Edit an employee's personal details (for admins)
This article is for company admins who need to update or change an employee’s personal information in Gusto.
Only admins can edit the following employee information. The information may appear on federal and state tax documents, so verify it before making any updates.
If you’re an employee, learn what information you can update on your own in this article.
Admins with the required permissions can update:
Legal name
Social Security number (SSN)
Birthday
You can also learn how to:
Edit pay information for salaried employees — compensation changes, default hours, custom earnings types, recurring payments, prorations, and more
Edit pay information for hourly employees — hourly pay changes, default hours, multiple pay rates, custom earnings, recurring payments, prorations, and more
When entering an employee’s SSN in Gusto, you’ll see a message if the format is incorrect. However, we cannot validate or invalidate SSNs — you must do this yourself. You can use the Social Security Number Verification Service to verify your employee’s SSN.
To see the full SSN listed in Gusto for an employee, run an Employee information report.
Troubleshoot SSN issues or errors
If you notice an SSN error (or mismatch):
Notify your employee — you can use this sample template letter from the SSA.
Confirm with the employee that they’ve applied for an SSN or have had one in the past. To apply for a new SSN, point them here.
Check if the SSN entered starts with a “9” — if it does, this is an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), not an SSN.
Employees cannot use ITINs to work in the US. Your employee needs to apply for and provide an SSN for reporting wages on their W-2.
Business contractors commonly use ITINs.
Correct an SSN
If you’re a Gusto admin with the required permissions, you can edit an employee’s Social Security number (SSN).
If you do not have the option to update an employee’s SSN, reach out to the primary admin of your company’s Gusto account.
If you’re an employee, reach out to your employer, who can help with the change.
If you offer health insurance with Gusto (including the broker integration) and the employee is enrolled in coverage, we’ll also send their SSN update to their insurance carriers.
In your web browser
To correct an SSN:
Go to People.
Select the employee.
Under Information, click Personal.
From the Personal information section, click Edit.
Edit the employee’s Social Security number — you must enter the full corrected SSN (even if only one digit is off). We will not save your changes if you do not enter the full corrected SSN.
Click Save.
In the Gusto mobile app
Open your Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to People.
Select the team member.
Tap the
options menu.Select Personal.
Tap Edit.
Under SSN, edit their Social Security number. Enter the full corrected SSN (even if only one digit was incorrect). Your change will not be saved you do not enter the full corrected SSN.
Tap Save.
Correct the previous year’s W-2
If we filed a previous year’s Form W-2 with an incorrect SSN, and you edit the employee's SSN in Gusto, we’ll automatically create a federal W-2c (corrected W-2). You can view it in the employee’s profile within the next week.
A few reminders:
We’ll automatically create federal W-2c forms for the past two years if the employee was paid in Gusto during that time.
If you only need to change the SSN for the past year, contact us so we can cancel the other W-2c. To contact us, sign in to your Gusto account and click the help icon
in the top-right corner of the page.
We’ll email you and the employee when the W-2c is ready to view.
We only amend state W-2s for SSN changes for the following states: Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, New Jersey, Utah, and Virginia.
For any other state, you'll need to amend the state-specific W-2 outside of Gusto.
Update past unemployment filings
In some states, unemployment reports include an employee’s name and Social Security number—we only amend SSN changes on unemployment returns for the following states: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Mississippi, New Mexico, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
For all other states, if past unemployment filings contain an incorrect SSN, contact the agency to notify them and resolve the issue.
If you’re an employee or contractor and need to update your home address, follow the steps in this article.
If you’re a Gusto admin with the required permissions, you can update an employee’s home address and view their home address history. Go to the Personal tab of the employee’s profile in Gusto.
Important reminders
An employee’s home address impacts their tax liability and health premiums (if you have benefits with Gusto). Learn how to update their address in the Change an employee’s current home address section of the article.
If you offer health insurance with Gusto (including the broker integration) and the employee is enrolled in coverage, we’ll also send their home address update to their insurance carriers.
Do not delete a home address unless the employee never actually lived there. We need historical home addresses for tax purposes.
Do not use an employee’s PO Box for their home address.
Admins can use these steps when an employee’s physical address in Gusto is incorrect.
In your web browser
To change an employee’s current home address:
Go to People.
