Gusto pricing: what you'll actually pay each month

What Gusto costs at 1, 5 and 10 people

	People paid
Plan	1	5	10
Simple $49 a month + $6 per employee States: One only	$55	$79	$109
Plus $80 a month + $12 per employee States: Any number	$92	$140	$200
Premium $180 a month + $22 per employee States: Any number	$202	$290	$400

Monthly cost at the regular price, one state, employees only. From Gusto's pricing page, checked Oct 22, 2026.

The per-person fee applies to employees and to US contractors in months you pay them. Gusto says it charges only for active employees, so a seasonal worker you don’t pay in a month doesn’t cost you that month.

When Simple stops being enough

Simple is the cheapest way into Gusto, but three needs push you up:

1. A second state. Simple covers one state. Any employee in another state means Plus, at $80 a month + $12 per employee.
2. Next-day pay. On Simple it’s an add-on at $15 a month plus $3 per person. Plus includes it.
3. Time tracking. On Simple it’s $6 per person a month after a free trial. Plus includes it.

What that means in dollars:

Team	Simple	Simple + next-day	Simple + next-day + time tracking	Plus
3 people	$67	$91	$109	$116
5 people	$79	$109	$139	$140
10 people	$109	$154	$214	$200

With one add-on, Simple stays cheaper at every team size. With both, Plus wins from 6 people. If you have staff in two states, the choice is made for you.

Paying contractors only

	Contractors paid
Plan	3	10	25
Contractor Only $35 a month + $6 per contractor	$53	$95	$185

Monthly cost at the regular price, contractors only. From Gusto's pricing page, checked Oct 22, 2026.

Gusto shows this plan’s price in its page data rather than on the main plan cards, and links to it as “contractor only”. You pay only in months you pay someone.

Gusto’s extra fees

Extra	What it costs
State tax registration (new state)	Not published source
Time & Attendance Plus (Simple plan)	$6 per person per month source
Next-day pay (Simple plan)	$15 + $3 per person per month source
Same-day pay (Simple, Plus)	$90 per payroll source
Instant pay (Simple, Plus)	$100 per payroll source
Priority Support (Simple, Plus)	$30 + $3 per person per month source
Gusto Business Compliance (per state)	$85 per month, per state, annual contract source
Keep your own health broker	$6 per month, per eligible employee source
Global contractor payment	$5 per payment (to US-based bank accounts) source
Remote I-9	$20 per submission source

Two to watch: same-day and instant pay are charged per payroll, so they add up fast if you use them every pay period, and new-state tax registration has no published price.

Gusto next to the two cheapest options

Gusto next to the two cheapest options

EmployeesW-2Contractors1099Stateswith staff12345

For your team, at regular prices

1. 1.GustoSimple$948 a year$79 a month
   How we got this

   • Base fee (monthly)$49
   • 5 employees x $6 (monthly)$30

   Visit Gusto →Check their pricing

2. 2.Patriot PayrollFull Service Payroll$744 a year$62 a month
   How we got this

   • Base fee (monthly)$37
   • 5 employees x $5 (monthly)$25
   Promotion: 30-day free trial, then 50% off for 3 months (no end date published)

   Who: Not stated beyond new customers.

   After: The regular price above. Not included in the totals above.

   Visit Patriot Payroll →Check their pricing

3. 3.Roll by ADPRoll$768 a year$64 a month
   How we got this

   • Base fee (monthly)$39
   • 5 employees x $5 (monthly)$25
   Promotion: 3 months free (no end date published)

   Who: US businesses that have never used Roll by ADP. Cancel during the trial and you lose the rest of it.

   After: The regular price above. Not included in the totals above.

   Visit Roll by ADP →Check their pricing

Fine-tune

Pay scheduleWeeklyEvery 2 weeksTwice a monthMonthly

I need time trackingI need next-day or faster direct deposit

Paying every 2 weeks? Gusto, OnPay, Roll by ADP, SurePayroll (by Paychex), Patriot Payroll, Square Payroll say payroll runs are unlimited, so how often you pay doesn't change their price. RUN Powered by ADP says its fees rise with how often you run payroll. The others don't say.

Yearly total = 12 months of fees plus fees billed once a year. Taxes and wages are not included: this is what the payroll service charges. Prices from each provider's own page, checked Oct 20, 2026.

Who Gusto suits, and who should skip it

A good fit if you have a small team in one state and want month-to-month payroll with health benefits administration at no extra cost when Gusto is your broker. Unlimited payroll runs mean bonuses and corrections cost nothing extra.

Look elsewhere if your team is spread across states but small: Gusto charges Plus prices for that, while OnPay, Roll by ADP and Square Payroll include more states on their standard plan. Also look elsewhere if you need same-day pay every payroll on a budget.

Compare with QuickBooks Payroll pricing, ADP payroll pricing, or every payroll service side by side.