Gusto pricing, as of November 2026, is $49 a month plus $6 per person on Simple, $80 plus $12 per person on Plus, and $180 plus $22 per person on Premium. For 5 people that is $79, $140 and $290 a month before add-ons, and for 15 people it is $139, $260 and $510. I run Ecommerce Paradise, and I read Gusto’s own pricing page on November 3, 2026 to write this plan-by-plan and fee-by-fee breakdown.
I teach high-ticket dropshipping, so in my experience my readers are paying their first one to fifteen people, often a mix of employees and freelancers. If you want a side-by-side of other providers, my payroll software roundup covers that. This page stays on one question: what will Gusto actually cost you?
Affiliate disclosure: some links in this article are affiliate links and I may earn a commission at no cost to you. It does not change what Gusto’s pricing page says. This is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice, and prices change, so check Gusto before you sign up.
Gusto Pricing at a Glance (November 2026)
| Plan | Base fee per month | Per person per month | What Gusto lists | 5 people | 15 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | $49 | $6 | Basic payroll in one state | $79 | $139 |
| Plus | $80 | $12 | Multi-state payroll, time tracking and scheduling, unlimited next-day pay | $140 | $260 |
| Premium | $180 | $22 | Named advisor, HR guidance, business compliance tools, same-day and instant pay | $290 | $510 |
| Solo | $49 | $6 | S corp payroll support for owners paying themselves | $79 | $139 |
Source: the plan boxes on Gusto’s pricing page, read November 3, 2026. The 5 and 15 person columns are my arithmetic: base plus per-person fee times headcount, with no add-ons, benefits premiums or taxes.
How Much Does Gusto Cost Per Month?
Gusto charges a flat monthly base fee plus a fee for each person you pay. The base fee depends on the plan, and the per-person fee depends on the plan too. Gusto says it is month-to-month with no contracts and free account setup, and its FAQ says you are charged only for active employees. If you want to see the live numbers or start an account, you can do that at Gusto.
The fee that grows fastest is the per-person one. Moving from Simple to Plus adds $31 to the base fee and $6 to every person, so the gap between those plans is $61 a month at 5 people and $121 a month at 15 people. Moving from Plus to Premium adds $100 to the base and $10 per person, a $150 gap at 5 people and $250 at 15 people.
Gusto Simple: $49 Plus $6 Per Person
Gusto describes Simple as a way to run basic payroll in one state. Its popular features include unlimited payrolls per month, tax filings and payments, and basic PTO policies and holiday pay. Across all three payroll plans, Gusto lists direct deposit or printable checks, payroll approvals, Payroll on AutoPilot, an employee app, multiple pay rates and schedules, domestic contractor payments, and expense reimbursements.
What Simple does not include, according to the comparison table, is contractor invoice upload, workforce cost reports and unlimited custom earning types, all of which start on Plus. The big practical limit is the single state. If you hire a remote assistant in a second state, note that Gusto lists multi-state payroll under Plus, not Simple.
At 5 people Simple costs $49 + (5 x $6) = $79 a month, or $948 over 12 months. At 15 people it costs $49 + (15 x $6) = $139 a month, or $1,668 a year.
Gusto Plus: $80 Plus $12 Per Person
Plus is labeled “best value” on the pricing page and is described as a way to pay a mixed workforce and expand into new states. The features Gusto highlights are time tracking and scheduling, unlimited next-day pay, multi-state payroll and contractor invoice management. The table adds workforce cost reports, contractor invoice upload and unlimited custom earning types.
At 5 people Plus costs $80 + (5 x $12) = $140 a month, or $1,680 a year. At 15 people it costs $80 + (15 x $12) = $260 a month, or $3,120 a year. Next-day pay is included, which is worth knowing because it is a paid add-on on Simple.
