Gusto

We chose Gusto because of the price point, the simplicity of the system, and the promise of an easy-to-manage payroll and compliance platform. On the surface, it appears streamlined and cost-effective. Unfortunately, when issues arise, that simplicity quickly becomes a liability. Customer service is extremely limited and largely generic. When we experienced glitches within their payroll system that affected a payroll run — including a significant deduction error — there was no meaningful investigation or ownership of the problem. Instead, we were directed to call during limited weekday hours, regardless of urgency. For something as critical as payroll, that level of support is unacceptable. This is not the first issue we’ve encountered where support was minimal and accountability was lacking. The lower price point ends up being misleading. While the software may appear affordable, the time spent double-checking payroll, reworking items, and correcting system-related errors eliminates any savings. In reality, the added administrative burden and risk exposure can make it more expensive than providers who charge more but actually stand behind their platform with responsive service. If payroll accuracy, reliability, and real customer support matter to your business, I would strongly recommend carefully evaluating alternatives before choosing Gusto.

Because the issues I'm reporting in this posting involve tax reporting and retirement distribution compliance, I am documenting the timeline in case it is needed for IRS clarification regarding the resulting penalty exposure. What concerns me most is that these delays involved routine compliance tasks — an RMD distribution and a W-2 correction — which raises serious concerns about how time-sensitive tax obligations are being handled for other customers. In November I requested a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from Guideline. Despite repeated calls and assurances that it was being processed, the distribution did not arrive until January 5, 2026, missing the 2025 deadline and exposing me to a potential IRS penalty. Guideline’s explanation was that they were “busy with the merger with Gusto and had limited bandwidth.” When I asked them to cover the penalty caused by the delay, they refused. Separately, I have been trying for four weeks to obtain a W-2C from Gusto. I supplied all required information immediately. Since then I have had nine support calls, each lasting over an hour, repeatedly placed on hold while representatives “check with the appropriate team.” I was promised delivery within 24 hours on four separate occasions, but it still has not been provided. Customer support representatives are polite but appear to have no authority or visibility into the actual issue, and requests to speak with a supervisor were never fulfilled. Based on my experience, both companies have serious operational and escalation problems, particularly when time-sensitive compliance issues arise.

Gusto Payroll is not good: Why: Customer support cannot fix the solutions. They often have to go to "specialist" in specific departments, and then they will close the ticket on you without updating you on a solution. Most of the time a case is closed, they didn't even have a solution. Its as if they get paid on how many tickets they can "close" and leave you with no solution. Their payroll/tax/benefits experts are mid. Their tax team even messed up on tax calculations for 2025 and are having our team do more work than needed during tax season. Don't get me started with Payroll - I think quickbooks is easier if you are a small business. They keep selling the next level subscription - even through the BASIC functions of a payroll system DO NOT WORK. They said it would resolve issues faster. We don't care about how fast, we care about how come GUSTO made the mistake in the first place. This year marks the 4th year in a row they do our ACAs incorrectly. They actually hire 3rd parties to complete end of year tax services for them. I tried to notify them ahead of time to make sure it is a smooth process. I ran into an issue, submitted a Gusto ticket, tied in our account rep JUST to let them know "hey, I followed your instructions and something is wrong with the system" and the account rep begins to sell me on the next level subscription. Why would I pay for something that I know is broken already? Long story short, that was in December and come February - 1095s were wrong... again. They cause me more headaches and wasted time than a normal payroll and benefits system would have. Bite the bullet and pay for another system with better customer service- Time is money, and it will save you money in the end.

I like it a little bit less every year. Early on (2017) they were enthusiastic and very helpful. Now, at best, it's chat driven, you can not get them to do anything that's not coded explicitly to the platform, and resolution takes forever. Not to mention everything is ale carte and (naturally) prices have gone up. But it feels like every year, it's just slightly less good than it used to be. It's a bigger and bigger struggle to deal with them, and the platform is slowly getting less good.

