After processing a payroll, which report would you consult to audit the run results?

• A. Payroll Data Validation Report
• B. Payroll Balance Report
• C. Balance Exception Report
• D. Payroll Activity Report

Answer: (D)

Auditing payroll run results requires a report that presents the run’s activity and details for each employee. The Payroll Activity Report does exactly that: it provides the audit trail of a payroll run, showing the run date and status, any messages or errors, and per-employee details of what was processed (earnings, deductions, taxes, net pay) along with any exceptions. This lets you verify that every employee was included, that the calculations aligned with expectations, and to identify and address any issues quickly.

Other reports serve different purposes. A data validation report checks input data before processing to catch issues beforehand, not after the run. The balance report and balance exception report relate to financial balances and postings rather than auditing the specific run results. They don’t provide the run-by-run activity and per-employee details you need to confirm the payroll output, making the Payroll Activity Report the right choice for auditing after processing.