Build a stronger future for your business and your team with a 401(k)
Retirement, built into payroll. Gusto 401(k) automates the setup, contributions, and compliance that used to make 401(k)s hard for small businesses, so you can help your team build a secure future.
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The smart, seamless way to offer a 401(k)
With Gusto 401(k), it’s easy to give your team a lasting financial foundation and help to strengthen your business for the long run.
Simplify 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 credits¹
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.
We run compliance checks daily so that your 401(k) is compliant.⁶ If there’s an issue, we’ll let you know right away how to fix it.
24/7 monitoring
IRS form prep and filing included
Fast, guided corrections
As your team grows, we automatically add new employees and keep contributions up to date.
All-in-one 401(k) experience
Automatic employee onboarding and offboarding
Self-guided employee experience
Low-fee, managed portfolios, and guided experience offered by Gusto Investment Services, LLC help to make retirement easier to plan for and afford.
Low investment fees³
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)⁴
+700,000
savers⁵
Frequently asked questions
Less than you'd think. Gusto 401(k) is built on a platform that already powers 40,000+ small business plans, so most of the admin runs automatically. Payroll syncs seamlessly, contributions and deductions are handled for you, and compliance happens in the background. Like every Gusto product, it was made with the small business owner in mind, so offering retirement feels as simple as running payroll.
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.
You may be required to. More than 20 states now require certain employers—including some with as few as one employee—to offer a retirement savings benefit. Requirements vary by state, so check whether your business is affected here. Gusto customers can also review their Compliance dashboard to see if they meet state requirements.
Even if you're not legally required to offer a retirement plan, a 401(k) can be a valuable benefit for attracting and retaining employees. In fact, 93% of employees say that access to a 401(k) influences their decision when choosing an employer.7 Offering a retirement plan can help demonstrate your investment in your team's long-term financial future.
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. You should consult a tax professional to determine what types of tax credits or deductions your company is eligible to claim.
² Any graphs or charts depicted are illustrative, for educational purposes only, and not intended to be investment, tax, and or legal advice. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. Investing involves risk and investments may lose value, including loss of principal. Investment advisory services for Gusto’s 401(k) (when 3(38) fiduciary services are appointed) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Gusto Investment Services, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Recordkeeping services for Gusto's 401(k) products are offered by Gusto Retirement Services, LLC. 3(16) plan administrative services are also offered by Gusto Retirement Services, LLC and only made available to clients who utilize Gusto payroll provider. Gusto Retirement uses a third-party to provide custodial 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 All plans of related entities must be administered by Gusto Retirement in order to provide compliance testing.
⁷ Research run by Gusto Retirement (formerly 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.