Gusto Retirement offers 3 401(k) plans to fit different business needs — Starter, Core, and Premium. This article covers what each plan includes, how monthly billing works, accepted payment methods, and how to switch plans.
We offer 3 401(k) plan options designed to fit different business needs. Your plan is assigned to one of these plans based on its design and options. See a side-by-side comparison of our pricing plans and features.
If you're a solopreneur, check out our Solo 401(k) option.
A simplified 401(k)—called a Starter 401(k)—with limited features and streamlined administration.
Employer pricing: $49/month base fee + $6/month per active participant¹
Employee pricing: 0.25%/year²
Features:
Limited employee contribution limit $6,000 for 2026
No employer contributions
No plan loans permitted
Support for controlled groups and affiliated service groups
Can only switch to a higher plan at the start of the year (IRS requirement)
Important: Due to IRS regulations, Starter 401(k) plans are only available to employers who have not offered a retirement plan in the last 12 months. Learn about the differences between a Starter 401(k) and standard 401(k).
A foundational 401(k) with robust features and more plan design options.
Employer pricing: $119/month base fee + $8/month per active participant¹
Employee pricing: 0.25%/year²
Features:
Standard employee contribution limit $23,500 for 2025 and $24,500 for 2026
Safe harbor and standard 401(k) design options
Employer contributions including match and profit sharing
Our most customizable 401(k), with exclusive pricing options and premium support.
Employer pricing: $179/month base fee + $8/month per active participant¹
Employee pricing: 0.25%/year²
Features:
Standard employee contribution limit $24,500 for 2026
Flexible pricing options
Premium support for plan admins and employees
Support for 401(k) plan transfers³
Support for controlled groups and affiliated service groups
Each month, you'll get an invoice that includes your plan's base fee and a per-participant fee (as outlined above). You may also see additional charges where applicable.
For billing purposes, a participant is considered “active” if they are currently employed at your company and have an account balance during the month being charged. This includes employees who have opted out but still have an account balance.
The following employees are not considered active participants for billing purposes:
Employees who are not yet eligible to enter the plan
Employees who are eligible but have chosen not to participate and have no account balance
Participants who no longer work for your company
Annual account (AUM) fees—fees based on assets under management—are typically paid by participants. If you choose to cover these fees for your employees, they'll appear on your invoices.
Annual account fees are calculated and deducted monthly based on your total active participants' balance on the last day of the calendar month. To find the monthly amount, divide the annual account fee (as a decimal) by 12, then multiply by the total month-end balance.
For example, if the annual account fee is 0.25% (0.0025) and your participants have a total balance of $100,000 at month-end, the account fee for that month would be $20.83.²
If your company is in a state that requires sales tax on services like the Gusto 401(k), applicable sales tax will be included on your monthly invoice. If your business is tax-exempt, contact our sponsor support team so we can adjust your billing.
At Gusto Retirement, you won't pay 5500 filing preparation³ or plan termination fees.⁴
You can learn about our 401(k) fees for participants here.
For more information on all fees, please refer to the Form ADV 2A Brochure and Fee Disclosure, also available in Client Privacy Policy & Terms of Service within the Resource Library. Note that Gusto may charge for extraordinary service fees in certain circumstances.
Billing starts the month following your plan's start date and is retroactive. For example, your February invoice reflects charges for January, your March invoice reflects charges for February, and so on.
On the first of every month, we'll email you your invoice. We then pull the invoiced amount from your designated bank account around the 5th of that month.
Gusto Retirement accepts the following payment type:
ACH transfers — for both invoice payments and contribution collections
We do not accept credit card, cash or check payments. You're required to keep a verified bank account on file at all times.
You can add up to four verified bank accounts, each designated for a specific use. For example, one bank account could be used for 401(k) contributions and another for monthly invoice payments.
Learn how to add, edit, or remove a bank account.
Bank account (ACH): Payment is processed within several business days. The full ACH billing process takes around 8 – 10 business days
Because we use different vendors to process payments, the transaction descriptions on your bank statement may not reference Gusto 401(k) directly. You may see:
WFMSTRIPE1 — for invoice payments
SSBTrustOps — for contribution withdrawals
These transactions are related to billing for your Gusto 401(k) plan.
If you'd like to switch your plan, keep the following in mind:
Plans can switch only once per calendar year
Companies transferring an existing retirement plan to us must stay on a Premium plan for at least 12 full calendar months before becoming eligible to switch⁴
You may lose access to certain plan designs and features when switching plans
Existing customers cannot move to a Starter 401(k) plan due to IRS regulations. These plans are designed for businesses that have not previously offered a retirement benefit
Plans can only switch from Starter to Core or Premium on Jan 1 due to IRS regulations
To initiate a change, contact our 401(k) sponsor support team.
Pricing applicable as of Feb 23, 2026. Plan costs may vary from legacy pricing depending on when a plan was initiated.
¹ See our fee disclosure for more information regarding fees.
² Investment advisory services for Gusto's 401(k) product (when 3(38) fiduciary services are appointed) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Gusto Investment Services, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. An assumed annual account fee of 0.15%–0.35% is applied to assets under management and is deducted on a monthly basis. It's calculated at 1/12 of the annual stated rate (0.15%–0.35%) based on the account balance on the last day of each month. See the Form ADV 2A Brochure for more information regarding fees.
³ This information is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be construed as investment or tax advice. Investment advisory services for Gusto's 401(k) product (when 3(38) fiduciary services are appointed) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Gusto Investment Services, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Information shown here assumes a static balance of $10,000 per month, an assumed annual account fee of 0.25% on assets under management (calculated and deducted on a monthly basis at 1/12 of the annual stated rate based on the month-end account balance) and does not account for common factors that affect the value of your account balance over time such as gains, losses, distributions, additional contributions, and more. It's not intended to be taken as investment advice or as an assurance or guarantee of future performance. The fee presented does not include other fees that a 401(k) participant may incur from other third parties or affiliates, including, but not limited to, mutual fund expense ratios and a monthly maintenance fee to participants who end employment. See the Form ADV 2A Brochure for more information regarding this fee.
⁴ All plan sponsors transferring an existing 401(k) to us must set up and maintain an Premium plan for at least one year. The plan will be eligible to switch to a different pricing plan thereafter.
⁵ Third-party auditor fees will apply to large plans where a 5500 audit is required. These fees are not charged by us.