FAQs
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Frequently Asked Questions
Payroll
Setting up payroll
Yes, we offer payroll in all 50 states. Our Simple plan is designed for single-state payroll with basic needs, while our Plus and Premium plans are built for more complex multi-state payroll. Learn more about our features and get started today.
Yes. You can pay independent contractors in 120+ countries in local currency and use Gusto Global to hire and pay full-time international employees.
You can easily get started today. If you already have payroll with someone else, check out our guide to switching. If you’re setting up payroll for the first time, here’s everything you need to know.
Yes, we integrate with popular financial software, including QuickBooks, Xero, and FreshBooks, plus time-tracking, expense software, and more. See all our integrations.
Yes, our Contractor only plan gives you the option of only paying independent contractors without the need for W-2 employees. We'll automatically file and email them their 1099s at the end of the year with our contractor plan.
Yes, you have the option of only paying independent contractors. We'll automatically file and email them their 1099s at the end of the year with our contractor plan. Learn more about paying contractors.
No, Gusto does not have support for household payroll.
Gusto Global, powered by Remote, is our Employer of Record (EOR) service that enables customers to hire, pay, and manage international employees. Learn more about Gusto Global here.
Yes. Solo business owners can get step-by-step help with S-corp election and AI-guided tax insights tied to payroll decisions.
Running payroll
It's a lot, including automated payroll, taxes and filings, time tracking, employee management, and more. See our full features list here.
Yes! Yes! You can run payroll, check status, add team members, and manage payroll from the Gusto mobile app or any web-enabled device. See how it works in our Demo.
Yes. Gusto lets you use a spreadsheet-style payroll grid and import hours or pay data from CSVs and connected time tools to speed payroll setup.
Gusto supports Instant pay, Next-day pay, and fully automated payroll with AutoPilot™, so you can run payroll on your schedule.
Gusto can run your payroll automatically. For salaried or hourly employees with fixed hours, all you have to do is decide on what day they should be paid, and we’ll do it automatically. We’ll even send you a reminder one day before, in case you want to make changes. Learn more.
With next-day pay, Plus and Premium customers can run payroll by 5pm PT and get their team paid the next day. We'll debit funds from your account the next morning, and your employees will receive their direct deposit by 5pm local time. If your employees need their pay first thing in the morning, choose 2-day pay. Next-day and 2-day pay may be subject to certain requirements for eligibility.
Yes, you can choose to have Gusto automatically adjust wages to comply with the FLSA Tip Credit and minimum wage adjustment requirement. Gusto can also help restaurants claim the FICA tip credit tax incentive: At the end of the year, we will supply a report with the details your accountant will need to claim this credit on your corporate tax returns.
You can easily add garnishments and post-tax deductions in Gusto. We also automatically pay child-support garnishments for you in all states but South Carolina.
Every Gusto plan comes with unlimited payroll runs. We'll never charge you extra for things like off-cycle payrolls.
Yes. Gusto syncs time, job, and project costs to payroll and provides compliance tools for overtime, break rules, and tipped wage adjustments.
Payroll filings and forms
Yes, we file W-2s and 1099s on your behalf. Employees and contractors receive electronic copies of their forms as well. If you switch to Gusto in the middle of the year, we will file complete W-2s for the entire year. During your setup, we gather the necessary wage information to help ensure W-2s are accurate for the full year.
Yes. Gusto helps with state tax registration in all 50 states and files federal, state, and local payroll taxes for you.
There are quite a few. Check out the full list.
Yes. Through Gusto’s R&D tax credit service, we help you identify and claim federal and some state tax credits that can lower your payroll tax liability.
Yes. Through Gusto’s R&D tax credit service, we help you claim federal and some state R&D tax credits. Learn more.
Yes. Through Gusto’s R&D tax credit service, we help you identify and claim federal and some state tax credits that can lower your payroll tax liability.
Employees and payroll
On payday, we send your employees a fun email with a link to their full paystubs.
Yes, direct deposit is available, along with digital paystubs, paperless onboarding, PTO, time tracking and more.
Employees get lifetime access to their Gusto account to see paystubs and W-2s. They can also track their hours worked, submit vacation requests, contribute to nonprofit organizations directly from their paychecks and update their personal info in their Gusto account. Learn more.
Yes. You can add non-payroll team members so managers can route approvals, track goals, and manage people in one place, even if they aren’t paid through Gusto.
Yes. Employees get lifetime access to paystubs and tax forms, and can use tools like Gusto Wallet and the Gusto debit card for savings and faster access to pay.
Benefits
Health benefits
Health benefits through Gusto (including medical, dental, vision, HSA and FSA health plans, life and disability) are available today in 37 states + DC states + DC (every state except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming). We’re working hard to expand coverage to other states soon. Learn more.
