Overview
Gusto is a comprehensive cloud-based payroll and HR platform designed specifically for small to medium-sized businesses. It automates payroll processing, tax filings, benefits administration, workers' compensation, time tracking, and employee onboarding. Gusto is renowned for its exceptional user experience, making complex payroll and compliance tasks simple for business owners without dedicated HR staff. The platform handles federal, state, and local tax calculations and filings automatically.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓Extremely user-friendly interface designed for non-HR professionals, with minimal learning curve
- ✓Comprehensive full-service payroll with automatic tax calculations, filings, and year-end forms
- ✓Excellent benefits administration including health insurance, 401(k), commuter benefits, and HSAs
- ✓Outstanding customer support with responsive team available via phone, email, and chat
- ✓Seamless integrations with popular accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero
- ✓Transparent pricing with no hidden fees, making budgeting predictable for small businesses
Cons
- ✗Limited scalability for large enterprises (optimized for companies under 500 employees)
- ✗Fewer advanced HR features compared to enterprise HRIS platforms (no advanced analytics)
- ✗International payroll not supported (US-only), limiting global expansion capabilities
- ✗Time tracking features are basic compared to dedicated time tracking solutions
- ✗Reporting capabilities are somewhat limited for data-driven organizations
Who Should Use This?
Best For
- →Small businesses (1-200 employees) seeking simple, reliable payroll automation
- →Startups and growing companies without dedicated HR or payroll staff
- →Organizations prioritizing ease of use and excellent customer support
- →Companies offering comprehensive benefits and needing integrated benefits administration
- →Businesses using QuickBooks or Xero looking for seamless accounting integration
Not Ideal For
- →Large enterprises with 500+ employees requiring advanced HRIS capabilities
- →International companies needing multi-country payroll support
- →Organizations requiring complex, customizable reporting and analytics
- →Businesses with highly complex payroll scenarios (union rules, complex shift differentials)
- →Companies needing advanced performance management or talent development tools
Key Features
Implementation
Gusto implementation is remarkably quick and straightforward, typically taking 1-2 weeks (or less than a week in many cases) from signup to first payroll run. The setup process includes company information entry (1-2 hours), employee data import (2-4 hours), bank account verification (2-3 days), benefits setup if needed (3-5 days), and first payroll test run. Gusto provides full-service payroll migration and account setup for easy onboarding (available with certain plans), guided onboarding wizards, video tutorials, and live support to ensure smooth implementation with minimal administrator work required.
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Quick Info
As of 2025, Gusto offers four transparent pricing tiers: Contractor Only ($0 for 6 months, then $35/month + $6/contractor), Simple ($49/month + $6/employee for single-state payroll), Plus ($89/month + $13/employee with time tracking, onboarding, multi-state payroll), and Premium ($180/month + $22/employee for complex payroll requirements). For example, a 50-person company on the Plus plan would pay $739/month ($8,868 annually). Add-ons available: next-day direct deposit ($15/month + $3/employee), Time & Attendance Plus ($6/employee/month), priority support ($30/month + $3/employee), and HR resources ($50/month + $5/employee). Opting for all add-ons can significantly increase monthly per-employee costs. No long-term contracts required.
📋 Implementation Guide
Step-by-step guide to implementing Payroll software
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Frequently Asked Questions About Gusto
Common questions about Gusto, including pricing, features, integrations, and who should use it.
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