The \b and \f switches are only useful for controlling whether to output something dependent in whether the parent field - in this case BONUS_SCHEME has data; they can't be used to differentiate data. See the Mailmerge Empty Line Suppression topic in the Mailmerge Tips & Tricks 'Sticky' thread at the top of this forum: https://www.msofficeforums.com/mail-...ps-tricks.html

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Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

yes, I can see now that makes absolute sense - and what a treasure trove of knowledge in the tips & tricks thread, wow!
thanks for your help, it's much appreciated