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Gusto
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Gusto Company Overview

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Gusto

● Active
business software industry · San Francisco, California · Est. 2011
HCMPayrollSMBSaaSHR Tech↗ Website
$4.0B
Valuation
$680M
Revenue
2k+
Employees
2011
Founded

Gusto is a cloud-based human resources platform built for small and mid-sized businesses, providing payroll, benefits administration, HR tools, and compliance management in a single integrated system. Used by over 300,000 businesses across the US, Gusto automates payroll taxes, health benefits enrollment, workers' compensation, and onboarding workflows, allowing SMBs to manage their workforce without dedicated HR departments.

Recent Press
5 items
Acquisition·2025-10-01
Gusto Acquires Guideline for ~$600 Million to Add 401(k) Retirement Plans
Gusto acquired Guideline, a leading small business retirement plan provider, for approximately $600 million, integrating 401(k) management directly into Gusto's payroll dashboard for its growing SMB customer base.
Product Launch·2025-08-15
Gusto Launches Global Employer of Record Service for International Hiring
Gusto launched a Global Employer of Record service allowing businesses to hire, onboard, pay, and manage international employees directly within the Gusto platform, expanding beyond U.S. payroll into global workforce management.
Product Launch·2025-07-01
Gusto Launches Gusto Money with Payroll Bridge Credit Line and Bill Pay
Gusto introduced Gusto Money, a business financial management product featuring a Payroll Bridge line of credit, simplified invoicing, and bill pay, deepening its financial services offering for small and medium businesses.
Funding·2025-06-09
Gusto Launches $200M+ Tender Offer Led by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
Gusto conducted a $200 million-plus tender offer led by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan in mid-2025, providing liquidity for shareholders at a valuation exceeding $9 billion as the company scales toward profitability.
Product Launch·2025-05-15
Gusto Level-Funded Health Plans Save Customers Average 20% on Premiums
Gusto launched level-funded health insurance plans that save customers an average of 20% on health premiums, adding general liability, workers' comp, and commercial property insurance directly within the Gusto platform.
Company History
7 milestones
Gusto was founded in San Francisco as ZenPayroll by Josh Reeves, Tomer London, and Edward Kim with the mission to simplify payroll for small businesses, launching with an automated cloud payroll product that handled federal and state tax filing automatically.

Gusto Organization Structure & Team

Org Chart
2,400 employees · Click a leader to explore their team
2,805 across 12 departments
Chief Executive Officer
Josh Reeves
Lexi Robins — Departments
· 2805 people across 12 depts

Gusto Financials, Revenue & Market Share

Annual Revenue
$680M
+20% vs prior year
YoY Growth
+20%
From $300M to $680M
Revenue / Employee
$283K
Annual revenue per full-time employee
Revenue Growth
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
$300M
$390M
$490M
$570M
$680M
Market Share
US SMB Payroll Software
12%
share
Gusto
12%
ADP Run
28%
QuickBooks Payroll
22%
Paychex Flex
18%
Rippling
8%
$120B
TAM
$40B
SAM
$3B
SOM
Revenue Streams
Core Payroll & HR SaaS60%
Benefits Brokerage25%
Embedded Payroll & Wallet15%
Business Units
SMB Payroll & HR85%
Full-service payroll, benefits, and HR platform serving 300,000+ US small businesses directly.
Embedded & Platform15%
Gusto Embedded Payroll API for 100+ software partners and Gusto Wallet financial wellness product.

