Switch to Gusto from Justworks: Real Prices + Checklist

Q: Can Gusto import my Justworks payroll history?

Justworks isn't on Gusto's transfer-automation list. Enter earlier payrolls during setup, or start in January to keep it short.

Q: Does Justworks charge to set up?

Its pricing page says there's no implementation fee. Check your own agreement for exit terms before you pick a date.

Dad’s short answer

One state and payroll only? Gusto Simple is cheaper. Several states? Justworks Payroll is cheaper at list price, so move only for Gusto’s tools.

Justworks Payroll is $50/mo + $8 per employee, multi-state included.⁶
One state: Gusto Simple is cheaper ($49 + $6). Several states: Justworks is cheaper, because Gusto needs Plus ($80 + $12).¹²
On a Justworks PEO plan? That's a different product. Leaving a PEO is a bigger move; read the FAQ first.

Provider	Best for	Starting price
Gusto	Most small teams that want payroll taxes filed for them, in one state (Simple) or several (Plus)	Simple $49/mo + $6/person; Plus $80/mo + $12/person¹
Patriot Software	The lowest full-service price for teams of 2 or more	Full Service $37/mo + $5/worker; Basic $17 + $4 if you file taxes yourself⁸
QuickBooks Payroll	People already doing their books in QuickBooks	From $88/mo + $6.50/employee, bundled with Simple Start accounting⁹
Square Payroll	Shops and restaurants already on Square POS	$35/mo + $6/person; contractor-only $6/person¹⁰
OnPay	Teams in several states that want one flat rate	$49/mo + $6/person, multi-state included¹¹
Justworks you	Multi-state teams that want one flat per-person rate, or a PEO	Payroll plan $50/mo + $8/employee⁶

Starting list prices from each company’s pricing page, verified Oct 31, 2026. Add-ons and promos not included. Confirm on their site.

Start on Gusto’s website →

Goes through our referral page first. We earn a reward if you sign up; your price doesn’t change.

Who this is for

You run payroll on Justworks today. Gusto fits you if:

Everyone's in one state: Gusto Simple is $49 + $6 per person.¹
You want time tracking and scheduling in the plan, not as an add-on (Gusto Plus).¹
One-person S-corp? Gusto Solo is built for that.⁷
Gusto files 1099s as part of every plan.²

Why Gusto, compared with Justworks

Dad story

Picture a 10-person design studio.

Everyone works in one state.

Justworks Payroll: $50 a month plus $8 a person. $130.⁶

Gusto Simple: $49 plus $6 a person. $109.¹

Now hire two people in another state.

Gusto needs Plus: $80 plus $12 a person. $224. Justworks: $146.²

Dad's rule: do the math for the team you'll have next year, not just this one.

(Made-up business. Real prices, checked Oct 31, 2026.)

List prices from each company's own site, read on Oct 31, 2026. Promos and quotes vary.

	Justworks	Gusto
Published pricing	Payroll plan: $50/mo base + $8/employee. PEO Basic $79/employee and PEO Plus $124/employee, no base fee. Time tracking is an $8/employee add-on.⁶	Simple $49/mo + $6/mo per person. Plus $80/mo + $12/mo per person. Premium $180/mo + $22/mo per person.¹ Month-to-month, cancel anytime.¹
What's included	Payroll with multi-state payroll, contractor payments, W-2 and 1099 filings, and phone and chat support. 24/7 support is on the PEO plans.⁶	Unlimited payroll runs, including off-cycle. Automatic federal, state and local payroll tax filings, including W-2s, 1099s, Form 940 and Form 941.²
Contractor payments	Contractor payments included; international contractors are $39 per paid contractor per month.⁶	US contractors cost your plan's per-person rate, and only in months you pay them.¹ The contractor-only plan closed to new customers on Oct 1, 2026.³
State tax filings	Multi-state payroll included on the Payroll plan.⁶	Simple covers one state. Plus and Premium cover multiple states.² Registering in a new state is an add-on; price varies by state.¹
Switching into Gusto	Not on Gusto's import list. Plan to enter earlier payrolls from Justworks' reports, or start in January.	Not on Gusto's transfer-automation list, so you enter earlier payrolls in setup: quarter-to-date totals for past quarters plus this quarter's pay stubs.⁴⁵

What Justworks customers complain about

We read recent public reviews on Oct 31, 2026 and kept only themes that came up more than once. These are our paraphrases, not quotes, and some reviews are from employees rather than owners. Your experience may be fine; if so, the fix is to stay.

