Gusto Reviews

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"Supporting small businesses through the ups and downs."
Pricing

Start at $19/month + $6/user

Type of Pricing Plan

Monthly , Semi Annual

Devices Supported
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
iPhone
Web-based
Integrations
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With a whopping 90% of customers claiming that switching to Gusto was effortless and another 75% saying it makes compliance easier, it is no wonder this product has won the Expert’s Choice Award. Multiple Gusto reviews further rank it as one of the best cloud payroll platforms. To see the gusto of working with Gusto, we looked at some of its functionalities and compared them to industry standards. Scroll down to find out more.

Key Features
Full-service payroll
Direct deposit
Multiple pay rates and schedules
Employee benefits management
Hiring & onboarding
Time tracking
Strengths
  • Unlimited payrolls
  • Benefits administration
  • Self-onboarding
  • Great integrations
Weaknesses
  • No mobile app
  • Weak dashboard

Functional, Modern, and Easy-to-Use Payroll System

Whether you are a sole proprietor, run a small business or an S corporation, the Gusto software promises to save you time and money by handling the complex and tedious processes involving payroll, benefits, and HR. The scope of our Gusto review, therefore, is to examine the platform’s features, including onboarding, benefits, and compliance to verify whether they are indeed comprehensive enough to accommodate the needs of small, mid-sized, and larger businesses.

 

Gusto Payroll Software 

From automated and unlimited payroll to filing all possible tax forms and PDF reports on payroll history, bank transactions, tax payments, plus the option to select and change the frequency of payroll, this product is a modern-day payroll solution.

 

Gusto Online Payroll Processing 

The way the Gusto software works is by automatically calculating the payroll for each pay period, saving employers precious time. Gusto payroll reviews confirm that all users need to do is add the number of hours each employee works along with any bonuses or commissions, and the pay calculations are done in a matter of minutes. In the end, they just need to review and submit the data via the payroll software. The platform’s users can also run bonus, off-cycle, dismissal, or missing payroll, and have the flexibility to initiate off-season payrolls.

The AutoPilot is an ingenious Gusto payroll service because it allows companies with minimal to no variation in payroll to process it automatically without having to log in to the software. Gusto payroll reviews indicate that this feature further simplifies payroll since once everything is set up and configured in the AutoPilot, employers can relax knowing that the payroll will be done every two weeks. 

For businesses working remotely, the Gusto payroll app is available for both iOS and Android devices though it is not an app per se, but rather a mobile version of the desktop site. 

Payroll can be run an unlimited number of times each month at no additional cost. In addition to being free, according to Gusto payroll customer reviews, this service also adds flexibility because it provides businesses with an abundance of payroll schedules so employers don’t worry about paying full-time or contingent workers. 

 

How Long Do Gusto Payments Take?

When payday comes, employers can choose one of the several Gusto payments available — direct deposit, prepaid debit cards, or printed checks. Just like other payroll software, employers who choose the direct deposit transfer the amount automatically to each worker’s bank account. The time for the direct deposit meanwhile depends on which timeline you use. In general, employees are put on two-day payment but some qualify for next-day payments.

If payments are done on weekends or holidays, the bank will process it on the following workday. Gusto payroll reviews confirm it’s better to choose the next-day payroll if your employees need their pay first thing in the morning. Another recently improved issue is related to Gusto contractors with the system now supporting separate payments, and instead of four days, the payment is now done within two days. 

The Gusto debit card is very similar to the direct deposit and gives employees access to their funds without any need to print checks. The paystubs generated by the system are also very detailed and easy to read for employees. If your company prefers working with paychecks, the process is similarly simple as they can be automatically deposited to the Gusto debit card. Paychecks can also be given in printed form and this requires no special software, just check stock paper. 

 

Does Gusto Take Taxes?

The slightest misstep in payroll reporting can bring about an avalanche of notices from the IRS. It is a painstaking and confusing process which is why many businesses decide on using trustworthy payroll solutions to ease their burden. Luckily, the Gusto tax processing feature handles all tax-related responsibilities including federal, state, and local payroll taxes. 

