About Gusto Payroll
If you own a business and need a payroll service that’s simple, efficient, and doesn’t complicate things, Gusto might just be what you need. It’s a platform built to make payroll and HR easy, and in 2025, it’s still one of the most popular choices out there for small to mid-sized businesses. Gusto is designed to handle everything from paying your employees (including taxes) to offering health insurance and even onboarding new hires. It’s user-friendly and helps business owners save time on admin work. Whether you’re managing a team of 2 or 52, Gusto has tools to simplify payroll so you can focus on more important tasks. Now, you might be wondering how much this will cost you. Below, we’ll break down Gusto Payroll’s pricing plans one by one and help you make the right choice that will meet and even exceed your business needs.
Here’s What’s Inside This Guide…
Latest Gusto Payroll Pricing: Quick Overview
| Plan | Key Features | Pricing |
| Simple | Full-service, single-state payroll, employee self-service, and basic hiring and onboarding tools. | $40/Month Plus $6/Month Per Person |
| Plus | Multi-state payroll, next-day direct deposit, advanced hiring and onboarding tools, and time tracking. | $80/Month Plus $12/Month Per Person |
| Premium | Dedicated customer success manager, HR resource center, and compliance alerts. | $180/Month Plus $22/Month Per Person |
| Contractor | Unlimited contractor payments in all 50 states and four-day direct deposit. | $6 per contractor per month (and $35 monthly fee) |
Gusto offers a range of payroll plans tailored to different business needs. Here’s a quick overview of their latest pricing:
Simple Plan
- Base Price: $40 per month
- Per Employee: $6 per month
- Features: Full-service, single-state payroll, employee self-service, basic hiring and onboarding tools, and more.
Plus Plan
- Base Price: $80 per month
- Per Employee: $12 per month
- Features: This plan includes all the Simple plan features, plus multi-state payroll, next-day direct deposit, advanced hiring and onboarding tools, and time tracking.
Premium Plan
- Base Price: $180 per month
- Per Employee: $22 per month
- Features: It includes all Plus plan features, along with a dedicated customer success manager, HR resource center, compliance alerts, and access to certified HR experts.
Contractor Plan
- Base Price: $35 per month
- Per Contractor: $6 per month
- Features: Designed for businesses that work exclusively with contractors; includes unlimited contractor payments in all 50 states and four-day direct deposit.
Gusto Payroll Pricing Comparison
Gusto offers several payroll plans tailored to meet the needs of small businesses. Here’s a breakdown of the pricing for each plan, including features and benefits.
Gusto Simple Plan ($40/Month Plus $6/Month Per Person)
The Gusto Simple plan is designed for small businesses seeking essential payroll and HR tools without complex features. It is the most affordable plan offered by Gusto, making it ideal for startups and small teams.
Key Features Of The Gusto Simple Plan
Full-Service Payroll
- Automated calculation and filing of federal, state, and local taxes
- Supports all 50 states in the US
- Ensures accurate tax compliance and timely payments
Employee Self-Service
- Employees can access their pay and tax documents, as well as personal details, online
- Offers a user-friendly portal for employees to manage their information
Basic Support
- 24/7 access to Gusto’s Help Center
- Ability to call or chat with a team member from Support during business hours
Benefits Integration
- It lets you handle health insurance, retirement plans, and other benefits
- Simplifies benefits deductions directly from payroll
Hiring And Onboarding Tools
- Hiring documents with the ability to e-sign and store them
- Templates for offer letters
- Onboarding checklist
Gusto Health Insurance
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance for your employees
- Online enrollment
- Access from the employee self-service portal
Custom Admin Permissions
- Create custom admin accounts to set limits for certain tasks
PTO Policies And Holiday Pay
- Automate the process of paying employees during their PTO or national holidays accordingly
Featured Add-Ons
- Time and attendance tracking for $6 per month per person
- Next-day direct deposit, to run payroll the day before payday instead of planning it days in advance—this costs $15 per month and $3 per month per person
Gusto Plus Plan ($80/Month Plus $12/Month Per Person)
At a competitive monthly fee, the Plus pricing plan includes many features to help you manage teams efficiently while ensuring compliance with regulations, offering the best solution for growing companies. Let’s explore its features further.
