This guide explains how to run costing analysis reports, review payroll cost allocations, and produce exports or direct postings for your accounting system. Costing outputs draw from the accounting setup you have configured in earlier guides and reflect the finalised results of each completed pay process.
What costing analysis is for
Costing analysis lets you review how payroll amounts have been allocated across:
Cost centres
Departments
Job codes
Activity codes
Holding accounts (tax, super, deductions, net pay etc.)
It confirms whether costing has been applied correctly before you post a journal to your accounting system.
Where costing analysis is found
Costing analysis reports are only available after a completed pay process.
To access them:
Go to Reports
Select the Pays category
Select Cost centre analysis (batch)
Click Run report
This version of the report allows you to select any previously completed pay process.
Selecting the pay period (batch)
After clicking Run report, a window appears where you can:
Select the completed pay period you wish to report on
Click OK to generate the report
If you have not completed the pay process, the report will not be available.
Understanding the Cost centre analysis report
This is the primary costing report used for accounting purposes. It includes:
1. Cost allocations by employee
Shows which cost centres, departments, jobs and activities were applied to each transaction.
2. Totals by cost centre
Summarises all payroll costs charged to each cost centre.
3. Holding accounts
Displayed at the end of the report, including:
Net pay
Tax
Superannuation
Deductions
Any other liabilities
These totals match exactly what will be transferred to accounting.
Exporting accounting journals
If your posting method is set to Costing File, SmoothPay will generate a ledger file you can import into your accounting system.
To produce the file:
Run Cost centre analysis (batch)
Select the pay period
Click OK
Depending on your posting method:
Costing File
A file (commonly named glcosting.txt) appears in the Files screen ready for download.
Automatic (API)
You will see a confirmation window prompting you to post directly to your accounting system.
Manual only
You simply use the PDF to create your own journal inside your accounting system.
Posting to your accounting package will not work if you have not completed what is covered in:
Additional costing reports
In addition to the main report, you may also find:
Job cost analysis
Breaks down hours and costs by Job code.
Useful for project or client billing.
Activity analysis
Shows costs and hours grouped by Activity code.
Useful for task-level costing.
These reports appear in the Reports screen, under the Pays category and follow the same batch-selection process as the standard costing report.
How costing interacts with your accounting structure
Costing accuracy depends on the setup you have already completed:
Cost centres
Departments
Job and activity codes
Holding accounts
Employee default costing
Code-specific costing (leave, super funds, allowances)
If something looks incorrect in the report, check the relevant setup guide:
Best practice for costing and accounting export
Always run Cost centre analysis (batch) before running a journal export.
If something looks wrong, restore the pay and correct it before reposting.
Confirm your total debits equal total credits — SmoothPay journals always balance.
After exporting, check the journal inside your accounting system to ensure tracking categories imported correctly.