The general impression of Gusto reviews is that when filing I-9s and W-2, employers are not bothered by deadlines and compliance issues. Instead, Gusto does it for them and makes sure employees and contractors get the digital copies of all the forms filed. And even if companies receive a notification from the IRS or a state tax agency, they can send it to Gusto — their team will make the necessary changes immediately. Users will then get an email explaining what the issue was about. 

 

Gusto Health Insurance Review

In case you were wondering whether Gusto handles pre-tax and supports benefits, the answer is yes. In addition to the medical, dental, and vision, other benefits offered are the 401(k) retirement plans and 529 college savings, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, and of course, life and disability, i.e. workers' compensation insurance and commuter benefits.

If the user has already established cooperation with a particular benefit provider, they can keep their plan by simply transferring the management onto the Gusto benefits team. Many Gusto reviews reveal that this simplifies payroll deductions since there is no need to use multiple platforms and support teams. What’s great is that your company can always rely on licensed brokers with vast experience in health coverage. And since the software has designated administrators for each benefit, managing information from a single location is a breeze. 

For pre-tax savings accounts, users can connect to health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, and commuter benefits via the Gusto payroll services at minimal monthly costs for a small number of employees. 

 

Gusto HR Software

Although Gusto is not your typical human resources software, it does equip employers with some great HR tools to better manage employees and their data. But Gusto reviews also mention these features are positively rated by employees too, especially employee self-onboarding and team insights. 

 

Gusto Onboarding

As far as hiring procedures go, every US state requires to be officially notified for every new employee. This includes completing the forms with an employee’s name and address, social security number, employer’s name, address, and federal identification number. Thanks to Gusto, employers only need to enter the new hire’s email address. 

The onboarding feature lets employers send the offer letters and signature documents (customizable to their company’s culture and style) and the rest is done by the software provider. Gusto also provides an onboarding checklist so admins know they have the right forms signed.

Gusto reviews further highlight the self-onboarding feature as a big plus because it makes the process easy for employees as well. From updating addresses or direct deposit info and withholding to checking past pay stubs and loading W-2s directly to the website, with Gusto onboarding, everything is a breeze. Other information such as emergency contacts and anniversaries are also organized in one place so that both employees and employers can access, modify, or download it, depending on their needs. 

 

Gusto HR Experts

Going through Gusto HR reviews, we discovered that clients find HR compliance help and on-demand access to HR professionals extremely useful. Clients that rely on the vendor’s HR experts say they play a key role in keeping their business up to date with the latest regulation changes. After all, getting the right support to better manage the most valuable resource — your staff — is vital to keeping your business protected.

Another upside to using the Gusto HR tools is that employers don’t need to be concerned about getting fined for violating the occupational safety and health act or worse, an employee lawsuit, because the Gusto team makes sure they get the necessary alerts and updates proactively. Other HR elements are the employee relations advising, termination requirements, custom employee handbooks, and harassment prevention training, all of which make HR management much more transparent. 

And finally, since we read a lot of Gusto HR reviews praising the Team Insights feature, we too would like to confirm that it is a very practical solution because it gives voice to employees. Since not many like to publicly speak their mind and rate their work satisfaction level, the surveys provided via Gusto’s Team Insights not only enable clear communication but also help employers keep a modern and happy shop. 

 

Gusto Timesheets

Depending on the tier selected, Gusto can partially or fully handle paid time off management for your company. The built-in time tracking tool is a good choice for businesses with relatively modest needs and according to some Gusto reviews, it is better suited for companies with needs like onboarding/termination and organizing of benefits. Bear in mind that for firms with very few employees, this tool might be redundant. But since it syncs seamlessly with the Gusto payroll software and solves the issue of keeping track of employee hours, we believe it is an excellent addition to the product. 