Key Features Of The Gusto Plus Plan
All the features of the Simple plan, plus:
Full-Service Multi-State Payroll
- Unlimited payroll runs across all states
- Tax and form filings
- Direct deposits or printable checks
- Payroll reports and more
Advanced Hiring And Onboarding Tools
- Job posts
- Applicant tracking system
- Customizable onboarding checklist and more
PTO Management And Policies
- Time-off requests and approvals
- Custom PTO policies
- The ability to sync employee calendars for automated pay on holidays and PTO
Time And Project Tracking
- Time tracking with geolocation
- Employees can clock in and out through an app
- Employee project tracking
- Workforce costing reports
Scheduling
- You can create, edit, and share team schedules to include time off and holidays
Expenses
- Employees can submit their expenses, and the approved ones sync with their payroll
Team Management Tools
- Directory of all your employees
- Team-signed e-cards for birthdays, wishes, or welcomes
- Team organization charts
Featured Add-Ons
- Priority support through phone and chat and certified HR resources from experts, costing $8 per month per person
Gusto Premium Plan ($180/Month Plus $22/Month Per Person)
Gusto’s Premium pricing plan adds some extra HR tools for businesses, but it also includes payroll services, benefits management, and dedicated account representatives. Again, it’s suitable for growing businesses, so take a look at what it offers.
Key Features Of The Gusto Premium Plan
All the features of the Plus plan, plus:
Dedicated Customer Success Manager
- Collaboration with Gusto for internal teams
- It includes aligning Gusto to your strategic needs
- Regular business reviews to track goal progress and check the alignment
- Make the most of Gusto’s features with product demos and reviews
HR Resource Center
- Best practices for recruitment
- Assessments of employee performance
- Templates for job descriptions
- Requirements for termination
- Templates for labor law policies
- Tool for creating an employee handbook
Compliance Alerts
- Stay compliant with helpful alerts about any state or federal law changes that might affect your business—Gusto updates you so you don’t miss anything that could impact your payroll and operations
Full-Service Payroll Migration And Account Setup
- Gusto can transfer your payroll data into the platform and begin your account setup
Health Insurance Integration
- If possible, you can integrate your existing health insurance plans right into Gusto’s payroll software
Gusto Contractor-Only Plan
Gusto’s Contractor-Only pricing plan allows businesses to manage and pay contractors easily and on a budget. For just $6 per contractor per month (and its $35 monthly fee), you get unlimited payments, automated 1099 filing, and secure contractor self-onboarding. If you don’t have employees, it makes contractor management smooth while ensuring you are compliant with taxes and regulations.
Key Features Of The Gusto Contractor-Only Plan
- Unlimited contractor payments across all 50 states
- Four-day direct deposit
- 1099-NECs at the end of the year
- New hire reporting (if it’s required in your state)
- Global contractor payments (available as an add-on)
It does NOT include:
- Tax withholding or any other deductions that state agencies require for contractors
- Plan add-ons (aside from global contractor payments)
How To Choose The Right Gusto Payroll Pricing Plan
Gusto Scalability And Team Size
The first thing to do when choosing a Gusto Payroll pricing plan is to consider the size of your team. If you’re working on your own or have just a few employees, you probably have different needs than a larger company. For smaller teams, Gusto’s Simple plan is a good choice. It covers the basics, such as payroll processing, direct deposits, tax filings, and employee self-service portals. If your team is growing, though, or you already have a few employees, you should consider the Plus plan. It includes features like PTO management and more tools to keep your team satisfied. For larger teams or businesses, the Premium plan offers dedicated support, advanced analytics, and customizable tools. This is ideal for running a mid-sized company or planning to grow quickly in the next few months.
To sum up, no matter your current team size, it’s important to choose a plan that can grow with you. After all, you don’t want to be left unsupported when you need it the most, right? Rest assured, because Gusto Payroll is designed with scalability in mind, meaning you can upgrade or downgrade your pricing plan as you like.
Industry-Specific Gusto Features
After you consider your team size, think about what your business actually needs. Are you just looking for simple payroll management, or do you need something that covers HR tools and benefits as well? This is important to know because Gusto’s four pricing plans have their strengths and weaknesses, so it’s all about aligning them with your top priorities. For example, a small business can benefit from the basics of the Simple plan, but a business in an industry with specific compliance needs, like construction or healthcare, may want to choose something more advanced.