Gusto Internal Tools & Processes

Internal Tools
12 departments
Engineering800 people · 3 roles
Standards & Certifications
10 standards
Compliance frameworks, security audits, and quality certifications this company maintains.
Security
SOC 2 Type II
Certified
Gusto holds SOC 2 Type II certification covering its payroll processing, benefits administration, and HR data management systems that handle sensitive employee PII and financial data for 300,000+ small businesses.
Security
SOC 1 Type II
Certified
Gusto's SOC 1 Type II attestation covers payroll processing controls relevant to employer financial reporting, required by accounting firms auditing Gusto's business clients who use Gusto for payroll disbursement.
Regulatory
IRS Authorized E-File Provider
Certified
Gusto is an IRS-authorized electronic filing provider, enabling Gusto to file W-2s, W-3s, 940s, and 941s directly with the IRS on behalf of all 300,000+ employer clients without requiring businesses to file separately.
Regulatory
State Licensed Insurance Broker
Certified
Gusto holds insurance broker licenses in all 50 US states, enabling Gusto Benefits to sell, enroll, and service health, dental, vision, and life insurance products for small business employers across the country.
Privacy
CCPA
Compliant
Gusto complies with the California Consumer Privacy Act for the personal financial and HR data of California employees and employers processed through its payroll and benefits platform.
Regulatory
NACHA Certification
Certified
Gusto is NACHA-certified as an ACH originator, enabling it to initiate direct deposit payroll disbursements on behalf of 300,000+ employer clients without errors or compliance violations in ACH processing.
Regulatory
ERISA Compliance
Compliant
Gusto's 401(k) and FSA/HSA benefit administration complies with ERISA fiduciary standards, with Gusto acting as plan administrator and ensuring proper disclosure, contribution processing, and plan document maintenance.
Security
ISO 27001
Certified
Gusto is ISO 27001 certified, providing its embedded payroll partners and enterprise SMB clients with assurance that employee payroll and benefits data is protected under a systematic information security framework.
Privacy
GDPR
Compliant
Gusto complies with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for its European operations and international data transfers, implementing appropriate data processing agreements and cross-border data transfer mechanisms for customers using Gusto with EU-based employees.
Security
PCI DSS Level 1
Certified
Gusto holds PCI DSS Level 1 certification for its payment card processing systems, ensuring that employer payroll and employee payment data processed through Gusto is protected to the highest standard required for large-volume card processors.

Gusto Interview Preparation

Interview Prep
Role-specific interview questions and keywords. Select a department, then click any role to prepare.
Engineering· 3 roles

Gusto Products & Competitors

Product Suite
4 products · select one to explore
business software industry
Software
Gusto Benefits
Benefits your team actually wants

Gusto Benefits is an integrated health insurance and employee benefits administration platform that allows small businesses to offer medical, dental, vision, 401(k), HSA/FSA, life insurance, and commuter benefits through a single system. Gusto acts as a licensed insurance broker, helping employers compare and select health plans while automating enrollment, payroll deductions, and carrier payments.

Use Cases
10-person startup offering health benefits to first employees by selecting and enrolling in a group plan through GustoRestaurant enrolling hourly workers in ACA-compliant minimum essential coverage via Gusto Benefits broker servicesTech company adding 401(k) with employer match to Gusto payroll with automatic payroll deduction integration
No image
Key Customers
BC
Basecamp
MO
Moment
BR
Branch
Competitive Intelligence
VSTriNet
THEM

TriNet is a professional employer organization providing small and medium-sized businesses with HR outsourcing including payroll, benefits administration, risk mitigation, and compliance through a co-employment model that allows SMBs to access enterprise-level benefits.

EDGE

Lower cost for SMBs under 50 employees by acting as licensed broker and cutting out insurance middlemen

VSJustworks
THEM

Justworks is a professional employer organization (PEO) and HR platform offering small businesses access to big-company benefits, payroll processing, compliance support, and HR tools through a single platform.

EDGE

Deeper health plan selection with more carrier options than Justworks PEO limited carrier network

VSRippling Benefits
THEM

Rippling Benefits is Rippling's employee benefits administration module that automates benefits enrollment, carrier connections, and ACA compliance within Rippling's unified HR and payroll platform.

EDGE

Broader voluntary benefits catalog and simpler open enrollment UX for employees without HR support