How to run a payroll with a past check date (for admins)
You might need to run a payroll with an old check date to report missed wages.
⚠️ Important: If the check date is outside your tax deposit schedule, you could get late payment penalties from the IRS or your state.
When to do this
You paid an employee but forgot to run payroll in Gusto.
You need to record a payroll with a past check date.
You ran payroll outside Gusto and want to add it to your account (and have Gusto pay the taxes).
Before you begin
Gusto will not file your taxes until you run a regular, off-cycle, or extra pay payroll. Already ran payroll outside Gusto and paid taxes? Follow these steps to report a non-Gusto payroll.
Steps to record a past payroll and have Gusto pay the taxes:
Go to the Pay section
Click Run an off-cycle payroll.
Enter the details and payment amount.
Set the Check Date to the correct past date.
When you select a pay day in the past, we cannot guarantee your taxes will be paid on time. You may be liable for tax penalties and interest if you run this payroll.
If the date is before the current quarter, message Gusto from the
section of your account.
Change the "Payment Method" to Check for all employees.
Submit the payroll.
Related help
Add past payroll during setup (for customers who are still onboarding)