Gusto pricing in 2026: $109 a month for 10 people, until your first out-of-state hire

We have not run payroll on Gusto. This guide to Gusto pricing is built from four independent pricing breakdowns published between February and October 2026, public user reviews, and competitors' own pricing pages, all checked on October 26, 2026. Gusto's website blocked our automated checks with a security page, so we couldn't read the pricing page directly or take a screenshot. The four sources agree on every plan price below. Sources are listed at the end.

The short version: Gusto is one of the few payroll providers that publishes its prices, and the Simple plan is cheap for a small team in one state. The price jump comes when you need a second state or faster deposits.

What Gusto is

Gusto is an online, full-service payroll and HR platform for U.S. small businesses. "Full-service" means it calculates paychecks, withholds taxes, pays them to the IRS and state agencies, and files the forms for you, including quarterly 941s, the annual 940, W-2s and 1099s.

On top of payroll, the higher plans add time tracking, hiring and onboarding tools, performance reviews, and access to health insurance, 401(k) and workers' comp through partners. Employees get an app with pay stubs and tax forms, and according to Nav they keep access after they leave.

Gusto syncs with QuickBooks, Xero and FreshBooks, according to SpotSaaS. Nav counts close to 150 integrations in total.

What Gusto costs in 2026: plans and per-person fees

Every plan has a monthly base fee plus a fee for each person you pay. These are the prices reported by SpotSaaS (checked September 2026), Prepzo (August 28, 2026) and Payroll Detective (October 2026). Nav (February 2026) lists the same plan prices.

Plan	Base fee	Per person	5 people	10 people	25 people
Contractor Only	$35/month ($0 for 6 months)	$6 per contractor	$65	$95	$185
Simple	$49/month	$6	$79	$109	$199
Plus	$80/month	$12	$140	$200	$380
Premium	$180/month	$22	$290	$400	$730

The team-size columns are our math from the published rates, before add-ons and benefits.

All four sources say there's no setup fee, no charge per payroll run, and no long-term contract. Nav and Payroll Detective also list a Solo plan for owner-only businesses, such as an S corp owner paying themselves, at $49 plus $6 per person.

Some older guides list Simple at $40 a month, and some describe Premium as quote-only. Prepzo notes that Premium is now listed publicly. If you see different numbers, check the date on the article.

What each plan adds

• Simple: unlimited payroll runs, all tax filings, employee app. One state only. Standard direct deposit, which Nav says can take two to four days.
• Plus: multi-state payroll, next-day direct deposit, time tracking and scheduling, applicant tracking, onboarding checklists, performance tools and expense reimbursements.
• Premium: everything in Plus, plus same-day and instant pay, custom admin roles, priority support and a dedicated service advisor. Nav also lists access to HR experts.
• Contractor Only: pays U.S. contractors and files their 1099s. No W-2 employees.

Gusto payroll pricing: the add-ons that raise the bill

These add-on prices come from Nav and Prepzo, and Payroll Detective confirms the payment-speed fees.

Add-on	Price	Included on
Next-day pay	$15/month + $3 per person	Plus, Premium
Same-day pay	$90 per payroll	Premium
Instant pay	$100 per payroll	Premium
Priority support	$30/month + $3 per person	Premium
Time & Attendance Plus	$6 per person (after a trial)	—
HR Resources	$50/month + $5 per person	—
Performance	$3 per person	Plus, Premium
Health insurance broker integration	$6 per eligible employee	Premium
Workers' comp (pay-as-you-go)	From $14/month	—
Global contractor payments	$5 per payment to a U.S. bank account	—
State tax registration	Varies by state	—

The add-on that catches people on Simple is next-day pay. With 10 people, Simple plus next-day pay costs $109 + $15 + $30 = $154 a month. At that point Plus ($200) costs only $46 more and adds multi-state payroll, time tracking and hiring tools.

The out-of-state hire problem

Simple supports payroll in one state. Payroll Detective points out that a single remote employee in another state forces an upgrade. For a 10-person team, that takes you from $109 to $200 a month, an extra $91, or about $1,092 a year, because the per-person fee doubles for everyone, not only the new hire.

If you plan to hire remotely in the next year, budget for Plus from the start. Or compare OnPay, which includes multiple states on its single plan (see below).

Free trial and promotions

None of the four sources lists a free trial for the main payroll plans. Prepzo and Nav mention a trial only for the Time & Attendance Plus add-on. The one standing promotion all sources agree on is the $0 base fee for six months on Contractor Only. The $6 per-contractor fee still applies. Some partner sites advertise their own sign-up offers, so read the terms on the page you sign up from.

Is Gusto legit? What users praise

Yes. Gusto is a long-established, widely used payroll provider. SpotSaaS reports a 4.6 out of 5 rating on Capterra from 4,137 reviews and nearly 13,000 reviews on G2. Across those sites, the positive patterns are consistent:

• Ease of use. This is the most common praise. Owners without payroll experience say they can run payroll and understand the tax side.
• Taxes handled for you. Reviewers value the automatic filings and year-end forms.
• Accounting sync. The QuickBooks Online integration comes up often.
• The employee app. Pay breakdowns and access to past pay stubs and tax forms get positive mentions.