Slow answers on urgent issues. The most common complaint: support that promises an update tomorrow, then goes quiet, sometimes for weeks.²³
Support hours and time zones. A West Coast owner noted that Eastern business hours leave short afternoons for help unless you're on a higher plan.²³⁶
State compliance mistakes. Several reviewers describe state tax and workers' comp errors they had to chase.²³
Billing on the wrong plan. A few describe being charged at a higher tier than they signed up for.²³

What it costs for your team

Change the numbers, or type in your last Justworks bill. Dad does the multiplication.

Your numbers

✓ Prices checked Oct 31, 2026

Current provider

What you pay now ($/mo, optional)

W-2 employees

Contractors paid / mo

States

List prices from each company’s own pricing page. Promos, add-ons and taxes not included. Quote-only providers show “quote only.” How we calculate

Start on Gusto’s website →

Goes through our referral page first. We earn a reward if you sign up; your price doesn’t change.

Where Justworks is genuinely better

Multi-state price. $50 + $8 per employee covers every state. On Gusto that's Plus at $80 + $12.⁶¹
A PEO path. If you want a PEO later, Justworks sells one on the same platform.⁶
International contractors at $39 each per month.⁶
24/7 support on its PEO plans.⁶

Your Justworks-to-Gusto checklist

Do these in order. Grab a coffee. It's mostly downloading PDFs. Want to tick them off? Use the interactive switching checklist; it remembers your progress.

Company tax IDs. Your EIN, legal name exactly as the IRS has it, and whether you file Form 941 (quarterly) or 944. Pull your federal deposit schedule while you're in there.
State account numbers. State withholding account number, state unemployment (SUI) account number and current rate, and any local tax IDs. Justworks has these on file. Copy them before you cancel.
Year-to-date payroll. A YTD payroll register for every employee paid this year, including people who quit. Gross pay, taxable wages, withholding, deductions, check dates.
Prior quarter 941s and tax payments. Copies of every Form 941 and state quarterly return filed this year, plus proof of tax deposits. Gusto asks for YTD reports and documentation of this year's tax payments.²⁴
Employee W-4s and direct deposit. Each person's federal W-4 (and state form), pay rate, pay schedule, deductions, garnishments, PTO balances, and bank details.
Contractors. Names, W-9s, and what you've paid each one this year, so 1099s come out right.
Plan to type in earlier payrolls. Gusto asks for quarter-to-date totals from the last pay stub of each finished quarter, plus every pay stub from the current quarter. Include people who already left.⁵
Agree who files what. Only one provider can file a quarterly return for a given quarter. If both file, the second one gets rejected.²⁴ Get Justworks to confirm in writing which quarters it will file.
Run one payroll in Gusto, then cancel. Download every report and tax form from Justworks first. Once you lose access, those PDFs get hard to find.

Why the end of the year is the easiest time to switch

Gusto handles quarterly returns starting with the quarter of your first Gusto check date.²⁴ So the cleanest plan is a first Gusto payday in January 2027.

Justworks finishes 2026: the Q4 Form 941 and your 2026 W-2s. W-2s are due to employees and the SSA by February 1, 2027.²⁵ Get Justworks to confirm in writing that it's filing them.
Gusto starts 2027 with a clean slate. With a first check date in Q1, Gusto's list is just the pay stubs from the current quarter.⁵ Start in January and that's close to nothing.
Any other quarter works too. You'll just be entering more history.

If you sign up through our link by Jan 31, 2027 and run a paid payroll, Gusto's referral terms say you get a $100 Visa gift card. We get a referral reward too.²⁶

FAQ: Justworks to Gusto

Is Justworks cheaper than Gusto?

It depends on states. One state: Gusto Simple ($49 + $6) beats Justworks Payroll ($50 + $8) at every headcount. More than one state: Justworks is cheaper than Gusto Plus ($80 + $12).⁶¹

I'm on a Justworks PEO plan. Is this page for me?

Partly. Leaving a PEO means your company takes back its own tax accounts and anything the PEO sponsored. That's a bigger project. Talk to your accountant before you pick a date.

Can Gusto import my Justworks payroll history?

Justworks isn't on Gusto's transfer-automation list.⁴ Enter earlier payrolls during setup, or start in January to keep it short.

Does Justworks charge to set up?

Its pricing page says there's no implementation fee.⁶ Check your own agreement for exit terms before you pick a date.

Sources, checked Oct 31, 2026

Every number on this page comes from one of these pages. Prices change; if a vendor updates its page, theirs wins.