Gusto Review: The Best Payroll Service for Sole Proprietors or S Corp

• • • Why Gusto?
    • Services & Features
    • Cost
    • Customer Service
  • Limitations     

1. Capital One Spark Business (banking)
2. QuickBooks Online (accounting)
3. QuickBooks (accounting)
4. FreshBooks (accounting)
5. Xero (accounting)
6. TSheets (time tracking)
7. When I Work (time tracking)
8. Deputy (time tracking)
9. Ximble(time tracking)
10. Boomr mobile time tracking (time tracking)
11. Time Tracker (time tracking)
12. Receipt Bank (expense management)

Gusto also offers several additional services, including 401(k) retirement and workers' compensation plans. In addition, the company provides health care plans designed specifically for small businesses. However, those benefits are not available in all states. Health care benefits through Gusto are currently only available in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas and Washington.

Gusto has also partnered with Gradvisor to offer 529 college savings plans that integrate with the payroll service. 529 contributions automatically sync with the Gusto system, so there's nothing to update. In addition, employers have the option to offer company contributions.

Cost

Gusto charges a $39 base price each month, plus $6 per employee or contractor. When paying contractors, however, you are only charged the $6 for the months they are paid. So, if you only pay a contractor once a year, you only pay the $6 for the month they are paid in.

Unlike other companies that charge more for added features, Gusto's monthly price includes all of its payroll and payroll-tax services. There are no extra charges for multiple payroll runs, direct deposit, paying employees in multiple states, year-end tax services or for setting up the system. Many of the other providers we considered charged extra for some of these services.

It is important to note that Gusto has significantly raised its costs in recent years. Originally, the company charged $25 per month plus $4 per employee for the first 10 employees, and $2 per employee after that. In 2015, those rates increased to $29 per month, plus $6 per employee. Last year, the prices increased again to the current $39 monthly base fee. We did reach out to Gusto during our latest round of research and were told that pricing isn't expected to be raised again anytime soon.

If those prices are too high for you, we would encourage you to consider our second-place winner in this category: Wagepoint. This service has a $20 base fee, plus $2 per employee per pay run. So, if you are running payroll only once a month, you can cut your costs by more than half. You can read more about Wagepoint below.

Ease of Use

Gusto is a cloud-based system doesn't require you to install or maintain any software. The system's online portal, which is mobile friendly and can be accessed from any smartphone or tablet, has an interface that's easy to navigate.

When logging in, each time you are taken to the Gusto dashboard, which shows a "to-do" list, important updates and upcoming activities. The homepage also walks you through the entire process of setting up the system, which includes:

1. Adding a company address
2. Adding employees
3. Setting up federal and state taxes
4. Setting up and verifying your bank account
5. Configuring the payroll schedule

To add employees or contractors into the system, all you need are workers' names, email addresses and pay rates. You then have the option of filling in additional details, such as Social Security numbers, home addresses, and tax withholding and bank information. Or you can use the employee self-onboarding feature, which gives employees and contractors the ability to enter all of that information on their own.

The process of running payroll with Gusto was among the easiest we experienced during our research. You click the Run Payroll tab on the Gusto home page and enter the number of hours each employee worked, vacation or sick days taken, bonuses or commissions earned, and expense reimbursements. You then click Submit Payroll, and you'll receive conformation that the money is being sent to your employees or contractors via direct deposit, and that you can print out any necessary checks.

To run payroll, all you need to do is add in the number of hours employees worked and any bonuses or commissions they earned.

All employees – full-time, part-time and contract workers – can log in to the system to review their digital pay stubs and get their year-end tax forms. These are lifetime accounts, which give employees access to their information even if they move on to new employers.

Customer Service

We were extremely pleased with Gusto's customer service. To get a feel for the type of support provided, we called and emailed the company multiple times posing as a new business owner.

Each time we called, we spoke to friendly and helpful customer service representatives. While we did have to wait on hold to speak with someone during one of our calls, all of the other times we reached out to Gusto, our calls were answered immediately.

During our conversations, the representatives gave clear and detailed answers to all of our questions. At the end of each call, we had a strong understanding of how the system worked, the services provided and how much it all cost.

At no time did any of the representatives try to push us as into signing up for the service. Many of the other payroll providers we spoke to quickly tried to get all of the specifics on our company and quote us prices. Gusto, however, seemed more focused on first making sure our needs were met.

We were also happy with the prompt response we received when we contacted the company via email. Our emails were all returned within a couple of hours and included detailed and helpful answers to our questions.

Gusto representatives are available for support by phone and email between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. (MST), Monday through Friday. Gusto also has a complete library of resources on its website, including a full list of articles, videos and webinars, with tips on not only using the payroll system, but also running a small business.

Limitations     

The biggest drawback with Gusto is its regular price increases. Over the past three years, prices have risen by more than 50 percent. Although Gusto is far from being one of the most expensive payroll services, it is no longer among the cheapest.

If you are looking for a payroll service for a more affordable cost, we would encourage you to consider Wagepoint, our second-place winner in this category. It is important to note, however, that Wagepoint charges on a per-pay-run basis. So, if you run multiple payrolls each month, the costs of Gusto and Wagepoint will likely be pretty similar. You can read more about Wagepoint below.

Another potential downside is that Gusto's tax services aren't guaranteed. However, one of the customer service representatives we spoke with said if there is a problem with an incorrect or late payment that is made to the government on your behalf, Gusto will investigate the situation. If the company, and not you, made the error, Gusto will take responsibility for correcting it.

We were also disappointed that Gusto isn't an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has a C- rating. Despite that, the company, as of March 2017, has had only four complaints filed against it within the past three years. Three of those complaints were resolved to the satisfaction of the complainants. One has yet to be resolved.