New: You can now create custom Basic roles for individuals or groups in Gusto. If you cannot add a Basic role in your account yet, wait a few weeks (we're still rolling this out).
A person’s roles and permissions control what they can see and do in Gusto, as well as the emails they'll get. You can manage access for team members who already have Gusto profiles, and collaborators outside of Gusto (accountants, brokers, etc).
There's no limit to how many Global, or Limited admins you can set up in Gusto.
Reminder about assigning managers
If you set up managers with Gusto's standard permissions, you can have as many as you'd like. If you want to change the roles and access your managers have, try customizing a “Basic” role using the instructions in this article.
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There are a few types of users you can have in Gusto:
Additional detail about Global, Limited, and Basic access can be found below.
Give Global access to company owners and administrators. This level of access is usually given to very few people because they'll have access to all of your company information.
If you do not want to give this level of access, choose Limited admin instead.
Global admins have access to:
Global admins cannot add, remove, or edit other user’s roles and permissions. Only the account owner (aka Primary admin) can do that.
Account owners (aka Primary admins) can choose access levels for various functions. Limited admin roles restrict access and can be applied to specific people or groups.
Custom Basic roles are available on the Simple, Plus, and Premiums plans—admins can upgrade their plan at any time.
Users with Basic roles will never see sensitive information like social security numbers (SSNs), bank account info, or tax elections.
Account owners (aka Primary admins) can choose Basic access levels for less-sensitive functions:
Users with individual Basic roles will never see sensitive information like social security numbers (SSNs), bank account info, or tax elections.
Account owners (aka Primary admins) can assign individual permissions by adding a new role, or going to the team member's profile:
Account owners (aka Primary admins) can choose Basic access levels for less-sensitive functions:
The Account owner (aka Primary admin) is the only Global admin with the ability to add, remove, or edit permissions for other users. If you’re not the Account owner, reach out to them for help.
We’ll email users about their new access and roles—if they do not see the email, have them:
Users will only be able to view the parts of Gusto that correspond to their permissions.
Only the current Account owner can assign a new Account owner.
Important reminders
Only the current Account owner can make this change.
The Account owner (aka Primary admin) is the only Global admin with the ability to add, remove, or edit permissions for other users. If you’re not the Account owner, reach out to them for help.
Users will get an email letting them know they're access or roles changed.
If the person was already a team member in Gusto when you made them an admin, their admin-account was set up using the personal email in their Gusto profile. Learn how to change the email in their member profile.
If the person was set up as "Not a team member", remove their current admin-access (instructions below), and then add access again with the new email.
Only the current Account owner can remove other admins or roles.
If the owner is no longer with the company, contact us through the Help section of your profile to let us know. If you do not have a Gusto account, email [email protected] with proof (documentation) you have authority to “transact on behalf of the business".
An email will be sent to the person, or people, letting them know of the role change.
When you give an employee Limited or Global admin access in Gusto, it creates a new admin profile separate from their employee profile—they'll need to switch between the two account types based on what they're trying to do.
Q: Does Gusto send notifications about permission or role changes?
A: We email team members when a role is added, or removed. We do not send notifications about changes to existing access.
Q: Can individuals see what access they have in their Gusto account?
A: No.
Q: Can a Basic role be assigned to someone who is "not a team member"?
A: No. For now, Basic roles must be assigned to existing team members in Gusto.
Q: Can I change a Limited or Global admin to have a Basic role?
A: To limit an admins acccess more, you can edit their individual types of access at the Limited or Global level, or remove the existing role entirely and set up a new Basic role for them.
Q: Can I see who changed permissions or roles (e.g., audit log, change log, or similar)?
A: At this time, no.
Q: Can I assign managers and direct reports like I always have?
A: Yes, assign managers the same way you always have. Custom Basic roles are offered in addition to the preexisting functionality.
Q: If I add a Gusto Pro accounting firm to my account, will they have full access?
A: Yes. The firm-admin has full access in Gusto (and the ability to grant it). They're responsible for assigning other firm members' permissions.
Q: (From accountants) We have multiple accountants working for one client—what does that set up look like?
A: An Accountant can have a full, or limited view of their client's account, based on the access their firm-admin gave them.