Users of this recently added tool designed to function as timekeeping software can calculate the team’s hours, PTOs, and vacation days automatically into the Gusto payroll. Gusto payroll software reviews further reveal that timesheets are simple to handle for both employees and managers. Based on the vacation and sick time policies established by the employer, employees submit their time-off requests gusto and await employers to approve or deny them. 

 

Gusto Integrations 

The official Gusto website says they play nice with other platforms. But of course, we didn’t just take their word for it, so we tested some of the options ourselves. To provide an even fuller service, Gusto offers some solid third-party integrations. Gusto reviews mention the integrations with business operations software like Veryfi which operates as an all-in-one bookkeeping copilot and is great for construction and field-based teams, Kinderlime for childcare services, or ClienTrak! and Vagaro for salons and spas.

Gusto also enables effortless import and update of employee data from Expensify or ReceiptBank which are both relatively solid expense management solutions, and points of sale systems like Clover and SpotOn. To compensate for the fact that Gusto timesheets is a relatively basic tool, it also enables integrations with TSheets, Homebase, TimeTracker, Boomr, and more. 

Finally, Gusto integrates with QuickBooks, making it possible to sync wages and taxes every time you run payroll. Gusto reviews that mention QuickBooks integrations are very positive. Gusto clients say integration is easy and quick. Some users believe Gusto is more user-friendly than QuickBooks or any other related software program. Others, however, say that integration with QuickBooks should be expanded. 

 

How Much Does Gusto Charge for Payroll?

Gusto pricing is very transparent, and the best thing is that the vendor does not require clients to sign a long-term contract. Instead, they are free to suspend their account at any time. In addition to the three pricing plans offered, the vendor also has a free 30-day trial. Below is a breakdown of the plans.

Gusto Basic offers full-service payroll, employee self-service, workers’ comp administration, 4-day direct deposit, and PTO policies at $19 per month. This plan is recommended for teams of one or two employees with an additional $6/employee/month. 

The Core Gusto payroll pricing starts at $39 per month. Users of this package can enjoy everything from the Basic plan plus the newly-added option for contractor-only employers by simply paying the $6/employee rate and no base price. Some onboarding features, as well as health insurance and AutoPilot, are also part of the Core plan.

The Complete service plan, according to Gusto reviews, is the most highly recommended option because it includes everything from the Core plan, plus a more complete paid time off management, all onboarding features, including employee directories and surveys. The Gusto fees for this plan amount to $39/month plus $12/employee/month. 

Gusto Concierge has a base fee of $149/month plus $12/employee/month. Users of this plan get more extensive HR support including on-demand HR services and a resource center for creating customized employee handbooks, job descriptions, etc. The dedicated support team services included in this plan are something we would like to highlight in this Gusto payroll review which comes in handy should users have any issues with the service. 

 

Gusto Support

Users who have chosen Gusto are generally happy with how easy-to-use the product is. But still, there are occasions when clients need to contact the support team. 

The working hours of the support team are Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 5 PM PST. In case a client cannot get in touch with phone support, emailing is always an option. The live chat team, as numerous Gusto payroll reviews point out, is very responsive and always happy to help.

Thanks to the Ask Gusto Blog, users have a variety of articles, videos, and FAQs on payroll, taxes, and other related topics. The payroll software gets two thumbs up from us as a valuable resource tool because of its excellent simulation. 

The Gusto customer support center also cooperates with the IRS on behalf of their clients in case they have any payroll or tax-related issues. The recently developed COVID-19 Resource Hub meanwhile provides businesses with information and tips on how to better handle the crisis. The overall impression we got about the vendor’s support team is that they provide outstanding service. 

 

Our Verdict

As payroll processing software, Gusto is very attractive, especially for small businesses. However, thanks to its many features and continuous improvements, it can cater to administrators with more complex needs. As Gusto reviews show, it is a solid and flexible platform which when combined with the HR and benefits administration tools can be almost ideal. The downside is that it can come out pricey, even more so if clients are inexperienced and do not know how to find the middle ground between the services they need and how much they are willing to pay for them.