Unclaimed: Are you working at Gusto?
Gusto Reviews: 4.6/5 — Highly Rated
One of the most preferred payroll platforms on the web today, Gusto is a great tool for all-around HR management that can handle everything from automatic year-end tax form filing to new-hire form filing, and managing employee benefits. It easily integrates with numerous accounting and business tools, as well as collaboration platforms such as Asana and Autobooks. The platform is well known for its exceptional customer support and delivers great insights and reporting.
| Capabilities |
API
|
|---|---|
| Segment |
Small Business
Mid Market
Enterprise
|
| Deployment | Cloud / SaaS / Web-Based, Mobile Android, Mobile iPhone |
| Training | Documentation |
| Languages | English |
Gusto charges a monthly base fee plus a per-person rate, and for small teams the base fee is most of the bill. Simple is a reported $49 a month plus $6 per person, so a three-person company pays $67 — around $22 per employee. The same plan at fifty people works out near $7 each. Nothing about the product changes; the arithmetic does, and it decides whether Gusto is cheap or expensive for you.
- What it is: A payroll and benefits platform for US small businesses, covering tax filing, onboarding, and HR basics.
- Best for: US small businesses of roughly 10 to 50 employees who want payroll handled properly without an accountant on retainer.
- Pricing: Simple $49 + $6/person, Plus $80 + $12, Premium $180 + $22. Contractor Only $35 + $6. Reported July 2026.
- The honest catch: Gusto raised the Simple base fee from $40 to $49 in March 2026, a 22.5% increase on the entry plan.
What Is Gusto?
Gusto is payroll built for people who are not payroll specialists. It runs the pay cycle, calculates and files federal, state, and local taxes automatically, handles W-2s and 1099s, manages benefits enrolment, and covers the onboarding paperwork that surrounds hiring someone in the United States.
Its reputation rests on doing an unglamorous job without drama. Payroll is a category where the product’s main virtue is that nothing goes wrong — taxes filed on time, employees paid on the right day, compliance handled — and Gusto is consistently well regarded on exactly that. The interface is unusually approachable for a compliance-heavy product, which matters when the person running payroll is also the founder.
It is firmly a US product. Payroll is jurisdiction-specific, and Gusto’s tax filing and compliance coverage is built for US federal and state requirements. Businesses hiring internationally need Deel, Remote, or Oyster instead.
How Gusto Works
- Base fee plus per-person pricing. Two components, and the ratio between them is what decides your effective rate.
- Automatic tax filing. Federal, state, and local, which is the core value and the reason people stop doing this manually.
- Full-service payroll. Direct deposit, W-2s, 1099s, and unlimited pay runs.
- Benefits administration. Health insurance, 401(k), and workers’ compensation, available in supported states.
- Contractor-only option. A reported $35 a month plus $6 per contractor for businesses with no W-2 employees.
- Tiered HR depth. Plus adds time tracking and PTO management; Premium adds HR support and compliance advice.
Gusto Pricing
Gusto blocks automated access from our infrastructure, so figures below are third-party reported for July 2026.
| Plan | Base/month | Per person | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor Only | $35 | $6/contractor | 1099 filing, contractor payments |
| Simple | $49 | $6 | Full-service payroll, tax filing, employee self-service |
| Plus | $80 | $12 | Time tracking, PTO management, multi-state payroll, deeper HR |
| Premium | $180 | $22 | HR support, compliance guidance, dedicated service |
The arithmetic that decides your tier:
- Below about ten people, you are mostly paying the base fee. Three employees on Simple costs $67 a month — $22.33 each — because $49 of that is fixed. At twenty-five employees the same plan is $7.96 each. Gusto gets substantially better value as you grow, which is the opposite of per-seat software.
- Plus roughly doubles the marginal rate. $12 per person against $6, on top of a higher base. Five employees on Plus is $140 a month, or $28 each. Only move up if time tracking, PTO management, or multi-state payroll are things you genuinely need.
- Premium is a different category of spend. $180 plus $22 per person means twenty-five employees costs $730 a month. That buys HR support and compliance guidance, which is worth it for companies without an HR function and wasteful for those with one.
- The Simple base fee rose 22.5% in March 2026, from $40 to $49. Worth knowing when comparing against older reviews and price guides, most of which still quote $40.
