Payroll Overview

Payroll Overview is the management layer of payroll. It consolidates all salary, tax, contribution and benefit data into one clear reporting structure that allows management to understand the true cost of workforce and to stay compliant.

Instead of just processing salaries, we transform payroll into financial intelligence. This allows companies to control cash flow, forecast labor costs and demonstrate compliance during audits or investor reviews.

What’s included

✔️ Total payroll cost summary (gross, employer costs, benefits, taxes, and net pay totals)

✔️ Taxes and contributions overview (by category and by jurisdiction where relevant)

✔️ Changes vs previous period with variance drivers (new hires, terminations, salary changes, bonuses, overtime, benefits changes)

✔️ Breakdowns by team, department, cost center, project, legal entity, or country

✔️ Headcount movement snapshot: starters/leavers, contract changes, FTE view (if applicable)

✔️ Reconciliation checkpoints vs payroll journal / accounting postings (to avoid reporting mismatches)

✔️ Exception list: unusual items, negative nets, out-of-range deductions, manual adjustments

✔️ Management commentary template (1-page) for leadership updates and stakeholder communication

✔️ Optional dashboards (Excel/Sheets-ready) for trend tracking over time

What we need from you

✔️ Final payroll results for the period (gross, deductions, employer costs, net)

✔️ Payroll journal / accounting posting (or mapping rules for how payroll hits GL accounts)

✔️ Team / cost center / project structure (how you want payroll grouped)

✔️ HR changes list: new hires, terminations, salary changes, bonuses, benefits updates

✔️ Any special items for the month (one-off payments, corrections, retro pay, reimbursements)

How it works

1. Define reporting structure: confirm groups (teams, entities, projects) and KPIs you want to track.

2. Collect payroll outputs: import the final payroll results and validate completeness.

3. Build the overview: create totals, breakdowns, and variance analysis vs prior period.

4. Review with management: highlight key drivers, exceptions, and actionable insights.

5. Deliver and archive: provide the report pack and retain an audit-ready history for future reference.

Typical timeline

First setup: 2–5 business days to define structure and create the reporting template (depending on complexity).

Recurring monthly delivery: typically 1–2 business days after payroll is finalized.

If multi-entity or multi-country: add 2–3 days for consolidation and tax/contribution splits.

Common pitfalls we prevent

✔️ Leadership receives only a total number with no explanation, causing confusion and reactive decisions

✔️ Payroll costs drift due to overtime, allowances, or benefit changes that aren’t tracked consistently

✔️ Mismatch between payroll results and accounting postings (GL) leading to reporting errors

✔️ No exception visibility (negative nets, unusual deductions, manual adjustments) until employees complain

✔️ Breakdowns are inconsistent month-to-month, making trends unreliable

✔️ Payroll reporting arrives too late to influence cash planning

FAQs

Find answers to common questions!

Can you break down payroll by project or client?

Yes. We can structure reports by project, cost center, client, or any allocation logic you use—especially useful for agencies, construction, and service businesses.

Will this reconcile with accounting?

We include reconciliation checkpoints against payroll journals or GL postings to reduce discrepancies and audit questions.

Can you include headcount metrics?