diff --git a/osf/metrics/reporters/institutional_users.py b/osf/metrics/reporters/institutional_users.py
index 9e585a61ce5..0a0598172e0 100644
--- a/osf/metrics/reporters/institutional_users.py
+++ b/osf/metrics/reporters/institutional_users.py
@@ -16,9 +16,15 @@
 
 
 class InstitutionalUsersReporter(MonthlyReporter):
+    '''build an InstitutionalUserReport for each institution-user affiliation
+
+    built for the institution dashboard at ://osf.example/institutions/<id>/dashboard/,
+    which offers institutional admins insight into how people at their institution are
+    using osf, based on their explicitly-affiliated osf objects
+    '''
     def report(self, yearmonth: YearMonth):
         _before_datetime = yearmonth.next_month()
-        for _institution in osfdb.Institution.objects.all():
+        for _institution in osfdb.Institution.objects.filter(created__lt=_before_datetime):
             _user_qs = _institution.get_institution_users().filter(created__lt=_before_datetime)
             for _user in _user_qs.iterator(chunk_size=_CHUNK_SIZE):
                 _helper = _InstiUserReportHelper(_institution, _user, yearmonth, _before_datetime)
diff --git a/osf_tests/metrics/reporters/test_institutional_users_reporter.py b/osf_tests/metrics/reporters/test_institutional_users_reporter.py
index 4f5a1799228..6af191cc669 100644
--- a/osf_tests/metrics/reporters/test_institutional_users_reporter.py
+++ b/osf_tests/metrics/reporters/test_institutional_users_reporter.py
@@ -59,14 +59,11 @@ def _assert_report_matches_setup(self, report: InstitutionalUserReport, setup: _
         self.assertEqual(report.month_last_login, YearMonth.from_date(setup.user.date_last_login))
         self.assertEqual(report.account_creation_date, YearMonth.from_date(setup.user.created))
         self.assertEqual(report.orcid_id, setup.orcid_id)
-        # counts:
+        # counts (NOTE: report.public_file_count and report.storage_byte_count tested separately)
         self.assertEqual(report.public_project_count, setup.public_project_count)
         self.assertEqual(report.private_project_count, setup.private_project_count)
         self.assertEqual(report.public_registration_count, setup.public_registration_count)
         self.assertEqual(report.embargoed_registration_count, setup.embargoed_registration_count)
-        # NOTE: currently untested due to the annoyance involved:
-        # self.assertEqual(report.public_file_count, ...)
-        # self.assertEqual(report.storage_byte_count, ...)
         if _can_affiliate_preprints():
             self.assertEqual(report.published_preprint_count, setup.published_preprint_count)
         else:
@@ -142,10 +139,13 @@ def test_several_users(self):
             _setup = _setup_by_userid[_actual_report.user_id]
             self._assert_report_matches_setup(_actual_report, _setup)
 
-# helper class for test-case setup
+
 @dataclasses.dataclass
 class _InstiUserSetup:
-    '''oof, so many things to set up, gross'''
+    '''helper class to simplify database setup for a test-case
+
+    (note: public_file_count and storage_byte_count set up separately)
+    '''
     public_project_count: int
     private_project_count: int
     public_registration_count: int