- Contractor Only is genuinely cheaper for the right business. $35 plus $6 per contractor suits agencies and companies with no W-2 employees, and it is easy to miss because most comparisons only cover the employee plans.
- Very small teams should do the maths against alternatives. At $22 per head for three employees, Gusto is not obviously cheap, and that is the size at which the comparison is closest.
Who Should Use Gusto
- US small businesses with 10 to 50 employees. The clearest case, where the base fee has amortised and the product is well matched to the need.
- Founders running payroll themselves. The interface is genuinely approachable for a compliance product, which is its main practical advantage.
- Companies offering benefits. Health insurance, 401(k), and workers’ comp administration in one place removes real friction.
- Contractor-heavy businesses. The Contractor Only plan is well priced and under-publicised.
It fits poorly for very small teams of two or three, where the base fee dominates and the per-head cost is high; for international hiring, since Gusto is US-only; and for companies wanting HR and IT unified, where Rippling covers considerably more ground.
Honest Pros and Cons
Strengths
- Reliable automatic tax filing. The core job, done without drama, which is what you are buying.
- Genuinely easy to use. Unusual for a compliance-heavy product.
- Benefits administration included. Health, 401(k), and workers’ comp in supported states.
- Unlimited pay runs. No penalty for off-cycle payments or corrections.
- A well-priced contractor plan. $35 plus $6 each for businesses without employees.
- Improving value with scale. Effective per-employee cost falls steadily as you grow.
Limitations
- The base fee punishes small teams. $22 per head at three employees.
- A 22.5% increase on Simple in March 2026. From $40 to $49.
- US only. No international payroll capability.
- Plus doubles the per-person rate. $12 against $6, plus a higher base.
- Premium is expensive. $180 plus $22 per person for HR support.
- Benefits availability varies by state, so coverage is not universal.
Gusto Alternatives and How It Compares
- Rippling unifies HR, payroll, and IT on one employee record, which is more capable and considerably more expensive, with no published pricing.
- Deel, Remote, and Oyster handle international hiring and EOR, which Gusto does not attempt.
- QuickBooks Online offers payroll as an add-on, which is convenient if your accounting already lives there.
- Employment Hero covers similar ground outside the US.
- Paychex and ADP are the established incumbents, generally more expensive and more sales-led, with deeper enterprise capability.
For a broader survey, browse our payroll directory.
The Verdict
Gusto is a good product doing a job most founders should not be doing themselves. Payroll tax filing is unforgiving, mistakes are expensive, and Gusto handles federal, state, and local obligations automatically with an interface that does not require a payroll background. For a US small business that has outgrown spreadsheets and does not want an accountant on retainer, it is a straightforwardly sensible purchase, and the fact that its main virtue is “nothing goes wrong” is the right virtue for this category.
Price it by working out your own per-head number, because the base fee changes the answer completely depending on size. Three employees on Simple is $67 a month, or $22.33 each — not obviously cheap. Twenty-five employees on the same plan is $199, or $7.96 each — very good value. Gusto improves as you grow, which is unusual, and it means the businesses most likely to feel it is expensive are precisely the smallest ones. If you are a two- or three-person company, run the comparison carefully rather than assuming the entry plan is the budget option.
Two specifics worth carrying into the decision. Gusto raised the Simple base fee from $40 to $49 in March 2026, so most published comparisons are now out of date by 22.5% on the entry plan — check the current figure rather than trusting a guide. And if your business pays contractors rather than employees, the Contractor Only plan at a reported $35 plus $6 each is meaningfully cheaper and rarely mentioned in comparisons; it is the most commonly missed saving in Gusto’s lineup.
FAQ
How much does Gusto cost?
Reported 2026 pricing is a base fee plus a per-person charge: Simple at $49 per month plus $6 per person, Plus at $80 plus $12, and Premium at $180 plus $22. A Contractor Only plan is reported at $35 per month plus $6 per contractor. Gusto blocks automated access from our infrastructure, so these are third-party figures and should be confirmed directly.
Why does Gusto seem expensive for a small team?