What users complain about

Gusto holds a 1.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot from about 2,550 reviews when we checked. The distribution is unusually split: 63% five-star and 30% one-star. The TrustScore isn't a simple average, so read the themes rather than the number:

• Slow help when something goes wrong. This is the clearest pattern across Trustpilot, Capterra and G2. Routine payroll runs smoothly, but fixing an IRS penalty notice, a missed state unemployment payment or a benefits deduction that didn't stop can take weeks. One Capterra reviewer described support questions taking two to three weeks.
• Multi-state tax issues. Several Trustpilot reviewers report unresolved problems after an employee moved to another state.
• Escalations that stall. Reviewers say promised follow-ups don't happen, and repeated identity checks on calls slow things down.
• Premium doesn't guarantee faster fixes. SpotSaaS cites a Premium customer whose dedicated representative didn't speed up a benefits fix.
• Limited customization for more complex setups.

Gusto replies to 96% of negative Trustpilot reviews, usually within a week, per Trustpilot's profile, but most replies point customers to the support email.

What this means in practice: with any payroll provider, the real test is how a tax problem gets fixed, not how a normal payday goes. Keep your own copies of tax notices, and check each quarterly filing in your Gusto account rather than assuming it went through.

Gusto alternatives: OnPay, QuickBooks Payroll, ADP and Rippling

Provider	Published price	Multi-state	10-person cost	Good fit if
Gusto Simple	$49 + $6/person	No	$109	One state, simple payroll
Gusto Plus	$80 + $12/person	Yes	$200	Multi-state with hiring and time tools
OnPay	$49 + $6/worker	Yes, included	$109	Multi-state on a small budget
QuickBooks Payroll	$50 + $7/employee (per SpotSaaS)	—	$120	You already keep your books in QuickBooks
ADP	Quote only	Yes	Quote	You want a large provider and expect to grow
Rippling	Quote only	Yes	Quote	You need payroll tied to IT and device management

Gusto vs OnPay

OnPay's pricing page lists Payroll Essentials at $49 a month plus $6 per worker, and says every plan includes paying workers in as many states as you need, plus phone, chat and email support. For a multi-state team that is the main reason to look at OnPay: at 10 people it costs the same as Gusto Simple while covering what Gusto charges Plus prices for. Its HR and time-tracking modules are priced separately.

Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll

SpotSaaS lists QuickBooks' entry payroll at $50 plus $7 per employee and says Gusto's Simple and Plus cost less than the matching QuickBooks tiers at every team size, while QuickBooks' top tier is cheaper than Gusto Premium. QuickBooks also sells payroll bundled with its accounting plans, which we covered in our QuickBooks Online pricing guide. If your bookkeeper lives in QuickBooks, the bundle may save a sync. Otherwise, Gusto integrates with QuickBooks Online anyway.

Gusto vs ADP

ADP doesn't publish prices, so you'll need a sales quote. Gusto's advantage is that you know your bill before you talk to anyone. ADP tends to suit businesses that expect to grow well past 50 people or want one large provider for payroll, benefits and HR.

Gusto vs Rippling

Rippling is also quote-only. It's built for companies that want payroll connected to app access, devices and IT. For a 10-person shop that just needs paychecks and taxes done, that's usually more than you need.

Who Gusto fits

• Teams of about 1 to 25 people in one or two states, the range Payroll Detective recommends.
• Owners who want to see the price up front rather than sit through a sales call.
• Businesses that pay both W-2 employees and U.S. contractors and want both in one place.
• Owners new to payroll who want filings and year-end forms done automatically.

Who should skip it

• Multi-state teams on a tight budget. OnPay includes multiple states at Gusto Simple's price.
• Construction firms on public works. Payroll Detective found no certified payroll reporting, so confirm in writing before signing up.
• Businesses that need fast, guaranteed human help without paying for Premium. Support is business-hours only, and slow fixes are the top complaint.
• Companies with employees abroad. Gusto can pay contractors in more than 120 countries, according to SpotSaaS. For employees abroad, sources disagree on whether Gusto still offers its own service, so ask Gusto directly or look at a specialist such as Deel or Remote.

Is Gusto worth it?

For a small team in one state, yes. Simple at $49 plus $6 a person is a fair price for full-service payroll and tax filing, and you know the bill in advance.

Once you need a second state or next-day deposits, do the math. Plus is good value if you'll use its time tracking and hiring tools. If you only need multi-state payroll, compare OnPay first. Whichever plan you choose, keep an eye on your tax filings, because fixing problems is where users report the most frustration.

FAQ

How much does Gusto cost per month?

Simple costs $49 a month plus $6 per person, Plus costs $80 plus $12, and Premium costs $180 plus $22. A 10-person team pays $109, $200 or $400 a month before add-ons. Contractor Only costs $35 plus $6 per contractor, with the base fee waived for the first six months.

Does Gusto charge per payroll run?

No. All plans include unlimited payroll runs. Same-day pay ($90) and instant pay ($100) are charged per payroll on Simple and Plus.

Does Gusto have a free trial?

None of the sources we checked lists a free trial for the payroll plans. Contractor Only has a $0 base fee for six months, and the Time & Attendance Plus add-on has a trial.

Is Gusto better than ADP for a small business?

For a team under about 25 people that wants simple, transparent pricing, Gusto is usually easier to start with. ADP is quote-only and tends to suit companies that expect to grow larger or want a single big provider.

Does Gusto file payroll taxes for you?

Yes. Every plan includes federal, state and local payroll tax payments and filings, plus W-2s and 1099s. Users still recommend checking your filings each quarter.