How to Manage Payroll Reporting in Odoo 18: Complete Guide
By Braincuber Team
Published on February 27, 2026
Are you still manually crunching payroll numbers in Excel? Stop. When your HR manager types a 0 instead of an O in the bonus field, you lose money. Bad payroll reporting causes compliance headaches and unhappy employees. That’s why you need to master payroll reporting in Odoo 18. This complete tutorial will show you exactly how to generate precise, real-time payroll data without the manual spreadsheets. Do this, or keep burning hours on reconciliations.
What You'll Learn:
- How to generate comprehensive payroll analysis reports.
- Steps to track employee headcount dynamically.
- How to analyze work entries like paid time off and absences.
The Financial Cost of Weak Payroll Reporting
Every month, founders lose over $4,300 in miscalculated taxes and untracked time off. Odoo 18 fixes this by integrating Accounting and HR directly into the Payroll reporting dashboard. You get instant visibility into Net Wages, Gross Wages, and departmental costs in this beginner guide.
Company Access Required
You must be logged into a specific company (country) to view localized payroll reports, or Odoo will block access with a pop-up warning.
Step by Step Guide to Generate Payroll Reports
Open Payroll Reports
Navigate to the Payroll app, click Reporting, and select Payroll. By default, it displays data for the last 365 days.
Customize Metrics
Click the Measures button to change from Net Wage to Gross Wage, Basic Wage for Time Off, or Days of Unpaid Time Off.
Analyze Headcount
Go to Reporting > Headcount. Click New, select a date range, and click Populate to dynamically pull total employee numbers.
Mastering Pivot Views for Deep Analysis
Line charts are pretty, but pivot tables find the actual money leaks. Switch to the pivot view to break down departmental costs effectively.
| Report Type | Best For | Key Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll Analysis | Financial insights | Net Wage, Gross Wage |
| Headcount | Tracking employee retention | Total Employees across months |
| Work Entry Analysis | Absence tracking | Unforeseen Absence, Work Hours |
Spreadsheet Export
Directly insert pivot data into a spreadsheet inside Odoo for custom financial modeling.
Group Data Dynamically
Group payroll data by Employee, Department, or Job Position to spot cost centers instantly.
# Default Work Entry Analysis Filters
domain = [
('state', '=', 'validated'),
('date_start', '>=', current_month_start),
('date_start', '<=', current_month_end)
]
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I view basic wages in Odoo 18 reporting?
In the Payroll Analysis report, click "Measures" and select "Basic Wage" instead of the default "Net Wage".
Why can't I access payroll reports?
You must be logged into a specific company with localized settings enabled, not a generic parent company.
How can I track unpaid time off costs?
Go to Reporting > Work Entry Analysis, group the data by Employee, and filter for unpaid time off work entry types.
How many previous days of payroll show by default?
By default, Odoo 18 payroll analysis displays all payroll data generated in the last 365 days.
Can I export Odoo payroll pivot tables?
Yes, click the "Insert Spreadsheet" button from the pivot view to instantly move your report data to Odoo Spreadsheets.
Tired of Broken Payroll Reports?
Our Odoo experts can automate your payroll reporting and save you hours of accounting reconciliation.