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Using Analytics to Monitor Payroll Costs¶

Overview¶

The Analytics tab in 4Geeks Payroll gives you comprehensive visibility into your payroll data. Monitor costs, track trends, compare stations, analyze taxes, and generate reports for strategic decision-making.

In this tutorial, you will:

• Navigate the analytics dashboard
• Understand total payroll cost and its components
• Compare costs across stations and time periods
• Analyze tax withholdings and employer contributions
• Track headcount, overtime, and deduction trends
• Export reports in CSV and PDF
• Set up automated scheduled reports

Prerequisites¶

• At least one completed payroll run (data feeds the analytics)
• Employees set up with bonuses and deductions (for full analysis)
• Multiple stations configured (for station comparison)

Step 1: Navigate the Analytics Dashboard¶

1. Go to Payroll → Analytics
2. The dashboard displays several sections:

Date Range Selector¶

The date range at the top controls what data is displayed:

1. Click the date range selector
2. Choose a preset:
3. This Month — Current month to date
4. Last Month — Previous full month
5. This Quarter — Current quarter
6. Last Quarter — Previous full quarter
7. This Year — Year to date
8. Last Year — Previous full year

9. Custom Range — Pick specific start and end dates

10. The dashboard updates to reflect the selected period

Filters¶

Refine the data shown:

1. Click Filters
2. Apply filters:
3. Station — View data for one or more specific locations
4. Country — Filter by country (for multi-country operations)
5. Job Category — Filter by role type (Management, Technical, etc.)
6. Status — Active employees, terminated, or all

Step 2: Analyze Total Payroll Cost¶

Cost Summary Cards¶

The top of the dashboard shows key metrics:

Understanding Your True Cost¶

The Total Cost metric is the most important for budgeting:

Total Cost = Net Pay + Employer Contributions

Example: - Net Pay: $50,000 - Employer Contributions (SS, health, pension, provisions): $15,000 - Total Cost: $65,000

This means your actual cost per employee is about 30% above their net pay.

Cost Trends¶

The trend charts show how costs change over time:

1. Gross Pay Trend — Are salaries increasing? Seasonal patterns?
2. Net Pay Trend — Take-home pay changes
3. Employer Contribution Trend — Are tax rates changing your costs?
4. Total Cost Trend — Overall cost trajectory

How to read the chart: - Each data point is a pay period - Hover over any point to see the exact value - Use the period comparison toggle to compare: - This month vs. last month - This quarter vs. last quarter - Year-over-year (same period last year)

What to look for: - Sudden spikes — Investigate: new hires? Overtime? Bonus payouts? - Gradual increases — Expected growth or budget concern? - Seasonal patterns — Plan ahead for holiday bonuses and provisions

Step 3: Compare Costs Across Stations¶

If you operate multiple locations, the station comparison is essential.

Cost by Station Chart¶

The bar chart shows cost per station:

• X-axis — Each station
• Y-axis — Cost amount
• Color legend — Gross pay, Net pay, Employer contributions

Station Metrics Table¶

How to use this data: - Identify which stations have the highest total cost - Compare per-employee costs across stations (divide total cost by employee count) - Spot anomalies — a station with much higher per-employee cost than others

Export Station Comparison¶

1. Click Export above the station table
2. Choose CSV or PDF
3. Share with station managers for budget awareness

Step 4: Analyze Tax Withholdings¶

Tax Summary¶

Breakdown of all taxes:

Provisions Accrued¶

Track accrued liabilities:

Why this matters: These provisions represent real liabilities. At year-end, you’ll need to pay the full aguinaldo amount. The monthly accrual helps you budget for it.

Tax by Country¶

For multi-country operations:

1. Scroll to Tax by Country section
2. View:
3. Tax withholdings per country
4. Employer contributions per country
5. Effective tax rate comparison (total tax / gross pay)

Example: - Costa Rica: Effective tax rate 22% - Mexico: Effective tax rate 18% - This comparison helps understand which countries have higher labor costs

Step 5: Track Headcount and Workforce Changes¶

Headcount Metrics¶

• Total Active Employees — Current headcount
• New Hires — Added in the selected period
• Departures — Terminated or resigned
• Net Change — Growth or reduction

Headcount by Station and Role¶

See employee distribution: - By Station — Which locations have the most staff - By Job Category — Breakdown by role type

Use case: If the Technical category has grown 20% but Operations has shrunk, you can validate this matches your hiring plan.

Step 6: Monitor Overtime and Deductions¶

Overtime Analysis¶

1. View Total Overtime Hours for the period
2. Overtime Cost — Additional cost from overtime premiums
3. By Station — Which locations have the most overtime
4. By Employee — Who consistently works overtime

What to watch for: - Rising overtime trends may indicate understaffing - Individual employees with excessive overtime (burnout risk) - Stations with much higher overtime than peers

Deduction and Bonus Analysis¶

Use this to: - Verify deduction totals match expected amounts - Track which bonus types are most used - Plan budgets for recurring bonuses

Step 7: Export Reports¶

On-Demand Exports¶

From any analytics view:

1. Click Export
2. Choose format:
3. CSV — For spreadsheet analysis and custom reporting
4. PDF — For presentations and archiving
5. The file downloads with the current view’s data

Scheduled Reports¶

Set up automatic report delivery so stakeholders never miss an update:

1. Click Schedule Report
2. Configure:

Report Type: - Cost Summary - Tax Analysis - Station Comparison - Full Analytics Package

Frequency: - Weekly (every Monday) - Monthly (1^st of the month) - Quarterly (1^st of the quarter)

Recipients: - Add one or more email addresses - Recipients receive the report as a PDF attachment

1. Click Save

The first report is sent on the next scheduled date.

Custom Reports¶

Build reports with specific filters:

1. Click Custom Report
2. Configure:
3. Date Range — Custom period
4. Include Sections — Check which sections to include (cost, tax, headcount, etc.)
5. Filters — Station, country, job category
6. Group By — Station, employee, or none
7. Click Generate
8. Preview and export as CSV or PDF
9. Click Save as Template to reuse later

Step 8: Dashboard Customization¶

Personalizing Your View¶

1. Rearrange dashboard widgets by dragging them
2. Save your preferred layout by clicking Save Layout
3. Your layout persists across sessions

Setting Comparison Baselines¶

1. Select a baseline period (e.g., last month, last year)
2. The dashboard shows percentage changes from baseline
3. Useful for month-over-month and year-over-year analysis

Best Practices¶

Regular Analysis Routine¶

• After each payroll run — Spend 5 minutes reviewing the cost summary
• Weekly — Check overtime trends and headcount changes
• Monthly — Export and file a full analytics report
• Quarterly — Deep-dive review with management, compare to budget
• Annually — Full-year review, set next year’s budget

Identifying Anomalies¶

Sudden cost spike? 1. Check if it’s a new hire batch 2. Review overtime — was there an unusual project? 3. Check bonus payouts — did quarterly bonuses hit? 4. Verify no duplicate employees or incorrect rates

Sharing with Stakeholders¶

• Finance team — Full analytics PDF and CSV data
• Department heads — Station-specific reports
• Management — Executive summary (trend charts, key metrics)
• Local payroll providers — Tax analysis reports for filing

What’s Next?¶

• Review the Analytics reference documentation
• Learn how to Execute Payroll Runs & Generate Payslips
• Learn how to Set Up Tax Compliance for Multi-Country Payroll

Need Help?¶

• Documentation: docs.4geeks.io/en/payroll
• Support: Available through the console dashboard
• Get Started: console.4geeks.io/payroll

Still questions? Ask on Discord or explore tutorials