WFM UK | Payroll UK: BIK Module - Customised Reporting

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Important: Even during the 2026/2027 Tax Year, where the BIK module is only available to customers in a read-only capacity, they will have full access to utilise the customised reporting functionality.

Overview

The BIK (Payrolling Benefits) module has been enhanced with a fully redesigned Customised Reporting feature, giving Payroll and HR Administrators greater control and flexibility when working with benefits data. This article provides an overview of the feature, with subsequent sections covering each area in detail.

Administrators can create tailored reports across three reporting types, Employee Benefits, Company Benefits, and Vehicles, selecting from a wide range of fields to return exactly the data they need. Fields can be individually filtered, given custom column aliases, and access to each report is managed through dedicated report-level permissions that operate independently of standard portal access. An Execution Log provides an auditable record of report usage.

Once generated, reports support real-time on-screen sorting, filtering, and searching, with the option to export to Excel (XLSX) when needed.

Contents

• Access to BIK Module Customised Reporting
• Creating a Customised Report
• Individual Field Configuration
  • Field Renaming (Alias)
  • Field Filtering
• Running the Customised Report
• Customised Report Level Access
• Customised Report Execution Log
• Deactivated Reports
• Appendix
  • BIK Module Custom Report Types

Access to BIK Module Customised Reporting

Custom reports within the BIK module are subject to two tiers of access control: portal-level permissions, which govern access to the reporting functionality as a whole, and report-level permissions, which control what individual users can do with a specific report. Both tiers must be considered when configuring user access, with the latter explained in more detail in this article.

For more information on applying these permissions at portal-level, go to:

• WFM UK | Payroll UK: BIK Module - User Access & Permissions

In short, there are four levels to the portal-level permissions:

• No Access - Users with no access to reporting will not be able to see or access the reporting page
• Run Reports - Users with Run Reports access will be able to access the page with only the ability to run existing reports
• Full Access - Users with Full Access will be able to access the page and create new reports, edit any existing report and be able to run these reports
• Create/Edit Own Reports - Users with Create/Edit Own Reports access will be able to access the page, create new reports, edit existing reports only created by them and be able to run any report

Creating a Customised Report

To create a customised report, go to: 

• BIK > Reports > Customised Reports
• Select Create Template

When creating a custom report, the first decision is selecting a report type. This determines the primary focus of the report and defines the pool of fields available for selection. There are three report types:

• Enter a Report Name and select a Report Type
• Select Create New Template

• Update the Description if required, for example, with notes about what the report will be used for:

Please note: Users cannot Save Report Configuration until at least one field has been added.

Scrolling down, each field available in this report type will be displayed on the left side in different field groups:

• Open up the groups to expose the different fields available
• Simply select a field to add it to the report configuration

• To remove a field from the configuration, select Delete on the desired field

The field will then return to the available fields on the left side:

• To re-order the fields, there is no need to remove and re-add them in the right order. Simply click and drag the fields in the order required:

• Scroll back up, and select Save Report Configuration

Please note: Individual field configurations, report-level access, report execution history and report output are continued below in this article.

• When saved, select Back To List at the top of the page:

The customised reporting home page will now display any created reports, grouped by report type and detailing the name of the report, its status, who is the report owner, when it was created and who by, as well as the last modified date:

• Select Display to run the report (more detail below), or Modify to return to the configuration of the report where adjustments can be made if required
• Selecting Deactivate will make the status of this report 'Inactive', where it cannot be used anymore (more detail below)

Individual Field Configuration

Returning to the customised report configuration, each field has individual configurations available. 

Field Renaming (Alias)

The first configuration available is the ability to rename the alias of the field. This means that whilst the system would name the field as 'Employee ID', for example, users can rename it to be called Employee Number

• Find the selected field that will have its alias updated, and type in the desired name under the Alias column

• This can also be done by selecting Properties within the desired field (Fig.12)
• Type in the new name in the Alias field and then Confirm

• Scroll back up and select Save Report Configuration to confirm the changes

When this report is run, the report will display with the updated alias name.

Field Filtering

Fields can be configured with filters that are applied at the point of report execution, narrowing the dataset down to only the relevant records before the report runs. This does not restrict further analysis once the report has been generated; columns can be filtered independently on-screen at any time after execution.

• Find the selected field and select Properties

• If the field is a field that is available to set a report filter, then the Display As A Filter option will be available and can be enabled (or disabled if no longer required)
• Then, whether or not the filter is a Mandatory Filter (required to run the report) can be selected
• Then, select what the filter type will be (such as a drop-down list of pre-defined options, or free text)
• Select Confirm to make the changes:

Please note: More fields will be updated to allow filtering in a future release.

