This guide covers: pick a preset (year-end binder, lender, workers' comp audit), customize the contents, generate, and download.
Pick a preset
What it does: Starts a package from a curated set of components matched to a common use case — workers' comp premium audit, lender package, year-end binder.
Where: Accountant dashboard → Reports → Report Packages (/clients/[clientId]/reports/packages).
Steps:
- Open the Reports hub and click the purple Report Packages banner at the top.
- In step 1. Choose a package, click a preset card. Each card shows the preset's label and a short description (e.g., "Workers' comp premium-audit package — payroll summary, filed 941s, state wage detail, workers' comp report, employee roster").
- The checkbox list on the right auto-seeds with that preset's components.
Who: Accountant or SMB owner.
Notes: Each card also surfaces the cadence of each component: range = one document for the whole period · quarter = one per quarter · year = one per year · once = current snapshot.
Customize
What it does: Adds or removes individual reports without abandoning the preset.
Where: Accountant dashboard → Reports → Report Packages → step 3.
Steps:
- In step 3. Documents to include, toggle the checkbox next to each component to add or drop it.
- When you've changed the default, a Reset to <preset> link appears so you can restore the preset's selection.
- The catalog order is preserved in the generated file — the merged PDF / ZIP always orders components consistently.
Who: Accountant or SMB owner.
Notes: Source hints below each component explain where the content comes from: filed copy from the document archive — omitted if not filed yet (tax forms) · CSV export — package is delivered as a ZIP (data exports). Filed tax forms that haven't been generated yet are silently skipped from the package.
Generate
What it does: Builds the merged PDF (or ZIP if any CSV is included) for the period and downloads it.
Where: Accountant dashboard → Reports → Report Packages.
Steps:
- In step 2. Period, pick the Start date and End date.
- Quarterly items (941, wage detail, workers' comp) are included for every quarter that overlaps the range; annual items for every year.
- Confirm at least one document is selected.
- Click Generate package. A toast shows "Building package…" and switches to "Package downloaded." when ready.
Who: Accountant or SMB owner.
Notes: If the period is empty (end date before start date) or no component is picked, the page refuses and shows a toast. Filed copies of 941/940/W-2/W-3/1099/1096 come from the S3 tax-filing archive — they only appear in the package if the form has actually been filed by Payrollix.
Download
What it does: Delivers the merged file to your browser.
Where: Accountant dashboard → Reports → Report Packages.
Steps:
- After Generate package finishes, the browser saves the file.
- The filename indicates the package type and date range.
- If any CSV-only component was selected, the file is a ZIP containing the merged PDF plus the CSV exports; otherwise it is one PDF.
Who: Accountant or SMB owner.
Notes: The output is identical regardless of how many quarters or years overlap the range — the engine handles the per-period repetition for you.
Related: Standard payroll reports · Tax & compliance reports · Year-end checklist.