Important: If you’re a US citizen living internationally, your employer needs to add you to Gusto as a US contractor instead.
Once your employer has added you as a non-US contractor in Gusto, you need to set up your Gusto profile. To get started, have these ready:
Your home country’s tax ID.
A bank account in the US or in the same country as your Gusto profile address.
Contractors in Australia cannot use a US bank account.
Some contractors may be eligible to use a crypto wallet or a Wise account. These payments typically arrive faster than those sent to a standard bank account.
On payday, we’ll send you an email letting you know you’ll be paid by the end of the day. If you want pay date or payroll details before payday, ask your employer.
We do not withhold taxes or file tax forms for non-US contractors. If you need year-end tax forms, ask your employer.
Important: Make sure all information you use to set up your Gusto profile is 100% accurate. Once it’s used on official forms, it’s more difficult to edit or update.
To set up your profile in Gusto:
Open the welcome email from Gusto and click Get started.
Enter your details:
Date of birth.
Your country’s tax ID.
Street address (used for “permanent resident address” on your W-8 form).
Click Save & continue.
Enter your payment details and double-check that everything is correct. Make sure your name in Gusto exactly matches the name on your account or wallet. If a payment is sent to the wrong account, it cannot be reversed.
Your bank account must be in the US or in the same country as your Gusto profile address. Contractors in Australia cannot use a US bank account.
Some contractors may be eligible to use a crypto wallet or Wise account.
Click Save & continue.
Click Generate & download Federal W-8 BEN/W-8 BEN-E.
W-8 BEN for individuals.
W-8 BEN-E for businesses.
We’ll auto-fill some of your information in the form. Double-check to make sure everything looks right. If you catch a mistake, tell your employer—they’ll need to contact us.
Fill in any missing details, then sign it and upload it to Gusto.
We cannot give tax form advice. If you need help, contact your employer or a tax advisor.
Click Confirm & submit.
Once you’re done, you’re ready to get paid through Gusto. On paydays, we’ll send you an email letting you know you’ll be paid by the end of the day.
Important: All non-US contractors are required to fill out Form W-8 BEN or Form W-8 BEN-E. If you need help, ask a tax advisor—we cannot give tax advice.
Form W-8 BEN confirms that you’re not a US citizen and do not owe US taxes. Check your local tax treaty for any exceptions. Most fields autofill based on your information in Gusto.
Item 1: Name of individual who is the beneficial owner
We’ll autofill this field.
Item 2: Country of citizenship
We’ll autofill this field.
Item 3: Permanent resident address
We’ll autofill this field.
Item 4: Mailing address
If your mailing address is different from your home address, download the form, write in your mailing address, and re-upload it. Even though we don’t mail physical documents, this field is still required by the IRS.
Item 5: US taxpayer identification number (Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)), if required (see instructions on form)
Important: We do not withhold taxes for non-US contractors, so this will not impact your payment in Gusto.
Ask a legal or tax advisor if you need this. If you’ve applied for an ITIN (typically associated with exemptions), allow 7 weeks to receive a notice about your application status. It can take 9–11 weeks if it’s tax season (January 15 to April 30) or if you applied from overseas. If you don’t receive a notice within that timeframe, contact the IRS.
Item 6: Foreign tax identifying number
If you didn’t enter an ITIN in step 5, enter your foreign tax identifying number (this may be your Social Insurance Number (SIN)).
Item 7: Reference number(s), see form instructions
We’ll autofill a reference number here for internal use only. Do not change this number.
Item 8: Date of birth (MM-DD-YYYY)
Enter your date of birth.
Item 9: Country of residency
We’ll autofill this field with the country you’re in.
Item 10: Special rates and conditions
We do not use any information you put in this section. If these conditions apply to you, contact your employer.
Agree to all items.
Sign as the beneficial owner (or as someone authorized to sign on their behalf).
Enter the date.
Print your name.
Add your capacity if you’re not the beneficial owner.
Businesses need to complete Form W-8 BEN-E to confirm their business is the payment owner. We’ll start the document for you when you begin setting up your profile in Gusto.
Item 1: Name of organization that is the beneficial owner
We’ll autofill this field.
Item 2: Country of incorporation or organization
We’ll autofill this field with the country you’re in.
Item 3: Name of disregarded entity receiving the payment (if applicable, see instructions)
A disregarded entity is a business that is legally separate from its owner but chooses to be taxed as part of the owner for tax purposes.
