About Project Summaries
Project summaries provide a high-level overview of all payroll and payment activity within a specific project. It’s the a useful tool for producers, line managers, and accountants who want a quick snapshot of total project costs without digging into line-by-line payroll data.
Ways to use this report
Project Summaries are ideal for:
High-level budget tracking - Monitor total project labor costs without sorting through individual payroll logs
Production wraps - Provide quick cost snapshots when closing out a project
Executive reporting - Share clean, summarized labor cost data with producers, executives, or clients
Cash flow planning - Assess how much was spent across categories (e.g., wages, taxes, benefits) to inform future project budgets
Grant or tax incentive applications - Provide summarized payroll data required for incentive claims or funding reports
What’s included in the report
Project Summaries present a rolled-up view of key financial metrics for your project, including:
Total Gross Wages
Total Employer Taxes
Total Union Benefits
Total Workers’ Compensation
Total Reimbursements
Total Deductions
Total Fringe Costs
Total Net Pay
Total Project Cost (combined labor costs)
How to generate a Project Summary
To generate a Project Summary:
In the left-side navigation, click the dropdown menu
In the dropdown menu, select the project that you want to generate the Project Summary for
In the left-side navigation, in the PAYROLL menu, click to expand Payroll reports
In the Payroll reports menu, select Project Summary
On the Project Summary page, you can use filters to narrow by:
Date range
Worker type (W-2 or 1099)
Click Download button and then select either CSV or PDF to export the file
After you select the file type, it will be automatically downloaded to your computer. To locate the file, navigate to where your computer saves new downloads.
Pro Tips
Run this report at key milestones (mid-shoot, end-of-shoot, post-wrap) to track how actual costs align with projections
Use it alongside the project-level Payroll Register or Fringe Report when deeper analysis is needed
Share the CSV or PDF with your finance team for fast reconciliation or executive updates