Gusto now serves more than 500,000 small businesses or roughly every 1 in 12 businesses in the United States. Every one of them took a leap to start their business. They turned nothing into something — not just for themselves, but for their families, their teams, and their communities.
They deserve technology that doesn't just keep the lights on, but proactively guides, anticipates needs, and does work on their behalf. That commitment shows up every day: in a payroll that catches an error before it's submitted, a tax credit surfaced automatically, an expense filed from a phone mid-trip.
Today, as part of Gusto’s Spring Showcase, we are announcing a series of product updates across payroll, financial management, benefits, and HR that bring that commitment to life – so small business owners can focus on what matters most.
Payroll Without the Busywork
Running a business comes with complexity, and payroll is something that can never be late and never be wrong. Many of our updates focus on removing unnecessary steps—so tasks that used to require extra forms, emails, or support requests can now happen instantly inside Gusto.
Automated Payment Routing addresses one of payroll's most common pain points. When an employee switches bank accounts after a payroll deposit fails, Gusto's system now automatically detects the failed payment and reroutes it to the newly added account—no manual intervention required. Fewer frustrated employees, fewer delays, and one less thing for business owners to manage.
Assisted Payroll Prep works in the background to catch anomalies before a payroll run is ever submitted. By comparing the current run against historical payrolls, Gusto flags anything that looks off—a missing entry, an unusual amount, or a potential mistake. It's a second set of eyes, built into every single payroll.
For businesses that work with independent contractors, Automated Contractor Payments now allows payments to be scheduled ahead of time, eliminating last-minute manual entries before payday. Less stress, and more predictability—for both the business and the contractors they work with.
Run Your Business From Anywhere
Small business doesn't happen neatly between nine and five, or in one place, or on one screen. It happens between meetings, after hours, and on the move. Gusto is built to meet business owners where they are – and a new set of integrations and mobile capabilities make that possible.
Gusto now connects to ChatGPT, Claude, and Slack, bringing payroll and business data into the AI-powered workflows small businesses are already running. Owners and admins can ask questions, analyze trends, and get answers using natural language without switching between tools. Eligible customers can even run payroll directly from the chat. Gusto's own research found that of businesses that use AI, four in five report productivity gains of 20% or more, and over 40% have seen revenues jump by at least 20%.
The Expenses experience in the Gusto mobile app has been redesigned to better reflect the worlds our customers live in — one that is on-the-go and mobile because expenses shouldn't wait until after a trip is over. Employees can now capture and submit expenses the moment they happen: snap a photo of a receipt, upload on the go, or enter details manually—right from their phone. No end-of-month scramble or chasing receipts. Admins can review and approve from the app just as easily, reimbursements move faster, and finance teams get real-time visibility into spend without the back-and-forth.
More broadly, the Gusto mobile app has expanded significantly, with new access to compliance dashboards, tax tasks, and reporting tools—enabling more of the business to be managed on the go
For businesses with remote or distributed teams, remote I-9 verification is now available directly in Gusto—complete with guided form completion, E-Verify integration, and authorized representative verification for employees who can't complete their I-9 in person.
And for accounting firms, the new Gusto + Karbon Integration connects Gusto Pro with Karbon's practice management system to automatically create recurring payroll work items, sync pay schedule dates, and surface real-time task statuses inside Karbon—eliminating the need to toggle between tools every pay period.
Financial Insights That Drive Better Decisions
One of the biggest challenges small business owners face isn't a lack of data—it's having the right insights at the right time to make confident decisions. Do I hire our next employee? Can I open a new location? Gusto has built new tools designed to give business owners clearer insights into their finances, helping them make better decisions for the business and for their employees.
The new Gusto Money Dashboard gives small business owners a real-time view of their cash flow — bringing previous payroll amounts, upcoming bills, and live bank account balances into one place. By helping businesses understand if they are on track to make upcoming payroll on time and in full, we’re providing actionable intelligence that used to require a manual calculation and a call to an accountant.
For accounting professionals, Gusto Pro's Opportunities feature has been significantly expanded. Accountants now see personalized, timely recommendations for each of their clients—whether that's flagging a retirement mandate, surfacing a workers' comp opportunity, or estimating an R&D tax credit. It's built to help accountants deliver more proactive guidance, not just reactive support.
Gusto has expanded its Tax Credits service to help businesses capture more of what they're owed. We automatically review payroll and benefits data to estimate each eligible customer's maximum credits and generate ready-to-file documents — for them or their accountant — all within their existing Gusto workflow. It's a simpler way to get a reduction on business taxes, with no extra paperwork. The redesigned R&D estimate calculator is now interactive, so employers can see exactly how tax savings affect their cash flow — whether they choose to offset payroll taxes or reduce their overall tax liability. And two new credits expand what's available: the FICA Tips Tax Credit and the 401(k) Tax Credit.
For solopreneurs, the new S Corp Election with AI-guided Advisory walks owners through the process of electing S corp status via IRS Form 2553, with an expert-trained AI advisor helping determine eligibility and potential tax savings.
For businesses renewing benefits offerings, Gusto advisors now provide personalized plan recommendations supported by AI-driven insights on cost, coverage, and provider preferences. Dental and vision benchmarks are also used to show how a company’s offerings compare to similar businesses—giving employers a faster, more informed way to make one of the most consequential annual business decisions.
The Bigger Picture
Progress doesn't always look like a single breakthrough moment. Sometimes it looks like a payroll that runs without a hitch, a tax credit surfaced automatically, an expense submitted in seconds from a phone, or a compliance requirement caught before it becomes a problem.
These are the improvements that small business owners feel every day—in the time they get back, the stress they avoid, and the confidence they gain.
Gusto's mission is to grow the small business economy. For the more than 500,000 businesses that rely on Gusto today, that mission shows up not just in big product announcements—but in every improvement that makes running a business a little simpler, a little smarter, and a little more human.
It all adds up. Learn more about Gusto’s Spring Showcase.