Because the base fee is fixed regardless of headcount. On Simple, three employees costs $67 a month — $22.33 each — since $49 of that is the base. The same plan at twenty-five employees is $199, or $7.96 each. The effective rate therefore improves substantially with size, and very small teams pay the highest per-person cost.
Did Gusto raise its prices?
Yes. Gusto increased the Simple plan’s base fee from $40 to $49 per month in March 2026, a 22.5% rise on the entry tier. Many published pricing guides and comparisons still quote the older figure, so verify the current rate rather than relying on secondary sources when budgeting.
Does Gusto work outside the United States?
No. Gusto is a US payroll product, and its tax filing and compliance capabilities are built around US federal, state, and local requirements. Businesses hiring internationally need a global employment platform such as Deel, Remote, or Oyster, which handle employer-of-record arrangements and local payroll in other countries.
What is Gusto best for?
US small businesses of roughly ten to fifty employees that want payroll, tax filing, and benefits handled reliably without specialist knowledge. It suits founders running payroll themselves, and companies offering health insurance or 401(k). It is a weaker fit for very small teams, where the base fee dominates, for international hiring, and for companies wanting HR and IT unified in one platform.
Compare Gusto with other popular tools in the same category.
Payroll is easy and intuitive. Gusto is easily reachable when you have an issue with payroll.
We have complicated pay structures which means we still have to manually enter pay amounts for some things.
time tracking and payroll; supportive onboarding processes.
Setting up Gusto was a breeze and their support staff is by far the most helpful I've encountered in quite some time! I'm constantly surprised by how helpful they are.
I honestly don't have anything negative to say about my experience with gusto
How to run payroll simply, quickly, and in a way that I can utilize my benefits.
Very easy to use. Can make changes if need to. There is help if we have questions. Reminds us when things are due
If looking for some reports you have to really ding for them to find them
It saves us a lot of time. If we do make a mistake on payroll it is very easy to cancell and redue
I've tried a couple different payroll service providers for myself and my clients and Gusto is hands down the most user friendly with the easiest interface to navigate. This can be overwhelming for some business owners, but they make the process pretty seamless.
The only issue I've had thus far is having to reactivate my account via email (took a couple days for staff to get to my email) instead of me being able to do it with the click of a button online.
Simple payroll filing and reporting
Gusto is extremely cost-effective and very easy to use. The transition from our previous vendor was very easy and we had support along the way. We especially appreciate how easily it integrates with QuickBooks.
We had some tax-related issues when we first started with Gusto but customer service jumped in quickly and helped walk us through everything. So far, there is nothing we don't like.
For a small business, the pricing structure is especially helpful.
User-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, makes it so easy to see your paycheck and deductions.
Nothing! I don't dislike anything about it. Gusto is great.
Gusto sends updates letting you know when you're going to get paid, and sends an email and push notification when you do get paid. You can quickly view your paycheck in the app and distinguish your pay before and after taxes and other deductions. My company doesn't use the option to access health insurance through Gusto, but I think it's amazing that Gusto offers this, as a small private practice that doesn't have a group plan for employees, it's great that people can obtain health insurance through Gusto.
Super intuitive and easy to use for small businesses.
Please don't stop being customer-first company that offers responsive customer support from caring human beings.
Super easy to do payroll saves time for busy entrepreneurs hyper-focused on building fast growth companies.
The ease of setting up a new company and onboarding employees
Sometimes when you an update a deduction, it does not update within the processing of the payroll.
Payroll tax adminitration and tax filings.
I use Gusto almost every day. My company uses it primarily for payroll services. The ease of onboarding and maintaining employees is great. They take care of all payroll taxes and filings. We are a small company, but have employees in 4 different states, so Gusto managing all the different taxes is a true blessing for us. Their support documentation is also top notch. When something needs taken care of by me, it gives me notifications and reminders, then very clear documented instructions of what I need to due. This is especially helpful when setting up new employees in a new state.
I wish Gusto's QuickBooks integration was a little more robust. I like that it gives me the opportunity to map certain payroll expenses to specific accounts in QuickBooks, but it only allows a single account to be mapped for reimbursements. When I reimburse and employee for expenses, I am typically going to be choosing from a handful of different accounts. I wish there was a way to configure a list of reimbursement accounts, then allow me to set what account to use on the actual reimbursable expense for the employee.
