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Payroll

How to Use Payroll Reports

Beginner 4 min read 2 views

This guide covers both standard Payroll Reports and Advanced Reports — how to generate, filter, and export comprehensive payroll data.


Getting to Payroll Reports

  1. Open the client you want to work with.
  2. In the left sidebar, under Payroll, click Reports for standard reports, or Advanced Reports for deep-dive analytics.

Standard Payroll Reports

The Reports page provides six report types, each accessible through a tab bar at the top.

Date Range and Filters

Before viewing any report, set your filters in the card at the top:

  • Start Date and End Date — choose any date range.
  • Quick Presets — click YTD (year to date), This Quarter, This Month, or Last Month to quickly set the range.
  • Group By (Earnings Report only) — choose to group by Employee or by Pay Period.

The report data refreshes automatically when you change the date range or filters.

Export

Every report can be exported in two formats using the buttons at the top right:

  • Export CSV — downloads a spreadsheet for further analysis in Excel or Google Sheets.
  • Export PDF — downloads a formatted PDF suitable for printing or sharing.

1. Earnings Report

Shows employee earnings broken down by type.

What you see:

  • A table with columns for Employee Name, Regular Pay, Overtime Pay, Vacation Pay, Gross Pay, Total Hours, and Pay Count (number of pay periods).
  • If grouped by Pay Period, the breakdown is organized by pay date instead of employee.

When to use:

  • Review total compensation by employee for a given period.
  • Compare overtime costs across your team.
  • Verify vacation pay accruals and payouts.

2. Deductions Report

Shows all deductions withheld from employee pay.

What you see:

  • Deductions grouped by Type (CPP, EI, Income Tax, Union Dues, RRSP, Health Premiums, etc.).
  • Each type shows the Total Amount withheld and the Count (how many pay stubs the deduction appeared on).

When to use:

  • Verify CPP and EI contributions match expected amounts.
  • Reconcile union dues or benefit premiums.
  • Prepare remittance calculations.

3. Benefits Report

Shows employer and employee benefit contributions.

What you see:

  • Benefits grouped by Type (health, dental, life insurance, pension, etc.).
  • Each type shows Employee Total, Employer Total, and Count.

When to use:

  • Review total benefit costs for budgeting.
  • Verify employer matching contributions.
  • Reconcile benefit provider invoices.

4. Payroll Register

A comprehensive detail report showing every payroll run in the selected date range.

What you see, organized by payroll run:

  • Run header — pay date, period dates, pay group, status, and whether it was an off-cycle run.
  • Totals — gross pay, net pay, deductions, employer taxes, and employee count for the run.
  • Employee rows — each employee's name, hours, gross pay, deductions, and net pay.

When to use:

  • Complete audit trail of all payroll activity.
  • Detailed reconciliation with bank statements.
  • Year-end review and verification.

5. Deposit Summary

A CRA remittance summary showing all tax amounts that must be remitted.

What you see:

  • Organized by Pay Date.
  • Columns for CPP (employee and employer), EI (employee and employer), QPIP (Quebec only, employee and employer), Income Tax, and Total Remittance.
  • Employee Count for each deposit.

When to use:

  • Calculate your CRA payroll remittance amounts.
  • Prepare your PD7A remittance form.
  • Verify that remittance amounts match your payroll liabilities.

6. Employee YTD

Year-to-date summary for a single employee.

How to use:

  1. Select the Employee from the dropdown.
  2. Choose the Tax Year.
  3. The report displays:

YTD Totals:

  • Gross Pay, Net Pay, Regular Pay, Overtime Pay, Vacation Pay.
  • CPP Contribution, EI Premium, Federal Tax, Provincial Tax.
  • Total Deductions, Hours Worked, Pay Count.

Monthly Breakdown:

  • A month-by-month table showing Gross Pay, Net Pay, Deductions, Hours, and Pay Count for each month of the selected year.

When to use:

  • Review an individual employee's compensation for the year.
  • Verify T4 amounts before generating tax forms.
  • Provide employees with their earnings summary.

Advanced Reports

The Advanced Reports page provides deep-dive analytics with charts, summary cards, and detailed tables. Access it from the sidebar under Payroll > Advanced Reports.

Date Range

At the top of the page, set a Start Date and End Date, or use the quick buttons: YTD, 3 mo, 6 mo, or 12 mo.

Tabs

Advanced Reports are organized into tabs covering different analytical views. Each tab includes:

  • Summary Cards — key metrics for the selected period.
  • Charts — visual breakdowns of the data.
  • Detail Tables — sortable, scrollable data rows with totals.

Export

Use the export buttons to download any report as Excel (.xlsx) or CSV. The export includes all data rows from the currently displayed tab.

✓ Tip: Advanced Reports are ideal for period-over-period comparisons, trend analysis, and board-ready summaries. Use Standard Reports for operational day-to-day needs and Advanced Reports for strategic review.

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