Gusto Interactive Demo
Explore an interactive product demo of Gusto, a payroll, benefits, and HR platform built for small and medium-sized businesses in the US. See how it handles automatic tax filings, direct deposit, benefits administration, and employee self-service in a single tool.
What is Gusto?
Gusto is a payroll, benefits, and HR platform built for small and medium-sized businesses in the United States. Founded in 2011 as ZenPayroll, it now serves over 300,000 businesses and processes over $100 billion in payroll annually. Most teams come to it as a modern replacement for legacy payroll providers like ADP or Paychex, particularly when there's no dedicated HR staff to manage the complexity those tools require.
On the payroll side, Gusto files federal, state, and local taxes automatically, generates W-2s and 1099s at year-end, manages direct deposit schedules, and tracks paid time off. Health insurance, 401(k), dental, vision, and workers' comp are all administered in the same platform, so benefits deductions tie directly into each payroll run without manual reconciliation.
The employee self-service portal is where most of the HR admin time savings come from. Employees update their own direct deposit, view pay stubs, manage benefits elections, and complete onboarding paperwork without routing everything through a manager or HR coordinator.
How to get started with Gusto
- 1
Set up your company
Go to gusto.com and work through the setup checklist: company details, EIN, and the bank account Gusto will debit for payroll runs. The checklist keeps track of what's done and what's still needed, so you can stop and return without losing your place.
- 2
Add your employees
Send each employee an invite and they complete their own onboarding from there: personal information, W-4 withholding elections, direct deposit details, and I-9 verification. The data goes directly into Gusto without any manual re-entry on the admin side.
- 3
Connect your accounting software
Connect Gusto to QuickBooks, Xero, or FreshBooks from the integrations settings. After each payroll run, journal entries post to your accounting system automatically. If your bookkeeper or accountant is the one managing the accounting side, this is the step worth doing early so the sync is in place before your first payroll.
- 4
Run your first payroll
For your first payroll, enter hours for hourly employees or confirm salary amounts. Gusto calculates taxes, deductions, and net pay, then shows you a summary to review before anything moves. Approve it, and funds debit from your account and reach employee accounts on the schedule you configured.
- 5
Set up benefits
Browse available health, dental, and vision plans through Gusto's insurance marketplace. Once you select a plan, benefits deductions tie into payroll automatically and ACA compliance reporting is handled in the same system. Employees receive an invite to review their options and make elections through their own Gusto account.
Who is Gusto most useful for?
The most common fit is a small business or startup with 2-100 employees where no one's job title is "HR." Gusto handles tax filings, benefits administration, and compliance without requiring someone to own those tasks full-time. Supademo is useful here for employee onboarding: build a short interactive guide showing new hires how to access their Gusto portal, view their first pay stub, and enroll in benefits, so you're not walking each person through it manually.
Growing companies where HR has taken on payroll, benefits, and compliance across a patchwork of tools tend to consolidate onto Gusto. Having benefits deductions tied directly to payroll, with ACA compliance handled in the same system, removes a category of reconciliation work that tends to compound as headcount grows.
For companies expanding into remote hiring across multiple states, the multi-state payroll support is a practical reason to choose Gusto. When you bring on an employee in a new state, Gusto walks you through the registration requirements rather than leaving you to figure out each state's rules independently.
Accountants and bookkeepers running payroll for multiple SMB clients can access all their client accounts from a single dashboard through Gusto's accountant partner program, which is structured specifically for that workflow.
Alternatives to Gusto
Four payroll and HR tools come up most often when teams are weighing options against Gusto.
ADP handles larger enterprises with complex HR and compliance requirements. The depth is there, but so is the cost and the implementation overhead. Small businesses consistently find it harder to use than Gusto, and the pricing reflects a different buyer profile entirely.
Rippling goes well beyond payroll into IT management: device provisioning, software access, and app lifecycle. Works well for tech companies that want HR and IT in a single system. Gusto is more narrowly focused on payroll and benefits, which is an advantage when that's all you need.
Paychex has been in the market a long time and offers local broker support that some businesses value. The tradeoff is a less modern interface. Teams that prefer working directly with a payroll specialist rather than managing it themselves tend to fit Paychex better; Gusto is built for the self-service path.
Works well if you're already running QuickBooks for accounting, since the payroll integration is tight and requires minimal setup. The employee-facing side is less developed than Gusto's. Most teams that prioritize the employee self-service experience end up on Gusto instead.
FAQs on Gusto
Commonly asked questions about Gusto. Have more? Reach out and our team will be happy to help.
Does Gusto file payroll taxes automatically?
Automatic tax filing is one of Gusto's core functions. It calculates, files, and pays federal, state, and local payroll taxes on your behalf, including quarterly 941 filings, annual W-2s and 1099s, and state unemployment insurance. This is included on all paid plans, not a separate add-on.
How much does Gusto cost?
Gusto pricing is structured around a base fee plus a per-person charge. Simple starts at $40/month plus $6 per person per month, covering core payroll. Plus is $60/month plus $9 per person and adds time tracking and workforce costing. Premium adds dedicated HR support and advanced tooling, with pricing on request.
Can Gusto handle contractors (1099s)?
Contractor payments are supported. Gusto's Contractor Only plan ($6/contractor/month) handles 1099 payments and generates year-end 1099-NEC forms. If you have a mix of W-2 employees and contractors, both can be managed from the same account on full payroll plans.
Does Gusto support multi-state payroll?
Multi-state payroll is supported across all US states. When you hire in a new state for the first time, Gusto walks you through the registration requirements for that state rather than leaving you to navigate it independently. Access to multi-state payroll requires a Plus or Premium plan.
Can employees access Gusto themselves?
Every employee gets their own Gusto account. From there they can view pay stubs and W-2s, update direct deposit and withholding information, manage benefits elections, and submit time-off requests. Most HR admin questions that would otherwise go to a manager or coordinator get handled by employees directly.
Does Gusto offer health insurance?
Gusto does offer health insurance. It partners with major carriers to provide group health, dental, and vision plans, and acts as a licensed insurance broker through the platform. Benefits administration and ACA compliance reporting are handled inside Gusto, connected directly to payroll rather than managed separately.