Gusto Premium: $180 Plus $22 Per Person
Premium is priced on the page, which is a correction to an earlier version of this post that called it custom-priced. Gusto describes it as a named advisor as you scale, with built-in compliance, HR guidance and financial tools. The features listed include Premium account support, HR guidance and tools, Gusto Business Compliance, unlimited same-day and instant pay, project-based rules and costing, and unlimited custom admin roles.
At 5 people Premium costs $180 + (5 x $22) = $290 a month, or $3,480 a year. At 15 people it costs $180 + (15 x $22) = $510 a month, or $6,120 a year. For a team that small, Premium is a large step up, so confirm you will use the advisor and compliance tools before choosing it.
Gusto Solo Pricing: What It Costs and Who It Is For
Gusto also sells a Solo plan under the “Pay Myself” tab, aimed at solopreneurs who need payroll and S corp compliance support. It is listed at $49 a month plus $6 per person, the same numbers as Simple. The features Gusto highlights include compliant self-pay with automatic tax filing, a reasonable salary calculator, S corp election and compliance help, and access to a solopreneur platform with a Solo 401(k), health benefits, bill pay and invoicing, and contractor payments.
If you run a one-person store through an S corp and pay yourself a salary, that is the page to look at. I cannot tell you whether an S corp election makes sense for you, because that depends on your profit and state. An accountant can answer that, and my guide to business formation explains the entity choices that come first.
What Counts as a “Person” on Your Gusto Bill?
Gusto’s FAQ answers this directly. You are charged for active employees, so your bill rises when you add people. US contractors are billed at the per-person cost of whichever plan you pick, and Gusto bills you for contractors only in months when you paid them.
That matters for the common ecommerce setup of a few employees and several freelancers. If you pay 5 employees and 2 US contractors in the same month on Simple, the bill is $49 + (7 x $6) = $91. In a month you pay no contractors, it is back to $79. If you pay 15 employees and 3 contractors in a month on Plus, it is $80 + (18 x $12) = $296.
An earlier version of this post described a “Contractor Only” plan with a $0 base fee for six months and a $35 base after that. The pricing page I read in November 2026 does not show that plan, so I removed it. If you only pay contractors, ask Gusto which plan applies to you before you sign up.
Gusto Add-Ons and What They Cost
The add-ons are where a quoted price turns into a real one. This is Gusto’s own list, read November 3, 2026.
| Add-on | Price shown | Availability noted |
|---|---|---|
| Next-day pay | $15 a month plus $3 per person | Included in Plus and Premium; available with Simple |
| Same-day pay | $90 per payroll | Included in Premium; available with Simple and Plus |
| Instant pay | $100 per payroll | Included in Premium; available with Simple and Plus |
| Time & Attendance Plus | Try free, then $6 a month per person | Available with Simple |
| Priority Support | $30 a month plus $3 per person | Available with Simple and Plus |
| Gusto Business Compliance | $85 a month per state, annual contract, in supported states | Included in Premium; available with Simple and Plus |
| Remote I-9 | $20 per submission | Included in Premium; available with Simple and Plus |
| E-Verify | $5 per submission, on top of Remote I-9 | Included in Premium; available with Simple and Plus |
| R&D tax credits | 15% of identified tax credits | Discounts with Premium |
| Gusto Money Plus | $19 a month | Available on all plans |
Here is the arithmetic on the most common one. Next-day pay on Simple costs $15 + (5 x $3) = $30 a month at 5 people and $15 + (15 x $3) = $60 a month at 15 people. That puts Simple with next-day pay at $109 for 5 people and $199 for 15 people, still below Plus at $140 and $260. The difference is that Plus also adds multi-state payroll, scheduling and contractor invoice management, which Simple does not.
Priority Support follows a similar formula. On Simple at 5 people, it adds $30 + (5 x $3) = $45, bringing the bill to $124. At 15 people it adds $75, bringing it to $214. Time & Attendance Plus on Simple at 5 people adds 5 x $6 = $30, for $109, and at 15 people it adds $90, for $229. That is only $31 below Plus at 15 people ($260 minus $229), so if you want time tracking and multi-state, price Plus before assembling add-ons.