Select the employee.
Under Information, click Personal.
Scroll to the Address section and click Manage home address.
Click Change address.
Click I need to correct an error in [employee’s] current home address.
Enter the correct home address for the employee.
If you’ve indicated in Gusto that your employee works from home, and you’ve changed the home address to a location that requires different taxation than the original, this may affect tax calculations and withholding. We’ll reach out to you if you need tax corrections.
Example: You changed the location to another state or a locale with different applicable taxes.
Select whether you’d like to pay home taxes on behalf of the employee and read any related alerts.
Click Save.
Contact us to determine if you need tax corrections based on the address change. To contact us, sign in to your Gusto account and click the help icon
in the top-right corner of the page. Let us know which employee you made the home address change for, so our team can determine if you need tax corrections.
In the Gusto mobile app
To change an employee’s current home address:
Open your Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to People.
Select the team member.
Tap the
options menu.Select Personal.
Scroll to the Address section and select Manage home address.
Tap Change address.
Select I need to correct an error in [employee’s] current home address.
Enter the correct home address for the employee.
If you’ve indicated in Gusto that your employee works from home, and you’ve changed the home address to a location that requires different taxation than the original, this may affect tax calculations and withholding. We’ll reach out to you if you need tax corrections.
Example: You changed the location to another state or a locale with different applicable taxes.
Select whether you’d like to pay home taxes on behalf of the employee and read any related alerts.
Click Save.
Contact us to determine if you need tax corrections based on the address change. Let us know which employee you made the home address change for, so our team can determine if you need tax corrections.
When you hire a new employee, the home address they enter during onboarding becomes their current work address (unless you change it). Their hire date appears as the “working here since” date in their profile.
To change the “working here since” date, you need to:
Make sure the first address is correct. Update it if needed.
Add any other addresses that the employee lived at after the first address.
Follow the next steps.
Next steps
In your web browser:
From your admin dashboard, go to People.
Select the employee.
Under Information, click Personal.
Scroll to the Address section and click Manage home address.
Click Change address.
If needed, first click I need to correct an error in [employee’s] current home address.
Edit the Employee move-in date to the correct move-in date for the address.
Click Save.
Click Change address again to add another address, which will account for any time gaps.
Click [Employee] moved to a new address.
Enter the move-in date of the address.
Enter the new home address.
If you’ve indicated in Gusto that your employee works from home, and you’ve changed the home address to a location that requires different taxation than the original, this may affect tax calculations and withholding. We’ll reach out to you if you need tax corrections.
Example: You changed the location to another state or a locale with different applicable taxes.
Select whether you’d like to pay home taxes on behalf of the employee and read any related alerts.
Click Save.
Review the Home address history table to make sure the timeframes for each location are accurate.
Contact us to determine if you need tax corrections based on the dates you updated. To contact us, sign in to your Gusto account and click the help icon
in the top-right corner of the page. Let us know which employee you made the home address changes for, so our team can determine if you need tax corrections.
In the mobile app:
Open your Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to People.
Select the team member.
Tap the
options menu.Select Personal.
Scroll to the Address section and select Manage home address.
Tap Change address.
Select I need to correct an error in [employee’s] current home address.
Edit the Employee move-in date to the correct move-in date for the address.
Tap Save.
Select Change address again to add another address. This will account for any time gaps.
Tap [Employee] moved to a new address.
Enter the move-in date of the address.
Enter the new home address.
If you’ve indicated in Gusto that your employee works from home, and you’ve changed the home address to a location that requires different taxation than the original, this may affect tax calculations and withholding. We’ll reach out to you if you need tax corrections.
Example: You changed the location to another state or a locale with different applicable taxes.
Select whether you’d like to pay home taxes on behalf of the employee and read any related alerts.
Tap Save.
Review the Home address history table to make sure the timeframes for each location are accurate.
Contact us to determine if you need tax corrections based on the dates you updated. Let us know which employee you made the home address changes for, so our team can determine if you need tax corrections.
Admins can use these steps to edit an employee’s past addresses or change the dates for these addresses.
In your web browser
To edit an employee’s home address history:
Go to People.
Select the employee.
Under Information, click Personal.
Scroll to the Address section and click Manage home address.
In the Home address history table, click the three-dot menu under the Actions column.