We have a very small team, so as the president I am doing all the book keeping. Gusto has enabled me to not have to worry about payroll. They make sure I know where to file everything for new employees through checklists, as well as walk me step by step through registering with the different state departments. From there, they take care of the rest. They notifiy me whenever anything needs my attention.
It's just too easy to do payroll. Most months I don't even log in, it just works without my attention. I only log in to do reimbursements or modify benefits, otherwise, it's all automatic. End of year, 1099s, and W-2 are also very straightforward. Not much to do. I have called customer support in the past for some special requests and that has been a good experience. Professional and competent people pick up the phone.
Nothing really comes to mind about dislike.
The advantage of Gusto is that I don't have to have in-house a range of competencies - it's all outsourced.
Gusto is extremely easy to use, modern, and the customer support is night and day better than any other payroll platform.
Absolutely nothing. It's the best payroll platform by far.
The support is superb. It reduces the headache of payroll compliance to as easy as can be for both accountants and employers. I recommend Gusto to all of my clients and I use it myself as well. Gusto does a tremendous job with handling payroll. Gusto is the easiest product to recommend. It's the best payroll platform and priced competitively.
Clean, intuitive user experience. Custom and relational care. No clutter and easy paths to do what you need to without waisting time or brain energy, great phone app and all the features I need. Love it!
I am relatively critical and i can't think of hang ups with the experience I've had so far.
We were a small team with a lot of hats to wear and payroll was consuming and clunky until we switched to Gusto. The usability is outstanding and the clever branding is very inviting and clear. I appreciate that the simple tasks I need to do like time off requests and checking for me W2 is so fast, easy and intuitive.
Weekly payroll takes minutes. They file the taxes and reports for me. All I do is download and print them off.
There are no downsides to Gusto that I have found.
I was using Gusto for my DBA. I incorporated my DBA in January, but had no idea how to seamlessly transition everything to the new company. Gusto support handled that for me in one telephone call.
It is a great all encompassing solution for payroll processing and benefits for small to medium sized businesses. Their support is always quick and accurate to respond to any inquiries.
I can't think of any downsides to Gusto. I always tell my clients their only regret will be not implenting it sooner.
Gusto solves a number of HR/Accounting issues for my clients. A full payroll solution that easily integrates with Quickbooks and Xero.
Gusto is easy to navigate. They have amazing customer service and the number of features that it has to offer is wonderful.
I am still learning about all it has to offer. I have nothing negative to say about Gusto.
Payroll and onboarding
Gusto was completely painless to set up. I am a first-time business owner, running payroll on my own, and Gusto made it so incredibly simple to get it right.
It really is hard to think of something that I dislike. If I had to pick something, I guess I would say the price (a little high for one person).
I am running payroll for my business. I want to make sure to get the taxes right & get people paid on time.
Gusto is straightforward to use, easier than other systems. It is also far less expensive than other options. The most important aspect for us is that Gusto offers Workmens' Comp Insurance, with automatic monthly charges based on actual hours processed for payroll. The Insurance is considerably less expensive than any other option that I have evaluated. I like that Gusto only withdraws two amounts from checking and then disburses the tax withdrawal within it's own system. My old payroll system would withdraw 4 different amounts and I had difficulty matching those amounts to specific disbursals.
Nothing specifically stands out as a dislike for us.
We have realized time savings from a processing and reconciliation perspective. We've saved hundreds of dollars in Workmens' Comp Insurance charges.
You can see the break down of the paycheck and you can use Gusto to show mistakes to your employer if there are any.
I like Gusto, so I don't have complaints.
It is solving to see what I claim for taxes so at the end of tax season I can see clearly what the government took.
How everything I need to run payroll is clearly outlined.
The effort to get "human" help can be a little daunting.
Recently I needed to make some changes to payroll and I was able to figure that out pretty easily because of how clear instructions are on the site.
It was easy to enter prior payrolls, getting started was a simple process. If I have a question about anything and can't find the answer pretty quickly in the knowledgebase, I only have to open chat and ask and one of the representatives are always ready and able to help me.
The only thing I wish Gusto would change is the ability to change a payroll after it is submitted instead of having to delet it and start over.