State, Contractor and International Fees
Gusto lists “state tax registration” as an add-on with “pricing varies by state.” It describes the add-on as handling the state and local paperwork when you need to file payroll taxes in a new state. I could not find a single flat price for it, so ask Gusto for the cost in your state.
Gusto Business Compliance is separate and is listed at $85 a month per state on an annual contract. For two states that is $85 x 2 = $170 a month, or $2,040 a year. Premium includes it, so a team in several states may compare the two.
For international contractors, Gusto lists global contractor payments to more than 120 countries with no monthly per-contractor fee. Its FAQ says it charges a small service fee and a foreign exchange fee on each payment, and the add-on shows $5 per payment to US-based bank accounts, with exchange rates varying. I could not confirm the fee for other destinations from the page, so check before you pay overseas freelancers.
An earlier version of this post cited a $699 Gusto Global fee for international employees. That figure is not shown on the pricing page I read, so I removed it. Paying employees abroad is a different product, so ask Gusto directly. Sourcing from overseas suppliers is a separate matter from payroll, and my guide to finding high-ticket suppliers covers it.
Benefits and Insurance Fees
Gusto lists its benefits pricing separately from the plan prices. For health insurance through Gusto, you pay only the premiums with no Gusto administration fees. If you bring your own broker, the add-on is $6 a month per eligible employee. Life and disability coverage is listed as employees paying only premiums with no administration fees.
A single $200 annual service charge covers HSA, FSA, dependent care FSA and commuter benefits. On top of that, the page lists HSAs at $2.50 a month per participant, FSAs at $4 a month per participant with a $20 monthly minimum, dependent care FSAs at $4 with a $20 minimum, and commuter benefits at $4 with a $20 minimum. 401(k) pricing varies by plan. Workers’ compensation is premiums plus up to $5 a month for pay-as-you-go.
As an example, a team of 5 that sets up an FSA with 3 participants would pay the $200 annual charge plus 3 x $4 = $12 a month, but the $20 monthly minimum applies, so the monthly fee is $20. Over a year that is $200 + (12 x $20) = $440. Check the current terms before relying on this.
True Monthly Cost Example for 5 and 15 People
Here are seven realistic setups, using only figures from the pricing page. They include plan fees and the named add-ons, and exclude benefit premiums, taxes and state registration.
| Setup | Arithmetic | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| 5 people, one state, Simple | $49 + (5 x $6) | $79 |
| 5 people, Simple plus next-day pay | $79 + $15 + (5 x $3) | $109 |
| 5 people, multi-state, Plus | $80 + (5 x $12) | $140 |
| 15 people, one state, Simple | $49 + (15 x $6) | $139 |
| 15 people, Simple plus next-day pay | $139 + $15 + (15 x $3) | $199 |
| 15 people, multi-state, Plus | $80 + (15 x $12) | $260 |
| 15 people, Premium | $180 + (15 x $22) | $510 |
A payroll bill of $140 a month for 5 people is $28 per person. For a high-ticket store, where one sale can carry a margin of hundreds of dollars, that is usually small relative to revenue, but it still adds up to $1,680 a year, which is why I model it before hiring. My list of high-ticket niches shows the kinds of products where margins can support a small team.
How Gusto Compares on Price
For comparison, these figures come from each provider’s own page, read in November 2026. Square Payroll lists $35 plus $6 per person, and OnPay lists $49 plus $6 per worker with multi-state included on every plan. QuickBooks showed Workforce Payroll at $50 plus $7 per employee, and Justworks showed its Payroll plan at $50 plus $8 per employee.
At 5 people those work out to $65, $79, $85 and $90, against Gusto Simple’s $79. Gusto’s advantage is the plan ladder up to Premium. Its disadvantage, for a multi-state team, is that Simple does not cover multiple states. My Gusto alternatives guide lays out the other options. The Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll comparison goes deeper on the accounting angle.