As long as we support health insurance in your company's home state, we can usually cover your out-of-state employees too. Our brokers can help you find options for your particular team. Learn more.
Once you set up payroll with Gusto, you can view your recommended plans right from your account. Our fully-licensed advisors are also available to answer questions and help you choose a package that meets your budget and your team’s needs, should your group qualify for insurance plans. Have more questions? Call one of our licensed advisors today.
If you like the plan you have, good news! Many plans can be switched over to Gusto. If you’d like to look at new options, we have a range of plans from top carriers to help you find the balance of cost and coverage that’s right for you. Learn more.
When you select your health benefits with Gusto, you’ll also have the option to add dental and vision coverage. For Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts, you can talk to one of our licensed advisors to add those benefits, too.
Learn more about the differences between FSAs and HSAs here.
Yes, you’ll have the option to add life and disability insurance policies when setting up health insurance in Gusto. Learn more.
Absolutely! Gusto’s benefits advisors are fully-licensed professionals with years of experience. And they’re available by phone or email when you or your employees need some advice. Learn more.
With Gusto, you get 100% online enrollment. Your employees can enroll in benefits, add dependents, and review their plan details in their Gusto account. We also have dedicated help just for employees to answer their benefits questions. Learn more about open enrollment here.
Yes, we help you handle both federal COBRA and state continuation requirements for employees who leave your company. Learn more.
Your employees can make updates right in their Gusto account. It’s easy to add a dependent, change an address, change a name, and more. See a demo.
401(k)
Yes. Many of our 401(k) partners offer plans in all 50 states.
Setup and maintenance fees vary, depending on your 401(k) provider. If you already use Gusto, feel free to log in and compare pricing.
Yes, absolutely! Many of our partners allow employer-matching contributions synced with payroll.
HSA, FSA, Commuter benefits
Gusto tax-advantaged accounts can be added to your health benefits package, and are currently available in all the states where we support health insurance, which currently includes every state and Washington D.C. except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming. Learn more.
HSAs and Health FSAs can be used to pay for qualified health expenses. Dependent Care FSAs can be used for eligible care expenses for dependents. Commuter benefits can be used to cover the costs of commuting, including public transit, parking, and carpooling options with Uber and Lyft. Learn more.
Whether you choose to offer one, two, or all three of these benefits, there is an annual service charge of $200. There is a monthly cost of $4 per participant per account for FSA and Commuter Benefits (subject to a $20 monthly minimum), and a $2.50 per participant monthly cost for HSA (with no minimum). Speak with our team to learn more.
For health FSAs and dependent care FSAs, you emrployees must enroll during open enrollment, as changes can only be made with a valid qualifying life event. Eligible employees can enroll in or change their election for commuter and HSA at any time.
Yes. Employees enrolled in a HSA, FSA, or commuter benefit will receive a Gusto benefits card to use for certain qualified expenses. There is one card regardless for HSA, FSA, and commuter. Employees can also submit claims through a separate portal if they don't use their card.
Only for HSAs do employees have to be enrolled in the company's HSA-comptable medical plan.
Workers’ Comp Insurance
Workers’ Comp Insurance
Through our partner Next Insurance, we offer workers’ comp in all states where private policies are required. Check out the requirements for your state.
Once you’ve added your employees to Gusto, you can apply for a policy in just a few clicks. You’ll get an estimate instantly, plus a final quote in a day or two from our workers’ comp insurance partner, Next Insurance. Everything is done online, including digitally signing your policy.
Next Insurance automatically withdraws only the amount you owe each period based on your actual payroll. This can help you avoid lump sum payments at the beginning and end of the year.
HR
HR
Yes! On our Plus and Premium plans, you can manage time-off requests from your employees, and have the balances and accruals tracked automatically in Gusto. You'll also be able to create other types of policies include custom and unpaid time off. Learn more.
When you add a new employee, you’ll just enter some basic info like their name, salary, and email, and choose the documents you want them to fill out. Then invite them to self-onboard and Gusto will send them an email so they can e-sign their new hire paperwork, like W-4s and I-9s, and welcome them to the team. With our Plus and Premium plans, you can also have them sign custom docs, like offer letters and handbooks. All the signed forms are safely stored in Gusto and organized for easy reference whenever you need them. Learn more.
With our our Plus plan with the HR Pros and Priority Support add-on or Premium plan, your payroll admin will get access to certified HR pros to answer questions; updates about certain state and local regulation changes to help you stay compliant; plus an HR resource center with an employee handbook builder and more. Learn more about our HR tools.