Payroll is easy to do and easy to submit. I spend much less time doing payroll than I used to with QB Online
The best thing I like about Gusto is the excellent customer service experience. I always feel like a valued customer.
I would love it if Gusto offered Onboarding all of levels for clients.
Gusto has so many great features for payroll and I love how you are able to set it and forget it while the journal entries auto-sync to Quickbooks Online.
I love the ease of use and especially how well everything is explained! There's never been any confusion on what to do, why and running payroll bi-weekly has been transformed into a task that I now enjoy! The support team is very helpful as well and has been able to solve any issues (the few I had) right away and very efficiently.
It would be great if the membership fee could be drawn from a separate bank account.
It's fantastic to have a one-stop-shop solution for all payroll and HR related tasks. I'm a small business and it makes growing and scaling my business so much easier because I know that I have all the tools in place for when I'm ready to use them, like the onboarding process. No DIY or searching the internet for best practices. Gusto has it all and it gives me incredible peace of mind.
The simpleness of hte layout, structure ... so easy and intuitive to use. The Time Tracking functionality is the best that I have seen and also having the ability to donate to your favorite charity AND have Gusto manage it is awesome.
I have found nothing to dislike about Gusto.
Empowers our employees to keep their information up-to-date and accurate, also the ease of requesting time off electronically versus submitting paper forms for approval.
I love the paycheck splitter option, creating different streams for my savings goals.
Funds usually take 2-3 business days to transfer.
We're able to distribute payroll quickly and effectively for our organization.
Gusto helps my company onboard new employees and I enjoyed my onboarding process. This system gives small teams the big system feel of competitors at a responsible price with a nice grouping of features. It also gives your new team members autonomy in managing some of their HR and financial setup and services monitoring. During my onboarding, I could see the tasks that were uploaded by my operations lead that I would need to complete in my first few days at the company. I could work at my own pace while feeling I knew what to do next. Gusto was also very intuitive to use when I needed to change my w4 allocations mid-year. No need to contact Finance or HR, I was able to upload new documents directly in Gusto and sign them directly in the system. It's also easily navigable for a new hire to find paystubs and it has a fun user interface with reminder emails and calendar integrations that remind me that I've completed a task or when payday is approaching.
The service is very intuitive, however, I did have a small issue when I was loading my new W4 form. Though, it does tell you that you'll need to sign your new document in the system, I was unable to locate it right away. It did eventually show up in the portal after some processing time of about a day. This could be easily resolved in messaging as a tool tip to come back tomorrow and and sign your document. A very minor issue and does not deter me from using the system at all.
It solves the ability to have everything in one place for your new hires and employees. I can set up onboarding tasks and have them sign paperwork in one place. Their I-9s and W4s can be seen in one place with their pay stubs. We love being able to send documents and notifications to our employees in Gusto, as well. The system is so intuitive that the employee can be self sufficient and easily find what they need without having to contact Finance or HR for support.
Gusto kept me organized whenever I needed to consult my pay stubs to submit payroll information and other supplemental payouts. My tax preparer also appreciated how clearly everything was laid out. It is very easy to use.
I cannot think of anything I disliked about Gusto. It all was very streamlined for me.
Gusto has helped organize my regular pay, my supplementary income, and the taxes reflected in those two types of payment.
I love that I can access my paycheck stubs in one easy spot. I also like that I can change how my paychecks are distributed if needed. It helps me feel like I have some control over my money.
My only compliant would be when I moved, I didn't realize they needed extra paperwork proving I had moved before changing the zip code on the Gusto debit card I have. It declined a few times because it wouldn't accept my new billing code until I realized I had to submit proof of the move.
it helps have one spot for all our payroll information as well any benefits we may have through work.
Easy time-off request system and PTO tracking app.
As a salaried employee, I do not clock in/out digitally.
Digital time tracking.
Gusto was so easy and user friendly to use as a platform to run payroll- considering they also handled all the employer taxes and other little tax things that may sometimes fall through the cracks,gusto made sure that didn't happen.
There really was not much I did not like about gusto. I had used them since they started up and would highly recommend their services
Russell is helping me solve the organization and sometimes difficult task of keeping up with employer taxes and retention taxes with the state which helps immensely
