to describe what they are
make sure your zoom level is 100%
put your cursor in cell A1 in each of the worksheets before saving

We recommend:

if you cannot fit all your data on one worksheet without reducing the size of the text then think about whether you need to actually provide all of the data – try to only provide the critical information that the user needs to be informed
if your users do require a lot of data, spread it across multiple worksheets rather than squeezing it into one worksheet – this includes avoiding more than one table per worksheet, where possible
you do not hide rows or columns – it can be disorientating for screen reader users and should only be done to hide unused rows and columns, not to hide active data

The Government Analysis Function has further guidance on spreadsheets:

Last updated

13 August 2026