How to get paid through Gusto (for US contractors)

Add your bank account at any time, and change your payment method from check to direct deposit. 

1. Sign in to Gusto.
2. Click My profile.
3. Go to the Pay section. 
4. In the “Payment” section, click edit.
5. Enter your routing number, account number, account type, and display name. 
   • Do not use symbols like dashes or commas in your account number—Gusto only accepts letters and numbers (alphanumeric formatting).
   • For security, you may need to enter your 2-step verification code and your full current bank details again. If you get stuck, troubleshoot 2-step verification issues here, or contact us from the  section of your account.
6. Click Save.

Gusto will send a small test deposit to verify your bank account—no action needed from you. You will be paid by direct deposit on future payments that have not already been submitted. 

You can find the direct deposit authorization form under Documents in your account.

Verification, errors, and account number formatting

After you add your bank account and routing number for direct deposit, Gusto will send a test payment of one cent to make sure your account works.

Important things to know

• It can take a few days to verify your account.
  • You might not get paid on payday until it's verified.
• If the test payment fails, you’ll need to update and verify the new info—do this as soon as you can.
  • Once your info is updated, Gusto will send a new test payment within a few business days.
  • You and your employer will get emails if the test payment fails. 
    
    • Gusto will send reminders every 3 business days. If nothing is fixed within 12 business days, your pay will go back to your company’s bank account.
• Do not use symbols like dashes or commas in your account number—Gusto only accepts letters and numbers (alphanumeric formatting).

If your payment method is set to direct deposit, you can be paid by check instead—you'll just need to remove all bank accounts in your profile.

1. Sign in to Gusto.
   • Learn how to add or split payments on the mobile app.
2. Click My profile.
3. Select the Pay section. 
4. Next to the bank account you're using for direct deposit, click Edit.
5. Scroll all the way down, and click Remove Account.
   • We'll send you code via text or email. Enter this code in the pop-up screen in your Gusto account.
6. Repeat this process if you have multiple bank accounts (for US employees only).

You'll be paid by check moving forward (for all payrolls submitted after this change was made), and that check should come directly from your employer.

If you’re a contractor in the U.S., you can see your past and latest payments in your Gusto account after your admin pays you. You can check them anytime on your computer or phone. 

To see your payments:

1. Sign in to Gusto.
2. Click the Pay tab.
3. Move your mouse over the payment you want, then click View or PDF to print the payment statement. 

Each payment statement will show your regular pay, any bonuses, reimbursements, invoice info, and any notes your employer added.

If you're a contractor outside the U.S., Gusto will email you on payday. For more payment details, ask your employer.

Ultimately, when you get paid depends on when your employer submits the payroll or payment to you. 

Once you've confirmed with your employer that they've run the payroll/payment through Gusto, use the information below to help troubleshoot missing payments. 

• If you're an international contractor with payment issues, have your employer reach out to us from the section of their Gusto account.

For direct deposits

After your employer submits payroll, we’ll electronically send any payments processed as a direct deposit—on payday, you'll get an email from Gusto, and your paystub will be available in your account. After the banks receive our electronic payment, they have until 5 pm local time to make funds available to you in your bank account.

• Payment processing speed is unique to each employer—contact your admin directly for questions about your specific check date. Gusto cannot answer questions about in-flight payments until the actual payday (check date). 

For check payments

Your employer is responsible for sending or manually distributing the check to you—check your paystub in Gusto to determine how your employer processed the payment (via direct deposit or check).

Troubleshooting payment issues

If you do not see the money in your account on the pay date and believe there’s a delay with your payment, follow the steps below to troubleshoot.

1. Make sure you're in the correct account.
   • If you have multiple Gusto accounts, switch to a different profile.
2. Check if your payment method is set to direct deposit. 
   • If you’re set up for a check payment method, your employer should issue you a check for your net pay (the money will not appear in your bank account if you were set to be paid by check). 
   • Even when direct deposit information is set up in your profile, your employer has the option to process the payment as a check—view your paystub in Gusto to determine if your employer processed the payment as direct deposit or as a check.
3. Verify that your bank account information is correct.
   • Check your bank account transactions and look for the $0.01 test credit from Gusto.
     • If you do not see the test credit within 1-2 business days after adding your bank information, your bank information may have been entered incorrectly.
   • If the bank routing or account number is incorrect:
     • [Employees] Update your bank info.
       • If you decide to delete the bank account (rather than update the existing one), you’ll need to add a new bank account and then message us from the  section of your account to resend the payment.
     • [Contractors] Update your bank info.
       • If you decide to delete the bank account (rather than update the existing one), you’ll need to add a new bank account and then message us from the  section of your account to resend the payment.
   • If you recently changed your bank account, your payment may have been sent to the previous account. 
     • Check your previous bank account’s transaction history to see if funds were deposited there.
       • If you no longer have access to the old account, first contact us to obtain the ACH trace ID for the payment, then contact your bank to have them track down the payment.
4. Sign in to your bank account or contact the bank directly to check if there are any pending payments (credits) incoming.

Still need help?

Contact your employer with any questions or issues. 

• Ask about the expected payment date.
• Ask them to confirm the payment method (direct deposit or check).
• Review bank account details.
• Review payment details (as needed).

If your employer is unable to help, they can contact us from the  section of their admin account—our team can provide more explicit details about in-flight payments or any errors to admins.