Yes, with our Plus and Premium plans you can organize all your employees with contact info, birthdays, and more. You can also organize your team into departments and set up an easy-to-use org chart. It’s your one system of record. Employees also get access to learn about your company and get to know their team. Learn more about our HR tools.
With our Plus and Premium plans, you can send anonymous monthly surveys to your employees that ask a few pointed questions to get a pulse on how your team is feeling. Within a few days, you’ll receive actionable feedback that you can use to build a happier workplace. Learn more about our HR tools.
Yes, with Permissions you can limit additional admins’ access to Gusto.
Time Tracking
Time Tracking
Yes. Customers on our Plus and Premium plans have access to our time tracking solution that automatically syncs with payroll. Hourly and salaried non-exempt employees and contractors can track their hours for payroll. Learn more.
We offer the Time Kiosk software available on our Plus and Premium plans that can turn most internet-connected devices into a centralized location for employees to clock in/out. Learn more.
Yes, this is available to customers on our Plus and Premium plans. Both salaried and hourly employees can track their hours worked on projects. Employers can get a report detailing their team’s cost on a per project basis.
When employees track their hours to projects, you get a breakdown of your workforce costs per project. If you need to combine workforce costs with other project costs (like overhead or materials), it’s simple to pull a report or send to QuickBooks Online or Xero.
Yes. You can sync departments, jobs, and projects with QuickBooks Online and Xero.
Customer Service
Customer Service
You bet. When you call or chat with us, you’ll be speaking with one of our friendly, experienced reps in our San Francisco or Denver offices. You can also always email us!
Our team is available Monday through Friday, from 6am-6pm MST/8am-8pm EST. Need us outside of these hours? You can always email us and our team will get back to you ASAP!
If you have more than 10 employees, we have a dedicated team who will import all of your data securely into Gusto. Learn more.
Compliance and security
Compliance
Yes, we’ll automatically send new hire reports to the state for you, and we help you and your employees complete mandated federal forms, such as I-9s, W-4s, W-2s, and 1099s.
Most states require you to have a workers’ comp policy. We’ll help you find a policy and calculate the premium payments.
We’re HIPAA, ERISA, and ACA compliant to keep your employee information secure and comply with federal regulations.
We handle COBRA requirements for you, emailing employees with the necessary paperwork when they leave your company and helping you manage them if they decide to enroll. Learn more about our benefits offerings.
Non-discrimination testing is an IRS-prescribed requirement to make sure your benefits don’t favor highly compensated or key employees.
Gusto does not handle this testing. You are encouraged to check with your tax expert and/or legal counsel to confirm which tests are necessary for your company.
With our Plus add-on and Premium plans, you can talk to certified HR pros for any compliance-related questions. Plus, we’ll keep you notified of certain regulation changes that could affect your business. Learn more about our plans.
Security
Security is one of the top priorities at Gusto. We put the same amount of care in protecting your information as we would with our own information. We use encryption, firewalls, and other technology to help keep your data secure. Learn more.
Yes. We offer multi-factor authentication to help confirm whether the right person is signing into an account. Using multi-factor authentication may add an extra level of security to your account. Learn more about our security features.
We use the 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) to protect the transmission of data to our site. Encryption can help protect data from unwanted disclosure or changes.
Access to our data centers is restricted. We take physical, procedural, and technical steps to safeguard information that may be hosted in our data centers.
Yes. The bank account information you provide in order to process payroll is secured using different anti-fraud measures. We adhere to industry standards and comply with applicable state and federal privacy and security laws. Learn more about our security features.
We regularly review transactions for any suspicious activity. If we believe we’ve found anything out of the ordinary, we’ll investigate and let you know as quickly as possible.
Please visit Next Insurance for information on uptime and past incidents. You can also subscribe to updates to be alerted in the rare event of a service interruption.
Pricing
Pricing
We offer 3 different payroll and HR plans so you can choose the one that’s right for you. You can add benefits and insurance to any Gusto plan. Check out our pricing for more info.
Each month, you will be charged the per person cost for each active employee (even if you haven’t paid them). You won’t be charged for contractors unless you pay them in any given month. Learn more about our pricing.
Nope! There are no annual contracts. You can cancel at any time.
There is no additional cost for employees in multiple states, for W-2s or 1099s, or for amendments. Check out our full list of payroll features to see everything that’s included.
Gusto is a payroll services company, not a bank. Banking services provided by nbkc bank, Member FDIC.
Cash Accounts and the Gusto Debit Card are issued by nbkc bank, Member FDIC.
Disclaimer: The information contained on this site is not intended to be and does not constitute investment advice. Such information is general in nature and is provided solely for informational purposes to our customers and is not to be construed or interpreted as a recommendation. All investment decisions are solely the responsibility of the user.
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