Item 4: Chapter 3 status (entity type) (must check one box only)
Check with your legal or tax advisor to find out which status applies to you.
Item 5: Chapter 4 status (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) status)
See instructions for details and complete the certification for the entity’s applicable status.
Item 6: Permanent resident address
We’ll autofill this field.
Item 7: Mailing address (if different from above)
If your mailing address is different from your home address, download the form, write in your mailing address, and re-upload it. Even though we don’t mail physical documents, this field is still required by the IRS.
Item 8: U.S. taxpayer identification number (TIN) if required
Important: We do not withhold taxes for non-US contractors, so this will not impact your payment in Gusto.
Ask a legal or tax advisor if you need this. If you’ve applied for an ITIN (typically associated with exemptions), allow 7 weeks to receive a notice about your application status. It can take 9–11 weeks if it’s tax season (January 15 to April 30) or if you applied from overseas. If you don’t receive a notice within that timeframe, contact the IRS.
Item 9a: Global Intermediary Identification Number (GIIN)
Only required if registered for FATCA. If you don’t have a GIIN, type “N/A” (required to proceed to the next step).
Item 9b: Foreign TIN—required
Enter this manually.
Item 10: Reference number(s), see form instructions
We’ll autofill a reference number here for internal use only. Do not change this number.
Item 11: Chapter 4 status (FATCA status) of disregarded entity or branch receiving payments
Consult a legal or tax advisor if you have questions.
Item 12: Address of disregarded entity or branch (street, apt. or suite no., or rural route). Do not use a P.O. box or in-care-of address (other than a registered address).
Item 13: Global Intermediary Identification Number (GIIN) (if any)
Only required if registered for FATCA.
Item 14: I certify that (check all that apply)
Part A: We’ll autofill this with the country you’re in.
Parts B and C: Fill out if applicable. We do not withhold or file taxes for non-US contractors, so we will not use this information.
Item 15: Special rates and conditions
We will not act on any information in the second section. If those conditions apply to you, contact your employer.
Consult a legal or tax advisor and complete the right section based on your entity type.
Sign, print, and date the form.
For security reasons, we highly recommend you do this yourself. If you cannot update your payment method or bank information, ask your employer for help.
If we get a bank error when trying to pay you, we’ll email you to update your bank information. Most likely, you’ll need to fix:
Your bank account number, or
The name on your bank account (it must match your full name in Gusto exactly).
To update your payment information:
Go to My Profile.
Under Information, click Payment.
Next to Payment, click Edit.
Update any of the details:
Payment method—bank account, crypto wallet (if eligible), or Wise account (if eligible).
Account holder name (full name must match bank records).
Account number (you’ll need to confirm it).
Bank name.
SWIFT code (if it applies, common for non-US banks). If you don’t know it, confirm it with your bank.
Click Save.
If you update your payment method after payments have been submitted, contact your employer right away to let them know.
Eligible contractors can use a crypto wallet to receive payment in USDC, a digital asset pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar. Instead of a bank transfer, you receive USDC directly in your crypto wallet.
You can typically use a crypto wallet if:
Your company pays non-US contractors through Gusto.
You’re located in a supported country.
You see the Crypto wallet pay option in your Gusto profile.
If you do not see the option, it is not available for you.
You must create and manage your wallet outside of Gusto.
Make sure your wallet address and network are correct.
We cannot recover funds sent to the wrong wallet.
To set up a crypto wallet in your non-US contractor profile:
Go to My profile → Payment.
Select Crypto wallet.
Choose:
Asset: USDC
Network (for example, Solana or Ethereum, as supported)
Enter your wallet address.
Confirm your wallet address.
Click Save.
Wallet validation may be instant, or take 2–3 business days.
You can switch between your crypto wallet and other payment methods at any time in your profile.
You receive 100% of the payment amount your employer sends when paid to your crypto wallet.
Payment timing depends on your employer’s processing speed.
Most payments are designed to arrive the same day after processing, but some may take up to a few business days.
Legal disclosures:
Cryptocurrency transaction and custody services are powered by Zero Hash LLC and Zero Hash Liquidity Services LLC. When you enable stablecoin payments on Gusto’s platform, you must also agree to the Zero Hash LLC and Zero Hash Liquidity Services LLC terms and conditions and enable your Zero Hash account. Cryptocurrency assets are held and custodied by Zero Hash LLC, not Gusto. Services may not be available in all states. Cryptocurrency assets are not subject to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or Securities Investor Protection Corporation coverage. The value of any cryptocurrency, including digital assets pegged to fiat currency, commodities, or any other asset, may go to zero. Stablecoin payments are not currently available in New York.
