Gusto

Pros

Gusto is a one-stop solution for human resource and payroll management. It has a very easy-to-use user interface, with employee management, payroll tracking, employee hiring features as well. Also, customer support is quick and effective.

Cons

The product is a bit on the costlier side, which makes it difficult for small startups to adopt to such useful software.

Pros

Gusto is very user friendly. I used Gusto when I started my consulting business and the time to set up was less than 10 minutes. Time saved when operating a business is crucial.

Cons

For my business needs, there was nothing I disliked

Pros

It had a modern user interface. It was easy to access

Cons

Absolutely no support. Failed to file and pay taxes withheld

Pros

I like the quirky personality and fun images. Finance and Payroll is a very serious area of business. It is refreshing to have a program like Gusto add a little spice to things. They have a decorated, prancing pig as a logo. :)

Cons

I came very close to damaging my vocal cords at the end of our first year. The State of Wisconsin sent me a letter directly saying that we owed $16,000 in back payroll taxes plus over a thousand dollars in interest and penalites. I called Wisconsin myself and quickly determined what the problem was. It was a simple error Gusto made when filling out our annual gross pay and withholding report. The first 3 months were compliled by me. We started with Gusto in November. The 4th quarter number Gusto sent to the State was a total of all 3 of my quarters PLUS the total for the 4th quarter. We had approx. $4,000 in taxes due to the State each quarter. All money was paid, by myself for 3 quarters and Gusto for the 4th quarter. However, the man who signed the form at Gusto entered $20,000 for the 4th quarter and $32,000 (3 qtrs X $4,000 plus $20,000) for the annual total. We had paid $16,000. This created a shortage of $16,000 according to the automated computer at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Hence, the letter filled with interest and penalties.

The lady Wisconsin DOR was very helpful and much to my surprise, I was able to correct the annual filing myself online with her help on the phone. The $16,000 was no longer due. However, everyone in the entire State of Wisconsin system was powerless to eliminate the interest and penalties.

I had to make well over 10 phone calls and emails just to talk to someone at Gusto who could help me. I explained that the immediate problem was cleared up by me. However, Gusto was responsible, per how ALL payroll companies sell their services, for the interest and penalties since Gusto was entirely to blame.

It was SO FRUSTRATING that the first people answering the phone acted as though they had NO IDEA that Gusto even processed government payroll reports. Once, while ON HOLD, and intermittently talking to a live person for 45 minutes, I asked this entry level phone answerer which office they were in: east coast or west coast? They said that they COULDN'T ANSWER!!! We went round and round with excuse after excuse why he couldn't answer. Starting with "I don't know" and ending up with "I'm afraid that you may buy an airplane ticket to my city, hunt me down and violently attack me." I was livid. But that wasn't why I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Finally, after 10 contacts and many failed promises to have a manager contact me, a top woman manager in the appropriate department came to the phone after another half-hour plus wait. We reviewed the situation. Again, this was a VERY SIMPLE SITUATION. An honest mistake that anyone who has ever filled out a government form, or a middle school math test, could easily have done and in hindsight would be able to see their error and admit that they made a mistake.

The Gusto manager said several times, which I remember like it happened yesterday: "I will get back to you after reviewing this situation, and IF Gusto made an error, we will remedy the situation." IF IF? IF GUSTO MADE AN ERROR?!?!?!?!?! IF I lost my cool demeanor. I am mild mannered and like to laugh and joke. Be a nice guy. Hence, wondering what the weather was like and which sports teams the man on hold would like to talk about. Except that he thought that I could possibly be a violent threat even though, east coast or west coast I was a long airplane flight away!! This manager said "IF" one too many times. I SCREAMED THE OBVIOUS! "GUSTO WAS UNDER CONTRACT TO FILE THE PAPERWORK. GUSTO PERSONNEL SIGNED THE PAPERWORK. I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT OTHER THAN I CLEANED UP THE MESS GUSTO CREATED. NOW GUSTO NEEDS TO PUT ON THEIR BIG GIRL PANTS AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ERROR. THERE IS NO IF INVOLVED." {How can I make the word IF twice the size and bold so it stands out more? Standard text doesn't come close to how furious I was. First over 10 contacts I initiated. Then being told...'IF Gusto made a mistake" when the mistake was obvious.

Pros

Very user friendly/easy to learn and utilize even for a non HR/payroll professional.

Cons

Nothing - we have been very happy with using Gusto after having used two different payroll services in the past.

Pros

My accountant introduced me to this app for my business and I love how everything is automated. Once you're set-up, it's basically fuss-free.

Cons

The only thing i dont like is how long it takes to update changes when you want to adjust your payment schedule. I'm a little spoiled but they have to do double and triple checks and let things cycle through but i guess that means your finances are safe!

Pros

Track your hours worked. See all your benefits in one single place.