Construction Industry
If your business is in the construction industry, you probably deal with specific wage rates and certified payroll reporting. Gusto’s Plus or Premium plans can handle these, ensuring compliance and saving you hours of manually calculating salaries and deductions.
Restaurants And Hospitality
In this industry, you have to manage the tips your staff receives, changes in shifts, and working during holidays. All these can become tricky as it’s difficult to calculate them yourself. Gusto makes it easier by offering time-tracking features, as well as tools to handle tips, overtime pay, and automated calculations based on the calendar and each region’s holidays.
Tech Industry
Companies in tech often need help with benefits to attract talent. Gusto’s advanced plans include benefits options and health insurance, which are essential when building your team.
Healthcare
Here, compliance is everything. Gusto’s Premium plan offers dedicated support to help you understand and handle labor laws, taxes, and regulations specific to your field.
Gusto Integration Capabilities
Gusto integrates seamlessly with many other tools, making it easy to sync all your systems. For instance, you can connect Gusto Payroll with accounting software to simplify the bookkeeping process, with time tracking tools to monitor and calculate payroll, HR platforms for paid leaves and PTO, and even eCommerce and CRM tools to keep your sales and other data organized. Why does this matter? It saves you time and reduces errors because you no longer have to enter your data in multiple platforms, risking missing or forgetting something. Plus, you won’t have to switch between apps either; it’s all there. However, while Gusto Payroll’s plans are low-priced, you must choose one that your budget can handle, even if it means you’ll lose some of the integration abilities. After all, as we’ve already mentioned, you can upgrade your plan whenever you want.
Gusto Security Safeguards
When dealing with payroll and employee data, security is a must. Gusto Payroll is an expert in this field and offers plenty of security measures to keep your sensitive information safe.
Data Encryption
Gusto uses top-level encryption to protect sensitive data, so you know it’s secure both when you enter it and when you store it.
Two-Factor Authentication
All accounts have the option to enable 2FA, adding extra protection by requiring a unique code in addition to your password.
Regular Security Checks
The Gusto team does frequent security checks in order to spot and fix any vulnerabilities in their system. This way, you know you’re always protected against potential threats.
Role-Based Permissions
You have full control over who has access to what information, ensuring sensitive data is only available to those who truly need it.
How To Save Money Using Gusto Payroll
1. Regularly Review Plan Usage
Know What You Pay For
Do you know the details of your Gusto plan? Gusto offers many features, from simple payroll services to more comprehensive tools that deal with hiring, employee benefits, and compliance. Take a moment to check your Gusto Payroll pricing subscription and understand what’s included. Maybe you’re paying for features you don’t use, and you need to downgrade.
Employee Count
Since Gusto charges extra for each person on your payroll, you need to count your employees after every big change. For example, did any seasonal hires leave? Did an outsourced partner finish their work? To make sure you’re not paying extra for inactive users, check your list regularly.
Benefits Usage
If you’re offering benefits through Gusto, check their cost and usage regularly. Are your employees using the benefits you provide, or are there cheaper options that still meet their needs? This is especially helpful if you’re a small business where every dollar you spend counts.
2. Avoid Unnecessary Add-Ons
Start With The Basics
We mentioned how important it is to choose the right Gusto Payroll pricing plan, and that’s because its many features can be costly, although beneficial. The truth is that you don’t need them all. If you’re a small business or working solo, the Simple plan might be more than enough.
Don’t Add Too Many Features Right Away
As you set up your Gusto account, you’ll likely be asked to choose among many add-ons. These include things like health insurance, 401(k) options, and more. Although you may feel tempted to add them to make your business more complete, know that these can be added later as your company grows. For example, offering health insurance is an excellent benefit, sure, but if you’re a beginner, you might not be ready for these expenses.
3. Set Budget Limits
Gusto Savings Goals
The Gusto Wallet offered by the platform allows you to set savings goals. These are an easy way for employees to save for unexpected expenses and feel more secure financially. You can set up to five different personalized accounts, each with its own goal to keep track of and its own bank account number, so you can transfer money smoothly. When you create a savings goal, you get to choose how much to set aside from each paycheck. Once you get paid, that amount automatically goes right there. If you have several goals, you can decide how much to save for each one from every paycheck.
