How to Run Payroll in Gusto, Step by Step
Six steps inside a real Gusto account: open payroll, check dates and bank, enter hours and extras, review, check taxes and debits, and submit.
Written guide
Run payroll in Gusto
Here's exactly how to run payroll in Gusto, step by step, inside a real account. It takes about five minutes, and at the end I'll show you how to get a hundred dollars when you sign up.
Real Gusto account
This is a real draft payroll. Names, bank details and dollar amounts are blurred, and we stop right before submitting, so you can see every screen.
Open Pay, then Run payroll
Step one. Click Pay in the left menu. Your upcoming payroll shows right at the top. Click Run payroll to open it.
Check the pay period
Step two. Check the pay period. This one covers October twelfth through the eighteenth. The bar shows you're on step two of three.
Submit-by date and payday
This box is the most important one. It shows the date you must submit by, and the day your team gets paid. Submit before that deadline and payday stays on time.
Choose the bank account
Below that, pick which business bank account the money comes out of. If you have more than one, choose it here.
Enter hours and extras
Step three. Here's your team. Each row is one employee. For hourly workers, type their regular hours. This person worked forty.
Bonus, tips, commission
Then add any extras in the same row: a bonus, cash tips, paycheck tips, commission, a correction payment, or reimbursements. Gusto adds it all up for you.
Columns and import
Tip. Use Columns to show only what you need, or Import payroll data to upload hours from a spreadsheet if you have a big team.
Click Review summary
Step four. When everything looks right, click Review summary. Nothing is sent yet. Gusto just calculates the paychecks and taxes.
Step 3 of 3: Review
Now you're on the last step, Review and submit. This is your chance to catch mistakes before any money moves.
Check payroll details
Step five. Check the payroll details: the total payroll, the amount Gusto will withdraw, which bank account, the withdrawal date, and payday.
What gets taxed and debited
Open What will get taxed and debited. It breaks down employee and company taxes, then shows exactly what Gusto pulls from your bank: direct deposits, reimbursements, garnishments, and taxes.
Download a preview
Want it on paper first? Download the cash requirements summary or a CSV, and make sure the money is in the account before the withdrawal date.
Submit payroll
Step six. Click Submit payroll. That's it. Gusto pays your team by direct deposit and handles the payroll tax payments and filings for you. We're stopping here, so this draft is not submitted.
Pay history
After you submit, every payroll shows up in Pay history, and your employees can see their paystubs in the Gusto app.
Or put it on AutoPilot
If your team is on salary and the numbers don't change, turn on AutoPilot and Gusto runs payroll for you every pay day.
6 steps to run payroll
Quick recap. Open Pay. Check the dates and bank account. Enter hours and extras. Review the summary. Check the taxes and debits. Submit.
Get $100
If you're not on Gusto yet, use the link in the description. Run your first payroll and you get a hundred dollars.
Get $100 with Gusto
Sign up with our link and run your first payroll