Gusto Pricing 2026
How Much Does Gusto Payroll Cost?
Gusto uses simple, published pricing: a flat monthly base fee plus a per-person fee. Here's what each plan costs in 2026, what's included, and how to knock $100 off your start.
| Plan | Monthly base | Per employee | Best for | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | $49/mo | $6/person | Small teams, single state | Full-service payroll, automatic tax filing, employee self-service, basic benefits |
| Plus Most popular | $80/mo | $12/person | Growing teams, multi-state | Everything in Simple, plus multi-state payroll, next-day direct deposit, time tracking, hiring tools |
| Premium | $180/mo | $22/person | Larger teams | Named advisor, HR guidance, Gusto Business Compliance, same-day and instant pay included |
List prices checked on November 1, 2026 from Gusto's pricing page. Some visits to that page on the same day showed a higher set ($49 + $7, $99 + $12, $179 + $22), so confirm your rate on Gusto before you buy. US contractors cost the plan's per-person fee, charged only in months you pay them. Gusto closed its contractor-only plan to new customers on October 1, 2026.
Gusto price, Gusto cost & Gusto pricing plans
Searches for Gusto price, Gusto cost, Gusto pricing, and how much does Gusto cost all mean the same thing: what you pay each month for payroll. The answer is a published base fee plus a per-person fee: Simple at $49/month + $6 per person, Plus at $80/month + $12 per person, and Premium at $180/month + $22 per person. The plan table above is the full Gusto pricing plans breakdown; core tax filing and direct deposit are included on every paid plan.
What's included at every tier
Unlike some competitors that charge add-ons for the basics, every paid Gusto plan includes automatic federal, state, and local tax filing, unlimited payroll runs, direct deposit, employee self-service, and year-end W-2s and 1099s — at no extra cost. You're paying for the plan, not nickel-and-dimed for each feature.
How much does Gusto cost per month? (an example)
For a business with 5 employees on the Simple plan, the math is: $49 base + (5 × $6) = $79 per month. On Plus, the same team is $80 + (5 × $12) = $140 per month, adding multi-state payroll, time tracking, and next-day deposits. Contractors are billed at the same per-person fee, but only in months you pay them.
Are there any hidden Gusto fees?
Gusto's pricing is transparent — the base fee and per-person fee are the core cost. Optional add-ons (like certain benefits, workers' comp, or state new-hire filings in some cases) may carry their own cost, but the core payroll and tax filing you'd expect are included. There's no setup fee to get started.
Gusto Plus plan pricing
The Gusto Plus plan is $80 per month plus $12 per person. It adds time tracking and scheduling, unlimited next-day pay, multi-state payroll, and contractor invoice management to everything in Simple. Gusto labels it the best value of its Gusto payroll plans. It is the tier to pick if you pay people in more than one state or want time tracking synced to payroll. See every tier side by side in the table above.
Gusto payroll fees and add-ons
The plan price covers unlimited payrolls and tax filing. Optional add-ons cost extra: next-day pay on Simple is $15 per month plus $3 per person, same-day pay is $90 per payroll and instant pay is $100 per payroll on Simple and Plus, and state tax registration is priced by state. There is no setup fee and no long-term contract. Benefits add-ons such as health savings and flexible spending accounts carry their own per-participant Gusto payroll fees, listed on Gusto's pricing page.
Gusto pricing for accountants
Accounting and bookkeeping firms that join Gusto's partner program get free payroll for their own firm, plus revenue share and client perks. Clients pay Gusto's plan prices, though partner firms may have perks to pass along to them. Firms that run payroll for many clients can ask Gusto's partner team about the program.
How to lower your Gusto cost
New customers can earn a $100 Visa card for running their first payroll — effectively offsetting two months of the base fee. See the full offer on our Gusto referral code page.
Before you buy: overview & comparisons
Read the Gusto Payroll overview to see how payroll runs day to day, or compare this Gusto cost against ADP, QuickBooks, Rippling and more on the payroll comparison chart. Net-pay estimates live on the Gusto paycheck calculator — separate from plan pricing above.