> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pluvel.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Payroll Reports

> View payroll summaries, tax liabilities, and employee details.

Labor is probably your biggest expense. You want to know: How much are we actually spending on people? What are the tax implications? Which departments are costing the most? Is overtime getting out of control?

Payroll reports give you visibility into all of it — labor costs, tax liabilities, deductions, and employee-by-employee breakdowns. Whether you're doing a quick check or handing a package to your accountant, the data is here.

## Accessing payroll reports

1. Go to **Reports** in the sidebar
2. Click **Payroll Reports**
3. Select the report type

## Available reports

### Payroll Summary

Overview of payroll by period:

| Column         | Description                   |
| -------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Pay Period     | Date range                    |
| Gross Pay      | Total wages before deductions |
| Employee Taxes | Taxes withheld from employees |
| Employer Taxes | Your portion of taxes         |
| Deductions     | 401(k), insurance, etc.       |
| Net Pay        | Amount paid to employees      |
| Total Cost     | Net pay + employer taxes      |

### Payroll Register

Detailed breakdown by employee:

| Column     | Description                     |
| ---------- | ------------------------------- |
| Employee   | Name                            |
| Pay Type   | Salary, Hourly, Bonus           |
| Hours      | Hours worked (hourly employees) |
| Gross      | Gross pay this period           |
| Fed Tax    | Federal income tax withheld     |
| State Tax  | State income tax withheld       |
| FICA       | Social Security + Medicare      |
| Deductions | Pre-tax and post-tax            |
| Net Pay    | Take-home pay                   |

### Tax Liability Report

Tax obligations by agency and period:

| Tax            | Period  | Liability | Deposited | Due   |
| -------------- | ------- | --------- | --------- | ----- |
| Federal 941    | Q1 2025 | \$15,230  | \$15,230  | \$0   |
| CA Withholding | Q1 2025 | \$3,450   | \$3,450   | \$0   |
| CA SUI         | Q1 2025 | \$890     | \$890     | \$0   |
| FUTA           | 2025    | \$420     | \$0       | \$420 |

### Deductions Report

Summary of all deductions by type:

| Deduction        | Employees | Employee Amount | Employer Amount |
| ---------------- | --------- | --------------- | --------------- |
| 401(k)           | 8         | \$4,200         | \$2,100         |
| Health Insurance | 10        | \$1,500         | \$6,000         |
| Dental           | 6         | \$180           | \$360           |
| HSA              | 4         | \$800           | \$0             |

### Employee Earnings

Year-to-date earnings by employee:

| Employee   | Salary/Wages | Bonus   | Commission | Gross YTD |
| ---------- | ------------ | ------- | ---------- | --------- |
| Jane Smith | \$45,000     | \$2,000 | \$0        | \$47,000  |
| John Doe   | \$28,800     | \$0     | \$3,200    | \$32,000  |

## Date ranges

Most reports support flexible date ranges:

| Preset          | Period                     |
| --------------- | -------------------------- |
| Last Pay Period | Previous completed pay run |
| This Month      | Current month to date      |
| Last Month      | Previous full month        |
| This Quarter    | Current quarter to date    |
| Last Quarter    | Previous full quarter      |
| This Year       | Year to date               |
| Last Year       | Previous full year         |
| Custom          | Any date range             |

## Filtering options

### By employee

* Individual employee reports
* By department (if configured)
* By pay type (salaried, hourly, contractor)
* By status (active, terminated)

### By pay type

* Regular pay only
* Including bonuses
* Including commissions
* Including reimbursements

### By location

* By work state
* By pay location
* Multi-state breakdowns

## Export options

| Format            | Use Case                |
| ----------------- | ----------------------- |
| PDF               | Share with stakeholders |
| Excel             | Further analysis        |
| CSV               | Import to other systems |
| QuickBooks format | For accountants         |

## Scheduled reports

Send reports automatically:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose the report">
    Select the report you want to schedule.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set frequency">
    Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add recipients">
    Enter email addresses (can include external, like your accountant).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Activate">
    Enable the schedule. Runs automatically on your defined schedule.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Common reports by role

### For business owners

| Report                | Purpose                    |
| --------------------- | -------------------------- |
| Payroll Summary       | High-level labor cost view |
| Total Cost by Month   | Labor cost trends          |
| Quarterly Tax Summary | Tax obligations overview   |

### For accountants

| Report                | Purpose                        |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| Payroll Register      | Detailed journal entry support |
| Tax Liability         | Reconcile deposits             |
| Deductions Report     | Verify benefit accruals        |
| General Ledger Impact | See payroll entries            |

### For HR

| Report            | Purpose                  |
| ----------------- | ------------------------ |
| Employee Earnings | Compensation review      |
| PTO Balances      | Time-off tracking        |
| Headcount         | Employee count over time |

## Custom reports

Create custom payroll reports:

1. Go to **Reports → Custom**
2. Select data fields
3. Set filters
4. Choose grouping (by employee, department, pay period)
5. Save for reuse

### Available fields

* Employee demographics
* Compensation components
* Tax withholdings
* Deductions (each type)
* Employer contributions
* Hours (regular, overtime)
* Accruals (PTO, sick)

## Historical reports

Access payroll data from previous years:

1. Select the report type
2. Choose date range (can go back multiple years)
3. Run report

Historical data is available for:

* 7 years (standard retention)
* Longer if you've upgraded retention

## Year-end reports

Special reports for year-end:

| Report                    | Purpose                         |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| W-2 Summary               | Preview W-2 data before filing  |
| 1099 Summary              | Preview 1099 data before filing |
| Annual Tax Reconciliation | Verify all filings match        |
| State Wage Reports        | State-by-state wage summary     |

Access in **Reports → Payroll → Year-End**.

<Card title="Tax Reports" icon="arrow-right" href="/features/reports/tax-reports">
  View tax-specific reports.
</Card>