Set Budget For Payroll Expenses
With Gusto Payroll, you can set a specific budget for your payroll expenses, whether it’s for a specific period or a particular department. This helps you avoid overspending and ensures that you’re focusing on your financial goals. If you’re on a tight budget or want to dedicate specific amounts for salaries, bonuses, or benefits, this feature shows you exactly where your money is going. For example, you have a payroll budget of $10,000 for the month. With Gusto, if you enter your employee wages, bonuses, and other expenses, it will let you know if and when you’re exceeding that budget.
4. Use Self-Service Features
Employees Handling Their Own Info
To put an end to employees asking you to update their info, send them payroll receipts, or inform them of remaining PTO, you can use Gusto’s self-service portal. This way, employees can access their own accounts, manage their info, and learn anything they want regarding their paychecks and other processes 24/7. So, you don’t need extra staff to handle all these requests, and you save both time and money.
Automated Benefits Enrollment
Offering benefits to your team is a great way to attract and retain talent, but it can be hard to manage and expensive if you outsource a partner for this. Gusto’s self-service portal allows employees to review benefits plans, enroll themselves, and make changes as needed. Not only does this eliminate the need for a dedicated HR pro to guide them through the process, but it also reduces errors that can cost you money.
Time-Tracking
You don’t have to manually track your employees’ hours or pay for time-tracking software anymore. With Gusto’s time-tracking tools, employees can clock in and out right from the platform and even their phones. This accurate and transparent tracking ensures you only pay for the hours worked based on real data and not estimations.
5. Avoid Costly Payroll Errors
Correct Setup
One of the best ways to avoid payroll errors is to set things up right from the start. Gusto may guide you through the process, but you must also double-check everything yourself. For a start, make sure all employee information, tax details, and payment schedules are accurate. Mistakes here can lead to tax penalties or delayed payments, both of which can cost your business time and money.
Automated Tax Filing
By filing taxes automatically and always being up-to-date with compliance laws and regulations, you don’t have to worry about errors and miscalculations. Gusto’s features not only save you money on hiring someone else to do these processes but also reduce the risk of tax mistakes that may cost you a lot.
Regular Payroll Audits
It’s always a great idea to check your payroll now and then, even if you’re using Gusto’s automated tools. Take a moment to look for any inconsistencies, double-check your employee classifications, and make sure everyone is getting paid what they should be. Catching any errors early on can save you from bigger financial problems in the future.
Gusto Payroll Pricing Plan FAQ
Gusto is well-known for its user-friendly platform and understandable features. You’ll find customers praising Gusto for its customer support, too. So, yes, it’s a reliable option for payroll.
Yes, Gusto charges a fee for paying contractors. If you don’t have full-time employees, Gusto offers a Contractor-Only plan at $6 per contractor per month.
With Gusto Payroll, employees typically receive their pay via direct deposit within two to four business days after payroll is processed. For eligible companies, Gusto also offers next-day and same-day payroll options. The processing time depends on your plan and business account type.
Gusto Payroll’s pricing is competitive for the features it provides. Its plans start at $40/month plus $6 per employee. For small businesses, Gusto’s cost is reasonable compared to competitors offering similar services.
No. Gusto is transparent in its pricing and has no hidden fees. The monthly plan costs and per-employee fees are clearly outlined, and optional add-ons are detailed from the start.
Gusto’s basic plan is the Simple plan we mentioned above. It covers basic features and is the cheapest option among the other pricing plans.
While Gusto’s pricing is transparent, you might pay extra for optional services like health insurance, tax filings outside your primary location, and advanced HR tools or integrations. However, Gusto informs you about these costs so you can decide whether to include them in your plan.
Gusto doesn’t frequently change its pricing, but it may update rates according to new features or market trends. Changes are communicated in advance, though, so you won’t face unexpected costs.
Gusto helps you find, set up, and take care of your employees’ health benefits. Whether it’s comparing plans, assisting with enrollments, or managing changes like adding or removing employees, they have your back. Plus, everything is integrated into your payroll, so deductions happen automatically.
Yes, Gusto makes it easy to upgrade or downgrade plans based on your business needs through your account settings.
Gusto does not offer a free plan.
With Gusto, you can run payroll as many times as needed within a month at no extra cost. This is perfect for businesses that need to process different pay schedules for employees and contractors, whether you pay weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly.
