Is Gusto Payroll Legit? Here’s My Experience.

I help run a small creative agency with a team of 20 – encompassing designers, developers, project managers, and contractors in various states in the U.S. We have an office but many of us are remote. In the past, we worked with a local payroll company but I constantly had to call them to get anything done and there was limited visibility into things PTO accrual, vacation time, time-off requests, and benefits, etc.

When I started looking for a solution I turned to the agency slack group I run which is comprised of about 950 other agency owners and leaders. When I asked the group what payroll solutions they use, the one name that came up over and over again was Gusto. Not only that, it was the only service that agency owners seemed to love.

It turns out switching from one payroll company to another isn’t child’s play, but Gusto’s support people guided us through the process and set up a timeline for us to make decisions and set things up. It took us a few months before we were up and running but it went smoothly.

Empowering Employees While Reducing Admin Work

Finding time to do business stuff in a creative agency can be difficult. And managing the administrative and logistical aspects of our business can be difficult for creative sorts. Payroll, Benefits, Employee reviews, PTO, time-tracking–none of these things came naturally to us. And keeping track of varied work hours, freelancers, full-time employees, benefits, taxes, and compliance issues was becoming increasingly complex as we grew.

Using Gusto: Payroll Processing and Beyond

My favorite part of Gusto is how the burden of payroll management is distributed among my team. Everybody creates their own account and manages their profile and benefits. Employees can request days off and make changes to their accounts. Gusto will even prompt employees to attend to certain tasks and digitally sign paperwork. It greatly reduced the amount of work I had to do. It even prompts my managers to approve or reject time-off requests.

Compliance and Tax Handling

One of Gusto’s standout features is its handling of taxes and compliance. It automatically calculates, files, and pays state and federal payroll taxes, which was a huge relief. It even keeps track of changes in tax laws, ensuring compliance and saving us from potential legal hassles.

Employee Experience

Our employees love having easy access to all their payroll and benefits info in one place. If you need a paystub or tax info or PTO balance, it’s a cinch. Gusto also sends automatic surveys to my team each month asking them to give management feedback and it’s been super useful. We also use their employee review features so we conduct employee reviews and store sensitive documents using their service.

Cost vs. Benefit Analysis

While Gusto may not be the cheapest option in the market, it’s not super expensive either. The time and resources it saved us were well worth the investment. The peace of mind, knowing that payroll and tax compliance were being handled professionally, allowed us and our team to focus on what we do best – being creative.

Gusto Payroll is Legit

Based on my experience, yeah. Gusto Payroll is not only legit but also a highly effective solution for small to medium-sized businesses, particularly in the creative sector. It has transformed how we handle payroll and HR, bringing efficiency, compliance, and employee satisfaction. For any business owner grappling with payroll challenges, Gusto is certainly worth considering.