Click Edit or Delete.
You cannot edit the employee’s move-in date at the first address until you add another address to replace it.
Choosing to delete a past address may affect tax calculations and withholding. We’ll reach out to you if tax corrections are needed.
Edit the home address and/or change the move-in date to when the employee began working there.
If you’ve changed the address to a location that requires different taxation than the original, this may affect tax calculations and withholding. We’ll reach out to you if you need tax corrections.
Example: You changed the location to another state or a locale with different applicable taxes.
To change the end date of a past work address, you need to add another past work address to account for any date gaps — click Add past address.
Add a past work address.
Add the start date.
Click Save.
The start and end dates of the other addresses in the Home address history table will adjust to account for the new address information.
Review all home address history to confirm its accuracy.
Contact us to determine if you need tax corrections based on changes in your historical address information. To contact us, sign in to your Gusto account and click the help icon
in the top-right corner of the page. Let us know which employee you made the address changes for so our team can determine if you need tax corrections.
In the Gusto mobile app
Open your Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to People.
Select the team member.
Tap the
options menu.Select Personal.
Scroll to the Address section and select Manage home address.
Tap Change address.
Scroll to Home address history. Find the address you're editing and scroll to the right to find the Actions column.
Tap the three dots icon and select
Edit or Delete.
You cannot edit the employee’s move-in date at the first address until you add another address to replace it.
Choosing to delete a past address may affect tax calculations and withholding. We’ll reach out to you if tax corrections are needed.
Edit the home address and/or change the move-in date to when the employee began working there.
If you’ve changed the address to a location that requires different taxation than the original, this may affect tax calculations and withholding. We’ll reach out to you if you need tax corrections.
Example: You changed the location to another state or a locale with different applicable taxes.
To change the end date of a past work address, you need to add another past work address to account for any date gaps — select Add past address.
Add a past work address.
Add the start date.
Tap Save.
The start and end dates of the other addresses under Home address history will adjust to account for the new address information.
Review all home address history to confirm the accuracy.
Contact us to determine if you need tax corrections based on changes in your historical address information. Let us know which employee you made the address changes for so our team can determine if you need tax corrections.
Admins can use these steps to schedule a future address update for an employee’s home address.
In your web browser
To schedule a future home address update:
Go to People.
Select the employee.
Under Information, click Personal.
Scroll to the Address section and click Manage home address.
Click Change address.
Select [Employee] moved to a new address.
Select the future start date at the new location.
Enter the address where the employee will be living.
Click Save.
The future home address will appear in the Home address history table, where you can edit the address or start date as needed.
In the mobile app
To schedule a future home address update:
Open your Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to People.
Select the team member.
Tap the
options menu.Select Personal.
Scroll to the Address section and select Manage home address.
Tap Change Address.
Select I need to correct an error in [employee’s] current home address.
Edit the Employee move-in date to the correct move-in date for the address.
Tap Save.
Select Change address again to add another address. This will account for any time gaps.
Tap [Employee] moved to a new address.
Select the future start date at the new location.
Enter the address where the employee will be living.
Tap Save.
The future home address is added under Home address history. You can edit the address or start date as needed.
Admins can use these steps to update an employee’s legal name or add a preferred name to their profile.
If you offer health insurance with Gusto (including the broker integration) and the employee is enrolled in coverage, we’ll also send their name update to their insurance carriers.
In your web browser
To update an employee’s legal or preferred name:
Go to People.
Select the employee.
If your employee has been dismissed, click the Dismissed tab to find the employee’s profile.
Under Information, click Personal.
From the Personal information section, click Edit.
You need to have the necessary permissions before making sensitive edits. If you do not have this option, reach out to your primary admin for help updating the info or your permissions.
Update your employee’s full legal name or add a preferred name.
Note: We do not support accent marks in names, and they are not a requirement for form filings.
Click Save.
In the Gusto mobile app
To update an employee’s legal or preferred name:
Open your Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to People.
Select the team member.
Tap the
options menu.Select Personal.
Next to Personal information, tap Edit.
You need certain permissions before making sensitive edits. If you do not have this option, reach out to your primary admin for help updating the info or your permissions.
Update your employee’s full legal name or add a preferred name.
Note: We do not support accent marks in names, and they are not a requirement for form filings.
