Fill formulas with row changing not column numbers

This is called relative positioning.  In excel you have 4 options-

A1 - row and column increment
$A1 - row only increment
A$1 - column only increment - YOUR ONE
$A$1 - fixed/absolute

so you need-
=SUM(C$4,C$12, C$20)

Yes, but when I include the '$' and do a fill down, it fills down the exact formula.  The letters do not increment.

Original formula:  =SUM(C$4,C$12, C$20)

want several rows below it like this:

=SUM(D$4,D$12,D$20)
=SUM(E$4,E$12,E$20)
etc

If you want an easy to read formula when you are done, try the following manual technique:

1. Put the following formula to the right of any data, then copy across as required:
=SUM(C$4, C$12, C$20)
2. Copy the cells containing that formula
3. Select the cell where the first formula needs to go
4. Paste Special using the Transpose option. You'll need to click the Paste Special... at bottom of the dialog to see the checkbox for Transpose at bottom right of next dialog.

byundt - that way never seems to increment anything for me.  I've read that solution before but can't seem to get it to work.  I guess I would need to see some screenshots of that in action.

Here it is in Excel 2013. The trick was the $ before the row numbers. It won't work if you don't do that.

That formula works just fine and I never knew that it would work that way.

Good work Brad.