Cons

This is actually a great application and i have not encountered any problems yet.

Pros

Gusto allows for individual employee engagement which provides efficiency for the HR team while allowing an autonomous management of personal details such as PTO request, pay stubs, downloading W2, review process, hiring database and onboarding.

Cons

Limited access to individual managers unless an admin.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Gusto

Pros

Gusto is an amazing product to help with pay with breakdown of pay and showing w-2's

Cons

took some time to understand and get started

Pros

Gusto automate tasks like on boarding new clients and running payroll, freeing up time for more strategic work and business.

Cons

Like any software platform, Gusto may experience occasional technical difficulties or downtime.

Pros

The user interface is really nice looking and it is easy to get started and use - when it is working.

Cons

There are a LOT of glitches, and customer service cannot help you at all. Some of their backend processes make no sense, and they get really snarky when you ask questions.

Pros

Gusto's ease of use is what we like most. It's so easy for our employees to onboard and use.

Cons

Their state tax compliance service need a bit of improvement, especially on the city and county level for taxes

Pros

I like the features addition options for things that I don't necessarily need for my business i don't have to up scribe for those features. Response time on payroll has been amazing.

Cons

When additional payments needed to be added to payroll history it was difficult to navigate.

Pros

The onboarding process has been very easy and clear, and I love it. As an added bonus, they offered us the first three months free of charge as a promotional offer. This is a huge advantage, especially when testing new software.

Cons

I see myself depending to a certain extent on the platform, which will limit my future possibilities, because that is the only drawback of any type of platform: that they are usually proprietary.

Pros

The easy-to-use platform can really help us manage and reduce errors with automated payroll for a midsize organization.

Cons

Sometime it takes us more time to figure out exactly how to run the reports.

Pros

platform online is modern and easy to use.

Cons

We’ve been using Gusto for years, and while there have been ups and downs, the biggest disappointment has been their FSA platform. It’s truly subpar compared to other services we’ve used. It seems like the default approach is to deny claims, even when we provide all the correct documentation and information.

The process is unnecessarily frustrating, with no clear explanations for denials, leaving us in a constant loop of resubmitting claims and waiting for approval that never seems to come. Gusto’s FSA platform feels more like an obstacle than a helpful service, and it has caused headaches for our team.

While the payroll and other HR features are decent, the FSA platform is a dealbreaker. If you’re considering Gusto and FSA management is important to you, I’d strongly recommend looking elsewhere.

Pros

Gusto is extremely user friendly,even if you dont have extensive accounting/payroll experience.Payroll processing would sometimes take hours to process but Gusto has allowed us to simplify payroll.I have also found time and vacation tracker very useful.

Cons

Nothing really it is easy to move around the website, Pricing is great and customer support is almost always fantastic and quick.

Pros

I like the part of accessing everything as everything is readily available from the drop down menu,our teams onboarding is simple and allows us to input our own information to cut down on time spent doing that,I have to appreciate how accessing the necessary features has been incredibly straight forward whether on the phone or desktop.

Cons

Nothing.Gusto works well and it has not given us any trouble when using it.

Pros

Gusto is so easy! My business uses Gusto and managing payroll and benefits is so simple

Cons

I tried the Gusto Checking account and I feel like it is very lackluster and pales in comparison to a regular checking account. This isn't their main offering so it doesnt bother me

Pros

Gusto offers a user friendly platform that allows you to achieve all of HR/Payroll tasks in a timley manner.

Cons

It feels like thier is a constant push to use their features that we are not taking advantage of. Advertising that I could do without.

Pros

Using Gusto for payroll, benefits and insurance administration is so simple. It's easy right from the beginning. Their customer support is always super helpful and works hard to make sure they resolve any issues you may have.

Cons

The only downside to Gusto is that they are limited to small companies. It's not necessary a bad thing. I just like it so much that I want to use it with all my clients regardless of their company size!

Pros

Super easy to use on desktop and mobile app. Keep up with time management and payroll without worry.

Cons

No issues to report. Easy access on mobile app.

Pros

We had thought it was a user friendly platform with a support platform that had actually cared about their customers.

Cons

The Gusto customer support and billing team is very cheap and stingy. They had rather lose our business than refund us a small amount of money that we were overcharged on the platform. Essentially, we had paid for something we didn't use the and the right thing to do for your customers - especially one that knows many other business owners - would be to work with them and not brush them off as nothing.

Pros

It is easy to use, organized and it offers different features that make your life easier when filing for taxes, getting paid and more.

Cons

I honestly never had a problem or disliked anything about it.

Pros

It is a straightforward way to get paid by your employer. Also great way to get your tax forms at the end of the year.

Cons

The Gusto Wallet app for your phone only works for W2 employees, so I can't access my account on my phone. How many people really use their phone to check and manage their finances anyway?