Smart and specialized cannabis payroll solutions.
Our dependable payroll solutions are tailored to suit the needs of cannabis-related businesses (CRBs), and packed with features that can elevate your team and level up your company. We combine years of experience running payroll and HR with extensive knowledge of cannabis companies like yours.
All your HR in one place
Manage the entire employee lifecycle—hiring, onboarding, developing and engaging your team, and even retirement—without having to leave Gusto’s platform.
Combine smart HR tech with human expertise
With a deep understanding of the cannabis industry and years of HR expertise, Gusto provides the best support and partnership that a cannabis company could dream of.
Say hello to happier HR
Gusto was built with humans in mind, so you can not only handle complex tasks efficiently, but maybe even have fun while you’re at it.
All in one
Cannabis payroll processing, streamlined.
Gusto provides everything you need to take care of your growing team, including native solutions and integrations with your favorite tools to ensure that your employees’ HR data is synced across your business. Maximize your employees’ time with our suite of time-tracking tools, and make your own life easier with modern, automated features like our Applicant Tracking System, Employee Self-Service, and more. Check out all our HR features here.
9 out of 10
customers would recommend Gusto*
152 hours
average time customers saved per year on tax and compliance work after switching to Gusto.
4.5/5 stars
average rating from Gusto customers.*
Delightful to use
A payroll platform that’s almost recreational.
Before Gusto came along, HR tasks were a sobering prospect. Our modern, easy-to-use design means your employees can actually enjoy getting notifications, logging in, finding the information they need, making updates, discovering new features, and more. Gusto is mobile-friendly, remote-friendly, and people-friendly, helping you create a positive environment for your team to work and serve your growing customer base.
CRB compliance add-on
Payroll that keeps cannabis businesses running
Running payroll in the cannabis industry means navigating extra banking scrutiny and regulatory oversight. Gusto supports cannabis-related businesses with purpose-built processes and ongoing compliance work—so payroll is more likely to stay on track.
Why cannabis payroll requires more oversight
Cannabis-related businesses operate under stricter regulatory and banking requirements than most industries. Supporting CRBs means additional work behind the scenes, including:
Specialized banking relationships
More frequent compliance reviews
Additional reporting and documentation
Ongoing education and outreach
Dedicated internal tools and workflows
These safeguards help reduce payroll disruptions and support businesses operating in regulated environments.
What the CRB compliance add-on covers
The CRB compliance add-on is required for certain cannabis-related businesses. It covers the additional compliance, monitoring, and operational work needed to support CRB payroll on top of a Gusto payroll plan.
This includes:
Industry-specific banking support
Ongoing compliance monitoring
Required reporting and reviews
Specialized internal tooling and support
How it works with Gusto plans
Gusto offers flexible payroll plans so cannabis-related businesses can choose what fits their needs today.
Simple & Plus
Available to cannabis-related businesses with the required CRB compliance add-on
Add-on fee: $18 per employee per month
Premium
CRB compliance support is included
No separate add-on required
This structure provides transparency and choice—whether you prefer a lower-cost plan with an add-on or an all-inclusive Premium experience.
Who the add-on applies to
The CRB compliance add-on applies to new cannabis-related businesses joining Gusto on or after January 20, 2026.
Important note for existing customers
If you’re already a Gusto customer operating a cannabis-related business, nothing changes:
Your plan stays the same
Your pricing stays the same
No action is required
For accountant partners
Accountants supporting cannabis clients can confidently guide new CRBs by explaining:
Why cannabis payroll requires additional compliance support
Which plans require the add-on
That existing clients are unaffected
We provide clear documentation and FAQs below to help make these conversations straightforward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Gusto supports cannabis-related businesses (CRBs) across our Simple, Plus, and Premium payroll plans.
Because CRBs operate under additional banking and regulatory oversight, some plans require a CRB compliance add-on to support the extra monitoring, reporting, and operational work involved in running payroll for this industry.
A cannabis-related business is any business that is directly or indirectly involved in the cannabis industry. This includes businesses that support, service, or market themselves to cannabis companies—even if they don’t handle cannabis products directly.
If you’re unsure whether your business qualifies as a CRB, Gusto will help review your setup and guide you through next steps.
The CRB compliance add-on is an additional monthly fee for certain cannabis-related businesses. It helps cover the specialized banking coordination, compliance monitoring, and reporting work required to support CRB payroll on top of a Gusto payroll plan.
Simple and Plus: Require the CRB compliance add-on
Premium: Includes CRB compliance support at no additional cost
The CRB compliance add-on costs $18 per employee per month.
Supporting cannabis-related business requires additional banking coordination, compliance monitoring, and operational work beyond standard payroll.
How that cost shows up depends on the plan you choose:
Simple and Plus plans keep base payroll pricing lower, with the CRB compliance add-on covering the extra work required for cannabis payroll.
Premium plan includes CRB compliance support by default, so there’s no separate add-on fee.
This structure gives business flexibility to choose between a lower-cost plan with an add-on or an all-in plan with compliance support built in.
In all cases, the level of CRB compliance support is the same. The only difference is whether such support is priced in or charged as a separate add-on.
Cannabis-related businesses operate under stricter regulatory and banking requirements than most industries. Supporting payroll in this space requires:
Dedicated banking partnerships
More frequent reviews and monitoring
Additional reporting obligations
Specialized internal processes
These measures help reduce the risk of payroll delays or disruptions in a highly regulated environment.
No. The CRB compliance add-on supports payroll-related compliance processes but does not replace a business’s responsibility to meet all applicable local, state, or federal requirements.
No. If you’re an existing CRB customer, your plan and pricing remain the same.
No action is required. The CRB compliance add-on applies only to new cannabis-related businesses joining Gusto on or after January 20, 2026.
There are no changes for existing CRB customers at this time. If anything were to change in the future, we would communicate clearly and well in advance.
The add-on applies to the CRB customer’s payroll account. For accountant-billed clients, billing continues to flow through the accountant as it does today.
No. Existing CRB clients are unaffected. The add-on applies only to new cannabis-related businesses.
You can explain that payroll in the cannabis industry requires additional banking and compliance support, and the add-on reflects the extra work Gusto does to help keep payroll running smoothly in a highly regulated environment.