• Select Save Report Configuration to confirm the changes

When running the report, these fields will then have an option to apply a filter and be enforced if set to mandatory (more detail below).

Running the Customised Report

Once the report is configured and ready, it can be run from two locations:

• From within the report itself, select Display Report

• Or, it can run from the report list by selecting Display next to the required report

If the report has any filters configured, these will appear at the top and can be used to pre-exclude any data.

•  Select Search again to generate the report - If no filters were applied, this can be ignored

Results are displayed with columns ordered as configured, reflecting any field ordering and custom aliases applied to the report. Where the dataset is large, results will be paginated across multiple pages. The report can also be refreshed directly from the page to capture any real-time changes without needing to navigate away.

A search function is also available, allowing users to locate specific data within the report output. Entering a keyword will automatically filter the displayed rows to any records containing a match.

Then, more specific configuration and filtering are available within the report output.

• Columns can be sorted in ascending or descending order, and any columns not required for the current view can be hidden from the output without altering the underlying report configuration
• Note: More simply, selecting a column header will toggle between ascending/descending order

• Row-level filtering is available using conditions such as contains or equals to, allowing the results to be narrowed down to specific values within any given column

• Column grouping allows results to be split into logical groups, for example, separating output by benefit type, making large datasets easier to read and analyse

• Columns can also be reordered directly within the report output, without the need to navigate back to the report configuration page

• Columns can be toggled on or off within the report output, allowing users to include or exclude specific fields from the current view without affecting the saved report configuration

Note: Any sorting, filtering, grouping, or reordering applied within the report output applies to the current run only. Re-running the report will restore it to its saved configuration.

• Finally, there is an Export to Excel button, which, when used, will download an Excel (XLSX) output

When opened, the output will display the on-screen report in Excel, including any filters, grouping or changes to column order applied.

Customised Report Level Access

Once a report has been created, the report owner has full control over who can access it. Access can be granted to individual users by name, or more broadly by job title, making it straightforward to roll out a report to an entire team or role group without having to assign permissions user by user. For each user or job title added, the owner can define whether that person is able to run the report or simply view it, ensuring access is appropriately scoped to each person's needs.

• Return to the configuration page of a report and select User Access

• Assign access to users via their Job Titles by selecting the Job title and selecting Add
  • To remove a job title, select the job title and then Remove

• Alternatively, or as well as, access can be assigned individually to users. Employees can be searched for by Location, Employee Number or Employee Name:

• Select Save Access Configuration

Customised Report Execution Log

Each custom report includes an Execution Log, providing a clear audit trail of report activity. The log records every instance the report has been run, capturing who ran it, when, how long the execution took, and whether it completed successfully or failed. This gives report owners and administrators a straightforward way to monitor usage and identify any issues with report performance.

• Return to the configuration page of a report and select Execution Log

Deactivated Reports

Reports can be deactivated at any time, removing them from active use without permanently deleting them or their configuration. Deactivated reports are accessible from a dedicated page, providing a clear view of all reports that are no longer in active use. From here, any deactivated report can be reactivated at any time, reinstating it exactly as it was configured with no loss of settings or field configuration.

• To deactivate a report, go to the Customised Reports List and select Deactivate next to the desired report

• To view deactivated reports, from the Customised Reports List page, select View Deactivated Reports
• To reinstate a report, find the report and select Activate and the report will return to the main list

Appendix

BIK Module Customised Report Types

Whilst each report type has its own defined set of available fields, several fields are shared across multiple report types. It is important to note that shared fields are not duplicates; the data they return is contextualised to the report type in use. For example, a field such as "Vehicle Name" will return the name of the vehicle record when used in a BIK Vehicle Records report, but when used in a BIK Employee Benefits report, it will return the name of the vehicle associated with that employee's benefit. The field is the same, but the perspective from which the data is drawn differs.

This structure ensures that report output is always relevant and coherent to the focus of the report, rather than returning unfiltered data that requires further manipulation.

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The information provided herein is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal, tax, accounting, or other professional advice. It describes functionality and configuration options available within Fourth's solutions and services. The appropriate settings for your organisation will depend on your specific circumstances and requirements, and Customers remain solely responsible for all decisions relating to the configuration and usage of Fourth's solutions and services. The information reflects Fourth's understanding of applicable laws and regulations at the time of publication and may not reflect subsequent changes. Customers should seek independent professional advice regarding their specific compliance requirements.