Gusto
San Francisco payroll, benefits and HR platform for US small businesses, used by more than 500,000 companies and 18,000 accounting firms.
| Founded | 2011, San Francisco; launched in 2012 as ZenPayroll; offices in San Francisco and Denver |
|---|---|
| Founders | Josh Reeves (CEO), Edward Kim (CTO), Tomer London (CPO) |
| Ownership | Private; investors include General Catalyst, T. Rowe Price, CapitalG, Franklin Templeton, Sands Capital, Dragoneer, Ribbit Capital and Y Combinator; 2021 Series E with US$175m of primary capital, extended in 2022 at a valuation of nearly US$10bn; valued at US$9.3bn in a US$200m employee tender offer in June 2025; cash flow positive |
| Customers | More than 500,000 small businesses, roughly one in twelve employers in the US; more than 18,000 accounting firms |
| What it does | Full-service payroll with federal, state and local tax filings in all 50 US states, health insurance, 401(k) and other benefits, HR, time tracking, hiring and onboarding, and R&D tax credits; contractor payments in more than 120 countries; Gusto Pro dashboard for accountants with client alerts and People Analytics; Gus AI assistant |
| Recent moves | Gusto Cofounder, an AI teammate that runs automations such as payroll and reports (June 2026); 500,000 customers and nearly 75 product updates (April 2026); acquisition of compliance platform Mosey, with Gusto Business Compliance due later in 2026 (April 2026); agreement to acquire 401(k) provider Guideline (August 2025) |
| Pricing | Published monthly prices: Simple US$49 plus US$6 per person, Plus US$80 plus US$12 per person, Premium US$180 plus US$22 per person; Contractor Only US$35 plus US$6 per contractor; month-to-month with no long-term contract; accounting partner firms get a free Plus plan if they onboard one client every 12 months, and up to 20% revenue share |
| Markets | US; payroll in all 50 states, with single-state payroll on Simple and multi-state on Plus and Premium; health benefits in all 50 states and D.C.; contractors paid in 120+ countries in local currency; international employees through employer of record partner Remote |
| Peers | Rippling, ADP, Paychex, Justworks, OnPay, Deel |
Funding
- Announced rounds
- US$175m
- Round
- Series E, US$175m, August 2021, led by T. Rowe Price Associates
- Valuation
- Valued at US$9.5bn in August 2021, at its Series E
What was Gusto's last announced valuation?+
Gusto was valued at US$9.5bn in August 2021, at its Series E.
Why it matters
Gusto runs payroll, benefits and HR for more than 500,000 US small businesses, roughly one in twelve US employers, and was valued at US$9.3 billion in a June 2025 tender offer. More than 18,000 accounting firms work with it, and partner firms get a free Plus plan, up to 20% revenue share and the Gusto Pro client dashboard.
Part of Accountio’s accounting technology coverage.
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