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Payroll variance month over month

Compare this month’s payroll to last month by employee. Use your Gusto payroll register export to show pay changes and the reason behind them.

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Someone typed

“compare this month to last month in the gusto payroll register by employee using pay date months, and show the pay change and what drove it”

The agent read it as

Compare this month to last month in the Gusto payroll register by employee using pay date months, and show the pay change and what drove it, using Gross Pay.

What the agent built

1 step, each one an ordinary Mammoth step you can open and change.

File

Gusto payroll register

CSV export · 15 rows

Step

Compare monthly pay by employee

Step 1

Result

Employee Pay Change

8 rows

Schedule

Runs when you say

Proposed

File
Gusto payroll register
CSV export · 15 rows
Step
Compare monthly pay by employee
Step 1
Result
Employee Pay Change
8 rows
Schedule
Runs when you say
Proposed

Checked on the sample files: every step ran, 8 rows came out.

Download Gusto payroll register sample (15 rows)Gusto: Payroll > Reports > Payroll Register > Export CSV

What you get back

The result of that run, the rows to look at first.

Employee Pay ChangeSample data8 rows

Employee	Employee ID	Gross Pay change	This month Gross Pay	Last month Gross Pay	Regular hours change	Overtime hours change	PTO hours change	Bonus change	Commission change
Faye Nakamura	emp_1006	3,600	3,600	0	36	0	0	0	0
Chandra Patel	emp_1003	1,100	7,600	6,500	0	0	0	500	900
Dev Miller	emp_1004	-960	2,560	3,520	-22	-6	0	0	0
Ben Ortiz	emp_1002	350	5,380	5,030	0	6	0	0	70
Elena Rossi	emp_1005	-100	4,450	4,550	0	0	0	-250	50
Hana Ali	emp_1008	-100	4,000	4,100	0	0	-8	0	0
Ava Chen	emp_1001	0	4,800	4,800	0	0	0	0	0
Gavin Brooks	emp_1007	0	5,200	5,200	0	0	0	0	0

8 rows in the result. Sample data: illustrative figures, not business results.

How do you compare payroll variance month over month by employee?

Export the Gusto payroll register, then load it into the workflow. It groups rows by employee and pay date month, compares Gross Pay this month with last month, and shows the change for each employee. It also shows what drove the change, using the pay data in the file. Rows that do not match the expected employee and month pattern stay out of the comparison.

How it works

How to use the Employee Pay Change workflow

1Get early accessWe invite people in small batches, job by job. You'll land on this workflow, already built and checked on the sample files.
2Swap in your exportsUpload your own files as they come out of your tools. The agent checks the workflow on your rows.
3Change it in words, then turn it onSay what to change and see the new result before anything saves. Then choose when it runs.

Employee Pay Change: questions

What export should you use?

Use the Gusto payroll register export. It needs the pay date, employee, and Gross Pay fields so the workflow can compare months.

What happens to rows that do not match?

Rows that do not match the expected employee and month pattern are not included in the month over month comparison. They stay outside the result until they fit the rules.

How do you change the rules?

You change the rules in words by editing what to compare, how to group rows, and which fields to use for the change. For this workflow, you can switch the month logic, the employee grouping, or the pay field used for the variance.