Create a Payroll Summary Report in QuickBooks Desktop & Online 

Managing payroll efficiently starts with having clear, accurate reports at your fingertips. When you create a payroll summary report in QuickBooks Desktop & Online, you gain a complete overview of employee wages, taxes, deductions, and employer contributions in one organized document. This report is essential for reviewing payroll expenses, preparing tax filings, and sharing data with accountants or management. 

Whether you’re using the latest QuickBooks Desktop version or the Online platform, QuickBooks makes it simple to generate and customize payroll summaries for any date range. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the exact steps to create and access this important payroll report.

What is a Payroll Summary Report in QuickBooks?

A payroll summary report is a quick snapshot of payroll activity, such as how much you paid to your employees, taxes, deductions, and contributions in a specific period of time. 

Here’s what it usually includes: 

• Total gross pay (wages before deductions)
• Employee deductions (taxes, benefits, retirement, garnishments)
• Employer taxes & contributions (payroll taxes, benefits)
• Net pay totals (what employees actually take home)
• Number of employees paid

What it’s used for

• Accounting & bookkeeping (reconciling payroll expenses)
• Management review (labor cost tracking)
• Tax reporting & audits
• Budgeting and forecasting
• Verifying payroll accuracy before or after payroll runs

Create a Payroll Summary Report for Your Employees in QuickBooks 

Here’s how to create a Payroll Summary Report in both QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) and QuickBooks Online (QBO):

Create a payroll summary report

A payroll summary report gives you an overview of total payroll wages, taxes, deductions, and contributions. Learn how you can run a payroll summary report: 

Important Note: The dates in this report are by paycheque dates only, not pay period dates.

a. In QuickBooks Online Payroll

• Follow this link to complete the steps in the product.
• Scroll down to the Payroll section and click on Payroll Summary. Or you can simply enter your report name in the search field to find the summary. 
• Set a date range to get the report and select Apply. 
• If you wish to hide or include any specific detail in the report, choose Customize, then Run report.

b. In QuickBooks Desktop Payroll

• Go to the Reports menu. 
• Choose Employees and Payroll.
• Click on Payroll Summary.
• Adjust the date range accordingly. 
• Select Total only in the Show Columns dropdown.

Create a payroll summary report by employee

Generate a payroll summary by employee to review each employee’s total wages, taxes, deductions, and contributions.

a. In QuickBooks Online Payroll

• Follow this link to complete the steps in the product.
• Scroll down to the Payroll section. 
• Choose Payroll Summary by Employee.
• Now, set a date range to get the report and click Apply. 
• If you wish to include or hide any specific details in this report, click on Customize, then Run report.

b. In QuickBooks Desktop Payroll

• Go to the Reports menu. 
• Choose Employees and Payroll.
• Click on Payroll Summary.
• Adjust the date range to get the payroll summary report. 
• In the Show Columns dropdown, click on Employee.
• Moves to the Customize Report tab, then the Filters tab.
• Scroll down to select Name under the Choose Filter section from the filter list.
• Choose your employee under the Name dropdown. 
• Finally, click OK. 

Learn about the report

Below are the different parts of the report along with their respective meanings:

• Gross Pay: It is the amount an employee receives before taxes or deductions. 
• Adjusted Gross Pay: The remaining amount after gross pay minus any pretax deductions, such as an employee’s contribution to a 401(k) plan.
• Net Pay: The total amount an employee receives after all the taxes and deductions are taken out. This is the exact number written on the check or sent via direct deposit. 
• Employer Taxes and Contributions: This section of the report reflects the amounts accrued for the reporting period, whether or not they have been paid by your company.

How to Export a report as Excel in QuickBooks? 

You can export any report in QuickBooks to Excel in both Desktop and Online versions. Here’s how:

QuickBooks Desktop for Windows

• Go to the Reports menu. 
• Choose Reports Centre.
• Look for the report you wish to export and double-click on it. 
• Under the Excel dropdown, choose Create New Worksheet or Update Existing Worksheet. 
• If a notice appears saying the report contains too many columns, click Advanced, then clear the Space between columns option and select OK.
• When you’re ready to export the report, click OK.

The report will open in Microsoft Excel, where you can edit or save it.

QuickBooks Online (QBO)

• Sign in to QuickBooks Online.
• Go to Reports and open the desired report.
• Click the Export icon (usually located in the top-right corner).
• Select Export to Excel.

The file will download to your computer in Excel format.

Conclusion 

Finally, we are ending this blog here, covering how you can create a payroll summary report in both QuickBooks Desktop and Online. You will also learn how you can create the report for your employees, as well as how you can export the report to Excel.

If you get stuck or need professional assistance, we recommend consulting a QuickBooks certified ProAdvisor. Dial (866) 500-0076 to talk to now!

Frequently Asked Questions 

How to create a payroll summary report in QuickBooks Online?

To create a payroll summary report in QuickBooks Online, navigate to Reports, search for “Payroll Summary” or “Payroll Summary by Employee,” set the desired date range, and click Run report. This report provides a high-level overview of total wages, taxes, and deductions. 

How do you print a payroll summary in QuickBooks?

To print a payroll summary report, go to Reports, choose Payroll Summary by Employee report. Filter the dates and click Run report. In the upper corner, click on the drop-down arrow and select Export to Excel. When done, print your report from here. 

What is a summary payroll report?

A summary payroll report is an overview document detailing a company’s total earnings, deductions, taxes, and net pay for employees over a specific period, such as a pay period, month, or quarter.