What I Could Not Confirm
Being clear about gaps helps you ask Gusto the right questions. The pricing page I read does not show a free trial, so I am not claiming one. It does not show a flat price for state tax registration, a price for Gusto Global employee payments, or a Contractor Only plan. It also does not show how Gusto bills mid-month hires, so confirm that if your hiring dates are close to a billing date.
Gusto’s FAQ says upgrades take effect immediately and downgrades take effect at the beginning of the next billing period, which is the first of the month. That is useful when you add a second state: upgrade when you hire, and downgrade on the first of the month if you later consolidate.
Why Employer Obligations Matter More Than the Fee
The payroll fee is not the biggest number in this decision. The IRS describes employer duties that include withholding federal income tax, handling Social Security and Medicare taxes, and paying federal unemployment tax, as laid out on its employment taxes page. Those must be deposited and reported on time.
The Small Business Administration’s hiring guide lists getting an EIN and checking for state or local tax IDs among the first steps. Software that files these for you is what you are paying for, and a missed deposit is a bigger risk than any add-on.
The IRS also publishes how it decides whether a worker is an employee or a contractor, using behavioral, financial and type-of-relationship evidence. How you classify freelancers changes which people count on your Gusto bill, so settle that before you model the cost.
Ways to Keep Your Gusto Bill Down
Start with the plan, not the add-ons. If one state covers your whole team, Simple is the lowest published tier, and you can add next-day pay only if you need it. Price the add-ons against moving up a plan, as the Time & Attendance example above shows.
Next, watch the per-person count. Because contractors are billed only in months when you pay them, a month with no contractor payments carries no contractor fee. That is arithmetic from Gusto’s billing rule, not a tax or legal recommendation.
Finally, revisit the plan when your team changes. Gusto says downgrades start on the first of the next month, so a team that drops back to one state can move down. A calendar reminder every six months to compare your invoice against this page is a cheap way to catch add-ons nobody remembers turning on.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Gusto cost per month?
As of November 2026, Gusto’s pricing page lists Simple at $49 plus $6 per person, Plus at $80 plus $12 per person and Premium at $180 plus $22 per person. For 5 people those are $79, $140 and $290 a month before add-ons.
How much does Gusto Solo cost?
Gusto lists Solo, under its Pay Myself tab, at $49 a month plus $6 per person. It is aimed at owners who need S corp payroll support and the option to pay contractors, so at the listed price, one person on Solo works out to $55 a month if you count as one person.
Does Gusto charge extra for contractors?
Gusto says US contractors are billed at the per-person cost of your plan, and only in months you paid them. Global contractor payments list no monthly per-contractor fee, but a service fee and foreign exchange fee apply to each payment.
Does Gusto have a free trial?
The pricing page I read does not show a free trial. It says no contracts and free account setup, and that you can switch or cancel anytime, so ask Gusto whether any offer applies when you sign up.
What does Gusto cost for 5 employees versus 15?
On Simple, 5 employees cost $49 + (5 x $6) = $79 a month and 15 cost $49 + (15 x $6) = $139. On Plus, they cost $140 and $260. Next-day pay on Simple adds $30 at 5 people and $60 at 15.
What Changed in This Update
I refreshed this post on November 3, 2026 after reading Gusto’s pricing page again. Premium now shows $180 plus $22 per person instead of custom pricing, and Simple’s one-state limit and Plus’ multi-state coverage match the page. I removed the Contractor Only plan, the $699 Gusto Global fee and claims I could not match to the page, including G2-based commentary. Prices change, so check Gusto before you buy.
Related Articles
These guides cover the rest of the payroll decision, from reviews to alternatives.
- Best Payroll Software for Small Business
- Gusto Review 2026
- Gusto vs Rippling
- Best ADP Alternatives in 2026
- Deel Alternatives for Global Hiring
Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and world traveler from Seattle, Washington, and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.
He maintains homes in Seattle and Bali, spends most of the year overseas, and usually returns to Seattle for about a month each summer.