Cryptocurrency transactions and custody services are provided by third parties, not Gusto. Stablecoins are not legal tender, bank deposits, or investments, and are not insured by the FDIC or any other government agency. While designed to maintain a one-to-one peg to a fiat currency, stablecoins may lose value, and redemption may be limited, delayed, or refused in certain circumstances. Issuers may be required to freeze or forfeit tokens pursuant to a legal directive. Blockchain transactions carry inherent risks, including irreversibility, smart contract vulnerabilities, and permanent loss of funds from compromised or lost private keys. Earning yield through DeFi or other third-party platforms introduces additional risks separate from the stablecoin itself. The regulatory landscape for digital assets is evolving rapidly and may affect the availability or functionality of any stablecoin.
A Wise account allows eligible contractors to receive payment in USD directly in their personal Wise account. Instead of a traditional bank transfer to a local bank, you receive the payment in your Wise multi-currency account.
You can hold USD in your Wise account or convert it to your local currency inside Wise.
You can typically use a Wise account if:
Your company pays non-US contractors through Gusto.
You’re located in a supported country.
You see the Wise account payment option in your Gusto profile.
Wise payouts are supported for personal Wise accounts only.
If you do not see the option, it is not available for you.
To avoid delays, we recommend setting up your payment method a few days before payday.
You must create and manage your Wise account outside of Gusto.
Only personal Wise accounts are supported.
Business or company Wise accounts are not supported. If you add a Wise business account, your payment may fail or be delayed.
Your Wise account must be able to receive USD balances.
To set up a Wise account in your non-US contractor profile:
Go to My profile → Payment.
Select Wise account.
Enter your Wise account details.
Confirm the information.
Click Save.
Account validation may be instant, or take 1–2 business days.
You can switch between your Wise account and other payment methods at any time in your profile.
You receive 100% of the payment amount your employer sends when paid through Wise.
Wise may charge separate fees if you convert currencies within Wise.
Payment timing depends on your employer’s processing speed.
Most payments are designed to arrive within minutes to a few hours after processing, but some may take up to a few business days.
Once funds arrive in your Wise account, you can hold the USD balance or convert it to your local currency within Wise.
The table below shows typical payment timing for each method. For more detail, expand each payment method’s section above.
Payment method
Usually arrives in
US bank account
1–3 business days after your employer’s payday
International bank account
3–7 business days (varies by country and bank)
Wise account
Minutes to a few hours after processing (up to a few business days)
Crypto wallet
Same day after processing (up to a few business days); check your wallet’s transaction history
Work through these steps in order to find out what happened:
Check your paystub in Gusto to confirm the payment status. Go to Pay and click the payment date.
Verify that your payment details in Gusto are exactly correct—name, account number, and SWIFT/IBAN (for bank accounts), or wallet address and network (for crypto).
Ask your employer to confirm the payment was submitted in Gusto.
Contact your bank with the payment reference number from your Gusto paystub.
International payments can be rejected due to incorrect account details, country restrictions, or missing intermediary bank information. When this happens, your employer receives a notification from Gusto. Ask your employer to contact Gusto support so the payment can be reattempted.
Important: Once a non-US contractor payment has been processed, it cannot be reversed. Always verify your payment details in Gusto—including your bank account, Wise account, or crypto wallet address—before your employer’s payday.
To update your personal information:
Go to Profile.
Next to Personal information, click Edit.
Edit any of the details:
First name
Pronouns
Tax ID
Birthday
Recovery email
Click Save.
To update your address:
Go to Profile.
Next to Address, click Edit.
Edit any of the details:
Country
Street address
City
Postal code
Click Save.
To view your payments:
Go to Payments. Here you can see payments and details like:
Estimated pay date
Wage
Payment amount
Payment method
Payment status
To view or add documents:
Go to Documents.
To add a document, click Add document.
You can delete documents you add, but you cannot delete your W-8 form.
To view a document, click the three-dot Action menu and select View.
To show or hide your birthday and phone number with coworkers:
At the top right of the page, click your profile.
Select Settings.
Go to Privacy.
Next to Birthday or Phone Number, click Edit.
Choose to show or hide your birthday or phone number from coworkers.
Admins can still see this information.
Birth year is never shown to coworkers.