Gusto

Gusto is payroll, benefits and HR software for small businesses in the United States. Its core job is running payroll properly: paying employees and contractors, calculating and withholding taxes, and filing federal, state and local payroll tax forms automatically. Around that, it adds HR tools, benefits, time tracking, onboarding and compliance support.

It's one of the most popular payroll providers for US small businesses because it takes a stressful, deadline-heavy job and makes it simple. Payroll runs are unlimited on every plan, including off-cycle runs, and Gusto files tax forms such as W-2s, 1099s and Forms 940 and 941 for you.

It's important to know where Gusto works: it's built for US employers. It can pay contractors in more than 120 countries, but employee payroll is for US businesses. UK and other non-US businesses need a local payroll provider.

How Gusto works

A typical setup and pay cycle is:

1. Add your business and tax details, and connect your bank account.
2. Onboard employees and contractors — they enter their own tax and bank details online.
3. Set up pay schedules, time off and benefits.
4. Run payroll: review hours and pay, then submit. Gusto calculates taxes and pays your team by direct deposit.
5. Gusto files and pays federal, state and local payroll taxes automatically, and produces year-end forms.
6. Use HR, time tracking and reporting tools as your team grows.

Key capabilities

Full-service payroll — Unlimited payroll runs, including off-cycle runs, in all 50 states.

Automatic tax filings — Federal, state and local payroll tax forms filed and paid for you, including W-2s, 1099s and Forms 940 and 941.

Contractor payments — Pay US contractors at the per-person rate only in months you pay them, plus global contractor payments in 120+ countries with no monthly per-contractor fee.

Time off and holiday pay — Basic PTO policies on every plan.

Time tracking and scheduling (Plus and Premium) — Track hours and schedule shifts, feeding straight into payroll.

Multi-state payroll (Plus and Premium) — Pay employees in more than one state.

Faster pay options — Unlimited next-day pay on Plus; same-day and instant pay on Premium, subject to eligibility.

Benefits — Health insurance and other benefits through Gusto, or with your own broker through the Bring Your Broker add-on.

HR tools — Onboarding, employee self-service and more HR features on higher plans; Premium adds HR Resources such as an employee handbook, Ask an HR Expert, an HR document generator and HR law updates.

Gusto Business Compliance (Premium) — State tax registration and closure, proactive compliance alerts, registered agent and mail monitoring, and annual and initial reports.

Labor cost allocation and project costing (Premium) — Allocate labour costs across departments, projects or custom categories.

Integrations — Connects with accounting software such as Xero, QuickBooks and others.

Gusto plans explained

Gusto is priced as a monthly base fee plus a fee per person. All prices are in US dollars.

Simple — $49 a month plus $6 per person. Single-state payroll with unlimited pay runs, tax filings and payments, and basic PTO and holiday pay.

Plus — $80 a month plus $12 per person. Adds multi-state payroll, time tracking and scheduling, unlimited next-day pay, contractor invoice management and more HR and benefits tools.

Premium — $180 a month plus $22 per person. Adds a Premium Account Partner, HR guidance and tools, Gusto Business Compliance, unlimited same-day and instant pay, project-based rules and costing, custom reports and payroll migration help.

These prices were confirmed on Gusto's pricing page in October 2026, and Gusto said its October repackaging did not change prices. An independent tracker reported Gusto's page showing different figures in early November — $7 per person on Simple, a $99 base on Plus and $179 on Premium — so check the current price at sign-up.

Solo — a separate plan for S-corp solopreneurs who need to pay themselves, reported at $49 a month.

The standalone contractor-only plan closed to new customers on 1 October 2026; contractors can be paid on any current plan.

How Gusto bills

Your monthly cost is based on onboarded, active employees, however often they're paid. US contractors are billed at your plan's per-person rate only in months you pay them. Global contractor payments have no monthly per-contractor fee, just a small service and foreign-exchange fee per payment. Gusto is month-to-month with no long-term contract, so you can cancel at any time, and independent reviewers note you don't pay until you run your first payroll. The Bring Your Broker integration costs $6 per employee per month on every plan for new customers.

Support

Every plan includes a 24/7 Help Center plus phone and chat support during business hours. Priority Support and a Premium Account Partner come with higher plans or as add-ons.

Who Gusto is for

US small businesses running their first payroll — simple setup and automatic tax filing.

Growing teams in several states — multi-state payroll on Plus.

Businesses that pay contractors — US and global contractor payments.

Owners who want HR and compliance help — Premium's HR experts and Business Compliance.

Getting the most out of Gusto

Choose Simple if you only pay people in one state; move to Plus as soon as you hire in another state.

Let employees self-onboard so their tax and bank details are entered correctly.

Connect Gusto to your accounting software so payroll journals post automatically.

Check the live pricing page before signing up, and remember contractors only cost money in months you pay them.