Payroll · Published price, no warning
Gusto Review
Online payroll with automatic federal, state and local tax filing, contractor payments and published prices for every plan
Quick verdict
Who Gusto suits: Trade shops with W-2 employees, 1099 subcontractors or both that want online payroll with automatic tax filing and published prices, especially if they already use QuickBooks Online, Xero, Jobber or Housecall Pro. Pricing: From $49/mo + $6/person (Simple); Plus $80/mo + $12/person; Premium $180/mo + $22/person; Contractor Only $35/mo + $6/contractor for businesses with no W-2 employees ($0 base for the first 6 months as of 2026-09-30). Simple covers payroll in one state only, time tracking is a paid add-on on Simple, per-person fees add up as the crew grows, and Premium costs $180/mo + $22/person.
About Gusto
Gusto is a payroll, benefits and HR company based in San Francisco. It was incorporated in 2011 as ZenPayroll, and its SEC Form D filings list ZenPayroll, Inc. and Switchboard Labs, Inc. as former names. Gusto is privately held. Gusto's pricing page says it is trusted by more than 500,000 businesses.
Gusto has been a buyer rather than a target. It completed its purchase of Guideline, a retirement plan provider, in 2025, and in April 2026 it announced the acquisition of Mosey, a business compliance platform. Gusto says Mosey's technology will become Gusto Business Compliance, covering state and local registrations, filings and renewals.
Gusto publishes prices for its main plans. Simple is $49/mo plus $6/mo per person and, per Gusto, is meant for businesses that run payroll in one state: full-service payroll, unlimited payroll runs, automatic federal, state and local tax filing, and basic PTO and holiday pay. Plus ($80/mo plus $12/person) adds multi-state payroll, faster pay timing, time tracking and more HR and benefits tools. Premium is $180/mo plus $22/person and adds dedicated support, HR guidance, and same-day and instant pay. A Contractor Only plan costs $35/mo plus $6/mo per contractor for businesses with no W-2 employees; as of 2026-09-30 Gusto discounts its base price to $0 for the first 6 months.
For trade shops, the connections that matter are accounting and field-service time tracking. Gusto syncs payroll to QuickBooks Online and Xero; on Xero, the sync can be split by employee, department, job title or Gusto project. Jobber's help center documents a Gusto integration that sends approved timesheet hours and reimbursable expenses from Jobber to Gusto on Jobber's Connect plan or higher, for hourly employees only. Housecall Pro lists Gusto on its integrations page.
The trade-off: Simple covers one state, so a shop with crews working across state lines needs Plus or above, and time tracking is a paid add-on on Simple. The per-person fee grows with the crew: 10 people cost $109/mo on Simple or $200/mo on Plus at list price.
How it works
Choose a plan on Gusto's website and add your company, bank and employee or contractor details. Each pay period you enter hours or bring them in from a connected time-tracking app, review the payroll and approve it; on its payroll plans Gusto files federal, state and local payroll taxes automatically. If you use Jobber, approved timesheet hours (and, optionally, reimbursable expenses) sync into an unprocessed Gusto payroll. If you use QuickBooks Online or Xero, each payroll run syncs to your books. Time tracking is included on Plus and Premium and is a paid add-on on Simple.
Pros & cons
What works
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Published prices for every plan
Simple ($49/mo + $6/person), Plus ($80/mo + $12/person), Premium ($180/mo + $22/person) and Contractor Only ($35/mo + $6/contractor) are listed on Gusto's pricing page, so you can price it before talking to anyone.
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Automatic tax filing from the entry plan
Gusto says Simple includes full-service payroll, unlimited payroll runs and automatic federal, state and local tax filing.
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Documented Jobber and Housecall Pro connections
Jobber's help center describes syncing approved timesheet hours and reimbursable expenses from Jobber into Gusto (Jobber Connect plan or higher). Housecall Pro lists Gusto on its integrations page.
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Accounting sync to QuickBooks Online and Xero
Each payroll run syncs to your books. On Xero, you can split the sync by employee, department, job title or Gusto project and use Xero tracking categories.
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A plan for 1099-only crews
Businesses that pay only subcontractors can use the Contractor Only plan at $35/mo + $6/mo per contractor instead of a full payroll plan.
What doesn't
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Simple is for one state
Gusto positions Simple for businesses that run payroll in one state. Multi-state payroll starts on Plus at $80/mo + $12/person.
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Time tracking costs extra on Simple
Time tracking is included in Plus and Premium; on Simple it is a paid add-on.
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Per-person fees grow with the crew
At list prices, 10 people cost $109/mo on Simple and $200/mo on Plus; 25 people cost $199/mo on Simple and $380/mo on Plus.
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Premium is a large step up
Premium's dedicated support, HR guidance and same-day or instant pay cost $180/mo + $22/person on Gusto's pricing page, well above Plus at $80/mo + $12/person.
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Jobber sync covers hourly employees only
Jobber's help center says salary, contractor and commission employee types cannot sync, timesheets must be approved in Jobber first, and synced hours overwrite existing entries in Gusto.
Pricing
From $49/mo + $6/person (Simple); Plus $80/mo + $12/person; Premium $180/mo + $22/person; Contractor Only $35/mo + $6/contractor for businesses with no W-2 employees ($0 base for the first 6 months as of 2026-09-30).
Starting base: $49/mo + $6/employee
Affiliate disclosure: The link to Gusto on this page goes to its own site and is not an affiliate link.
Integrations
Reviews and complaints at the source
We do not copy third-party review scores onto this page: they change often and we could not verify them. Read Gusto's current reviews at the source.
Frequently asked
How much does Gusto cost for a 3-person crew?
At list prices, Simple is $49 + 3 x $6 = $67/mo and Plus is $80 + 3 x $12 = $116/mo. Simple covers payroll in one state; Plus adds multi-state payroll and time tracking.
Does Gusto handle 1099 contractors?
Yes. Gusto's pricing page lists a Contractor Only plan at $35/mo + $6/mo per contractor for businesses without W-2 employees. Shops with both employees and subcontractors use Simple, Plus or Premium.
Does Gusto work with Jobber and QuickBooks?
Yes. Jobber (Connect plan or higher) can send approved timesheet hours and reimbursable expenses for hourly employees into Gusto, and Gusto syncs each payroll run to QuickBooks Online or Xero.
Who owns Gusto?
Gusto is a privately held company based in San Francisco, incorporated in 2011 as ZenPayroll. It has made acquisitions of its own, completing its purchase of retirement plan provider Guideline in 2025 and announcing the Mosey acquisition in April 2026.
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