Gusto 401(k) powered by Guideline
Build a stronger future for your business and your team with a 401(k)
Gusto has joined forces with Guideline to bring you seamless retirement benefits integrated with payroll. Together, we're making 401(k)s more automated and accessible, so small businesses everywhere can help their employees build a secure future.
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The smart, effortless way to offer a 401(k)
With Gusto 401(k), it’s simpler than ever to give your team a lasting financial foundation and help to strengthen your business for the long run.
Simplified payroll and 401(k)
Automatic syncing between payroll and 401(k) means fewer tasks and errors.
Keep up with compliance
Meet state retirement mandates, without the stress.
Save with tax credits 1
Reclaim up to 100% of plan costs with automated tax credit forms.
You handle your business. We’ll handle the rest.
From setup to filings, Gusto 401(k) automates the busywork. That way, your team can save for the future while you focus on the present.
24/7 monitoring
IRS form prep and filing included
Fast, guided corrections
All-in-one 401(k) experience
Automatic employee onboarding and offboarding
Self-guided employee experience
Low investment fees ³
Low-cost, diversified funds
Personalized portfolio options
We’ve helped thousands of businesses save billions
$10 billion+
in total assets managed⁴
40,000+
businesses trust Gusto 401(k), powered by Guideline⁴
+700,000
savers⁵
Everything you need to offer a 401(k), in one place
From pricing to setup to complying with state requirements, it’s all part of Gusto.
“Just the idea of making mistakes manually moving data in and out of a state-run program kept us up at night.”
Co-owner, Pallas Care
Frequently asked questions
Guideline is a trusted retirement benefits provider that’s helped over 700,000+ people save for the future through 401(k)s and IRAs. Now, Guideline has joined Gusto so small businesses can manage everything, from payroll to benefits to compliance, all in one place. Together, we’re making it simpler than ever to offer world-class benefits that help you attract talent, stay compliant, and give your team a real path to financial security.
Setting up a Gusto 401(k) can take as few as 9 minutes. And then it usually takes about 40 days until first contributions are made. Since all Gusto 401(k) plans come with automatic enrollment, eligible employees can’t be auto-enrolled in your plan until 30 days after they receive a helpful notice of the new benefit. That could give them enough time to opt out before the plan begins. Once everything is set up, your team will be guided through a seamless onboarding process, while you can sit back and relax.
Our plans start at just $49 a month, plus $6 a month per active employee. So there are no sneaky fees for employees who are on your payroll but not contributing to their plan. If you need more flexibility for pricing and plan design, we’ve got you covered. Book a call with us or head over to our pricing page, and we’ll walk you through your options.
Yup. We work with businesses of any size, whether you're a solopreneur, just hired your first employee, or lead a team of thousands. We’re built to grow with you every step of the way.
Get your team saving for tomorrow
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¹ This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be taken as tax advice.
² Investment advisory services for Gusto’s 401(k) product (when 3(38) fiduciary services are appointed) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Gusto Investment Services, LLC, an affiliated SEC-registered investment adviser. 3(16) fiduciary services are offered by its affiliate, Gusto Retirement Services, LLC, and only made available to clients who use the integration services available through Gusto’s payroll services. Gusto Retirement Services, LLC who use the integration services available through Gusto’s payroll services.
³ Not investment advice. Gusto Investment Services’ managed portfolios have blended expense ratios ranging from .058% to .061% of assets under management. When combined with an assumed account fee of .25% charged by Gusto Investment Services, LLC, estimated total AUM fees for one of the managed portfolios can be under 0.31%. See Form ADV 2A Brochure for fee info. Expense ratios subject to change by and paid to the fund(s). View full fund lineup here.
⁴ Based on Gusto internal analytics as of January 2026
⁵ Total number of Savers, both active and non-active, that have participated in Gusto’s 401(k) products from 2016-2025
⁶ Results for different businesses may vary.
⁷ Research run by Guideline using Suzy research insights based on data collected December 2023, from a survey of 1038 US-based respondents. Guideline was not identified as the survey sponsor. Though the survey is broad in scope, the experiences of the respondents in this survey may not be representative of all people