Gusto Expands Partner Program With Marketing Funding for Firms

Gusto will fund up to 50% of the planned cost of approved marketing activity for accounting firms in its partner program, the payroll provider said on October 7, 2026, alongside a redesign of Gusto Pro for accountants.

The company announced the changes at Gusto Next, its event for accounting partners, in San Francisco. They cover three things: a rebuilt Gusto Pro with AI-assisted workflows, a multi-client Model Context Protocol (MCP) connector, and two new funding streams for partner firms.

For practices that run client payroll, the update changes where the work happens. Gusto Pro for accountants now lets a firm run payroll across its book from one dashboard rather than opening each client account in turn. Gusto says more than 23,000 accounting firms use Gusto Pro and that it serves over 500,000 small businesses.

The funding is narrower than the headline suggests. Only Silver and Gold tier partners qualify, and the money is tied to pre-approved activity that must win new clients on Gusto.

What changed in Gusto Pro for accountants

Gusto describes the redesign in its announcement as the most significant update to Gusto Pro since 2021. It is in early access for eligible partners now, with general availability planned later in 2026.

The new version adds AI-guided workflows for payroll preparation. Accountants can run payroll from Gusto Pro itself instead of logging in to each client account. They can connect Gmail so the software drafts hours, reimbursements and deductions from what clients send, rather than re-entering them.

A Gusto spokesperson said connectors for Outlook, Google Drive and OneDrive are coming soon. The software shows what has changed since the last payroll run and flags anomalies for the accountant to review. It does not push them through automatically.

“These are really repetitive things that users want some more AI assistance with, but they don’t want to actually fully automate,” said Lauren Snyder, product lead for Gusto Pro. “They still want to have that oversight and control and judgment.”

Snyder said a firm can use a different connector for one client than another, or automate more of one payroll than the last.

Reporting also changes. Gusto learns which reports a firm pulls after each payroll run and generates and delivers them automatically from then on.

Those reports land in a new dashboard alongside the client list, work to do, onboarding and AI workflows, across all clients. The dashboard also hosts Pro Gus, an assistant that answers client questions and sees across the firm’s whole book of business.

Gusto Pro remains free to every firm in the Gusto Pro Partner Program, and Snyder confirmed the new features do not change the price of Gusto.

Multi-client MCP is live for all firms

The multi-client MCP is separate from the Gusto Pro relaunch and is available to all accounting firms now. An accountant connects Gusto once, chooses which clients to include, and then works across them from a single conversation in the AI tools the firm already uses.

Accountants can ask questions across their client base and prepare payroll changes covering hours, earnings, time off and payment methods. They can generate the reports they run each cycle and set up recurring routines that run in the background. Every change needs accountant review and approval before it is applied in Gusto.

The release does not name the AI tools the connector supports, and Gusto has not published a time-saving measure for either feature. Firms weighing payroll software for accountants will want to test both on a live client set.

Gusto partner program funding: amounts and conditions

The partner program already offered revenue share, technical resources and strategic support. It now adds two kinds of funding, applied for through a new Partner Marketing Hub.

Marketing Development Funds go toward lead generation such as email campaigns, webinars, events and paid social promotion. They usually arrive as a reimbursement covering part of the firm’s own spend. Gusto funds up to 50% of the planned cost, and the co-investment level is based on the revenue the planned activity is expected to generate.

The conditions are strict. The funds must be tied to a specific, pre-approved activity, not the general marketing budget or day-to-day spending. The activity must produce net-new clients on Gusto.

“We want to run social campaigns, all kinds of lead generation type of engagements, and so we, Gusto, come to the table and we match those funds with the firm,” said Colleen Oates, head of indirect go to market at Gusto. “We can extend their budget from a marketing perspective.”

Partner Development Funds cover broader projects: AI adoption, pricing and strategy for client accounting services, operational efficiency and matching with the right clients. They are mostly delivered as Gusto-funded services, not cash.

At launch, firms use them to buy prepackaged engagements from a vetted roster called Firm Business Consultants, and Gusto pays the consultant directly. Business Development Funds must go toward building the firm itself, through staffing, a new service line, entering a new market or sales training.

These funds open in early access in October, and only for vendors in the Firm Business Consultants directory. That directory has five consultants offering seven packages in total.

Oates gave examples of what a package might look like: four workshops to assess a firm’s AI strategy, training a team to build a Google Ads strategy, or an operational plan for scaling an internal team. Funding per package varies with whether it is a short group workshop, a membership-based training programme or an extended one-to-one engagement. Gusto has not published a cap in dollars.

Who qualifies for Gusto Pro partner funding

Only Silver and Gold partners can claim either fund. Starter and Bronze firms can use the Partner Marketing Hub’s self-serve campaigns and AI agent tools, and can contact the consultants directly.

The hub offers preloaded campaigns “in a box”. The AI can also recommend campaigns from a firm’s stated goal, such as growing revenue by a set percentage or preparing for acquisition.

The agents behind it are not new. Gusto introduced growth agents in June 2026 covering website audits, advisory positioning, expansion pitches, and pricing and margin targets.

Oates said the funding came from hearing partners raise the same problems repeatedly: no capacity to onboard staff and no plan for selling services. After talking to other vendors, Gusto decided to co-develop packages rather than stop at agents.

“We can build a partner program that really flexes to the needs of the markets,” she said, rather than being “stuck” with a fixed revenue share and fixed fund rules.

Gusto also said that from mid-November 2026, revenue share expands to 401(k) plans at the partner’s matching tier rate. New firms get a free firm 401(k) plan for owners and employees for one year.

How Gusto Pro compares with rival payroll offers

Gusto is not the only payroll provider courting practices. ADP, Paychex, Intuit and Rippling all sell to accountants, and Accountio’s Gusto vs Rippling comparison sets out how two of them differ on features and price. Gusto has not published a side-by-side with competitors’ partner terms, and this article does not rank them.

The question for a practice is whether co-funded marketing beats a straight referral fee. Matching funds reduce the cost of a campaign only if the firm would run it anyway, and the requirement for net-new Gusto clients ties the firm’s growth plan to one payroll vendor. A practice that serves clients on several platforms should weigh that dependence against the subsidy.

The funding also sits in a wider push by vendors to pay for accounting firm growth. Firms already raising marketing investment to drive revenue may find the 50% match useful. Those without a marketing plan will need one before applying, since funds attach to specific approved activities.

Firms that want to compare other tools for running client work can start with Accountio’s guide to practice management software for accounting firms.

What comes next for Gusto Pro

General availability of the redesigned Gusto Pro is planned later in 2026, and the 401(k) revenue share begins in mid-November 2026. The Business Development Funds open in early access this month, with the roster of five consultants and seven packages the number to watch as it grows.