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Gusto

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All-in-one payroll, benefits, and HR platform for small and mid-sized US businesses

Contractor Payment Software Payroll Software Stand Alone Payroll Software
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  • Deployment Cloud Based
  • Starting price $49/month + $6/month per person
  • Free trial Not offered
  • Best for Freelancers, Startups, SMEs

What is Gusto?

Gusto is a cloud-based payroll, benefits, and HR platform built for small and mid-sized businesses in the United States. It handles full-service payroll including automatic federal, state, and local tax filing and payment, unlimited monthly payroll runs, direct deposit, W-2 and 1099 filing, and support for both employees and contractors. Beyond payroll, Gusto offers employee benefits administration such as health insurance through licensed brokers, 401(k) retirement plans, HSA/FSA and commuter benefits, and workers compensation.

The platform also includes HR tools like hiring and onboarding workflows, time tracking and PTO management, performance reviews, and an employee self-service app. Plans scale from a single-state payroll tier up to a premium tier with dedicated support and certified HR experts, plus a contractor-only option for businesses without W-2 employees. Gusto integrates with over 650 accounting and business apps and serves more than 500,000 businesses.

Key Features of Gusto

Gusto lists 10 documented features, including Full-service payroll with unlimited monthly payroll runs, Automatic federal, state, and local payroll tax filing and payment and W-2 and 1099 creation and e-filing. The list below covers what the product does rather than how it is marketed.

  • Full-service payroll with unlimited monthly payroll runs
  • Automatic federal, state, and local payroll tax filing and payment
  • W-2 and 1099 creation and e-filing
  • Employee and contractor payments, including domestic and global contractors
  • Time tracking, timesheets, scheduling, and PTO management
  • Health insurance, 401(k), HSA/FSA, and commuter benefits administration
  • Hiring and onboarding tools, including applicant tracking on higher tiers
  • Employee self-service mobile app for pay stubs, benefits, and tax forms
  • Performance reviews and goal tracking
  • 650+ integrations with accounting and business software

Gusto Pricing

Gusto lists 4 plans, from $35 to $180.

Simple

$49/month + $6/month per person

Single-state payroll

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Unlimited payrolls per month, tax filings and payments, basic PTO policies and holiday pay

Plus

$80/month + $12/month per person

Multi-state payroll

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Best value tier; adds next-day pay, time tracking, expenses and reimbursements, workforce cost reports

Premium

$180/month + $22/month per person

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Dedicated Service Advisor, access to certified HR experts, performance and compensation management, custom reports, priority support, payroll migration and account setup

Contractor Only

$35/month + $6/month per person

(limited-time offer: $0/month base for first 6 months)

For businesses with contractors only, no W-2 employees

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Domestic contractor payments, 4-day pay, Form 1099 creation and filing; does not include back-up withholding or most add-ons

Gusto Specifications

Gusto is available on web app and has iOS and Android apps. It offers an API.

Deployment
  • Cloud Based
Billing cycle
Monthly
Desktop
  • Web App
Mobile
  • iOS
  • Android
Languages
  • English
Built for
  • Freelancers
  • Startups
  • SMEs
Support
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Live Support
Integrations
Gusto integrates with 650+ third-party apps including accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero), time tracking, expense management, and business tools; it also offers a public API and Gusto Embedded Payroll for developers.
Public API
Yes
Free trial
No
Free plan
No
Runs in browser
Yes
Customisable
Yes
Website
gusto.com

Gusto Videos

Gusto Screenshots

Gusto screenshot 1

Gusto Comparisons

Side by side comparisons of Gusto against 3 other Payroll Software options listed here.

Gusto
OnPay
VS
Gusto
Patriot Payroll
VS
Gusto
Paychex Flex
VS

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Gusto FAQs

Gusto has three main plans for paying a team: Simple ($49/month + $6/month per person), Plus ($80/month + $12/month per person), and Premium ($180/month + $22/month per person). There is also a Contractor Only plan at $35/month + $6/month per person for businesses without W-2 employees.

Gusto's pricing page does not advertise a free trial for its core payroll plans; pricing starts immediately on sign-up, though some add-ons like Time & Attendance Plus can be tried free before the per-person fee applies.

Yes. The Simple plan supports single-state payroll only, while the Plus and Premium plans support multi-state payroll.

Yes, all plans include automatic calculation, filing, and payment of federal, state, and local payroll taxes, as well as W-2 and 1099 creation and filing.

Yes. All plans support domestic contractor payments, and global contractor payments in 120+ countries are available as an add-on. A dedicated Contractor Only plan exists for businesses with no W-2 employees.

All plans include hiring and onboarding tools. Plus and Premium add features like time tracking and workforce cost reports, while Premium includes a dedicated Service Advisor, certified HR expert access, and performance and compensation management.