Absolute garbage company. They were fine at first—reasonable onboarding, not too complicated to use—but AS SOON as I had to interact with their support team, everything started to go down hill. They try to use AI to help you first—that's fine—but their automated system when you email them, even in direct reply to a human, ALWAYS creates a new ticket and gives another AI response. I kept replying and replying, trying to get attention, but it was like yelling into a void. From the messages I did receive, I have been lied to over and over and over again about things that they were going to do for me. I accidentally created a duplicate Non-Gusto Payroll. I immediately asked for it to be removed. Instead, it was left there until the W-2 was drafted. I noticed it in the draft, and asked the it be removed. They said it would be, but instead it was filed. I asked for them to create a W-2C to reconcile this. They said they would, but it would take about two weeks to do so. I wasn't happy it would take so long, but it wouldn't disrupt my filing timeline, so it was okay. Two weeks later I noticed the draft hadn't even appeared in my account. (at this point I realized I could tell the AI chat bot "human" and it would give me access to a human support chat) They said sorry for the mistake and after telling me they "file every Monday," I requested they file the same day, due to the circumstances of their error. They agreed, telling me they would file a new W-2C correcting everything "manually" within the day and that I would receive a refund for the taxes owed (since it was doubled) in "7-10 days." I was happy at this point… but later that day I saw the LACK of a W-2C draft, so I called just to check in on it. After waiting 30 minutes on hold just to be transferred from person to person to person to find the right person that could help me, I found out the six to eight different agents I had previously talked to were all LYING to me—and if not lying by admission, lying by omission—just to make me feel better. Apparently, my situation was way worse than I had even feared. Instead of that originally two weeks that I was told, the new W-2C would only be created after the errored W-2C (that should have been corrected before being sent out) filing was completed the following Monday. Only then would the filing be complete two weeks after that, because they only file every OTHER Monday, rather than the "every Monday" I was told. She said very explicitly that they cannot file "manually." She also said that the refund process would not even start until after the W-2C was filed, saying it would be "4-8 weeks" from now that I would receive the refund. I was quite distraught by this, and because I was still trusting them up until this point, I did not think to record the call. I politely asked if she would send me the recording of the call that they would have. She said she would try, but if she couldn't she would send me articles referring to the details we talked about. It's been almost 24 hours and she still has not sent anything (based on this companies track record, I don't expect anything at this point, but I suppose it's possible). Later the same day, my wife and I called to talk with a supervisor, recording the call, so we could just make sure we had all of the right details and confirm whether anything, anything at all, could be done—since, at this point, deadlines that would had would be missed. The first woman we talked to made it very clear that she did not like my wife, as my wife explained the urgency of talking with a supervisor given our circumstances. We waited on hold for many minutes before finally being connected with a supervisor. The supervisor said that the Gusto department we needed to talk to only works over email. Seeing how our email and chat experiences had gone, we made it clear we really wanted to keep it on the phone, for faster, and more clear communication. She said she would communicate with them and get all of the details we need, calling us as soon as she heard back. I'll update this if we receive a call.

The absolute worst payroll company we have worked with. The reports are awful and hard to understand. We worked with them half a year and it was awful!! There were no w-2’s prepared for the months we paid for. I was told I chose not to have any taxes done through them and absolutely understand. What I don’t understand or agree with is that they didn’t do….. I paid a subscription fee for several months to run payroll and there is absolutely zero reason gusto shouldn’t have provided a w2 for my employees for the time period I paid for. When I reached out to them they basically told me it’s my problem. So I am now paying my accountant to generate the documents needed during the time I paid gusto. And unfortunately the people that answer the phone are not American based. I have no problem with people from other countries but solving a problem with someone who’s second language is English is awful. I’m already frustrated because I need clarification, if we have to get through a language barrier it’s even worse! It’s awful for both parties. Good luck!

I've been using Gusto for payroll at my daycare center, and it's been a game-changer. It simplifies payday and handles tax paperwork effortlessly. This tool has freed up my time, allowing me to focus more on the children. Additionally, their customer service is excellent!

Gusto’s support was incredibly frustrating. I ended up dealing with a serious issue (including an account levy) and couldn’t get clear answers, ownership, or a written resolution. The responses felt like deflection (“forwarded to another team”) and they kept pushing calls instead of addressing the problem over email. I switched providers and wouldn’t use them again.