Tap Save.
Sometimes, you cannot change an employee’s email address for them. For example, you may not be able to update an email for employees who have Gusto Cash Accounts. If that happens, they need to update it themselves or contact us if they need help.
Update an employee’s work email
Go to People.
Click the employee's name.
Go to Work.
Under Role, next to Work email, click Edit.
Enter the email.
Click Save.
To update a work email in the mobile app:
Go to People.
Tap the employee's name.
Next to Work email, tap Edit.
Enter the email.
Tap Save.
Update an employee’s personal or recovery email (when possible)
In your web browser:
Go to People.
Click the employee's name.
Go to Personal and find the Personal information section.
Next to Personal email or Recovery email, click Edit.
You must use an email address that’s not associated with any other Gusto account.
Enter the new email in both the New email and Confirm email fields.
Click the checkbox to acknowledge that this will change the email used to access the account.
Click Save.
We’ll send an email with the final steps to the employee’s new address. They need to follow these steps to finish the update.
If the employee does not see the confirmation email, they should check their spam folder.
If you need to resend the email, go to the employee profile and click Work. If the employee has not yet approved the change in the confirmation email, you’ll see “Pending" under "Email". Click Resend Email.
In the Gusto mobile app:
Open your Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to People.
Select the team member.
Tap the options menu.
Select Personal.
Tap Edit.
Scroll to Recovery email and edit their email.
Tap Save.
Admins can use these steps to update an employee’s cell phone number in Gusto.
In your web browser
To update an employee’s cell phone number:
Go to People.
Select the employee.
Under Information, click Personal.
From the Personal information section, click Edit.
Edit the employee’s phone number.
Click Save.
In the Gusto mobile app
To update an employee’s cell phone number:
Open your Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to People.
Select the team member.
Tap the
options menu.Select Personal.
Next to Personal information, tap Edit.
Add or edit the employee's phone number.
Tap Save.
Admins can use these steps to update an employee’s date of birth in Gusto.
If you offer health insurance with Gusto (including the broker integration) and the employee is enrolled in coverage, we’ll also send their date of birth update to their insurance carriers.
In your web browser
To update an employee’s date of birth:
Go to People.
Select the employee.
Under Information, click Personal.
From the Personal information section, click Edit.
If you cannot edit, you may not have the required permission to do so.
Edit the employee’s birthday.
Click Save.
In the Gusto mobile app
To update an employee’s cell phone number:
Open your Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to People.
Select the team member.
Tap the
options menu.Select Personal.
Next to Personal information, tap Edit.
If you cannot edit, you may not have the required permission to do so.
Edit the employee's birthday.
Tap Save.
We strongly recommend that you have your employees update their own bank account information to help prevent fraud. They may need to verify their existing bank account details before adding a new one.
Admins can use these steps to add or change an employee’s profile photo in Gusto (in your web browser or the mobile app).
To add or update an employee’s profile photo:
Go to People.
Select the employee.
Next to their profile picture, select the Edit pen in the photo circle.
Upload or drop a file, and select Save.
Team members can change their emergency contact and notification preferences on their own. If they need your help, admins can also change their emergency contact details. If a team member needs their notification preferences updated, they need to make the change in their Gusto profile themselves.
In your web browser:
Go to People.
Select the team member.
Go to Personal and scroll to Emergency contact.
Next to Emergency contact, click Edit. If you cannot edit the contact, you may not have the right permissions.
Update the emergency contact.
Click Save.
In the Gusto mobile app:
Open your Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to People.
Select the team member.
Tap the options menu.
Select Personal.
Scroll down to Emergency contact and tap Edit.
If you cannot edit, you may not have the required permission to do so.
Add or update the employee's emergency contact.
Tap Save.
Admins can change a team member’s employment type from employee to contractor or vice versa.
Go to our article on how to change employment types.
Admins should contact us if a team member passes away and a direct family member attempts to take ownership of their account. To contact us, sign in to your Gusto account and click the help icon in the top-right corner of the page. Include:
A death certificate — this must include the relative’s name on the certificate, and the person must be a direct family member (mother, father, or spouse).
The family member’s photo ID — we’ll only accept a passport or driver’s license.
Once our Assurance team reviews the documentation and approves it, we can help with the change of account ownership.