Broker integration: Connect your company’s benefits to Gusto

Pricing and availability depend on which Gusto plan you’re on:

• Simple: Not available on Simple. Upgrade to Plus to use the broker integration. 
• Plus: $6 per eligible employee per month. This fee applies to businesses who integrate with external brokers only—there’s no additional cost to using Gusto as your broker.
• Premium: No additional cost to your Premium monthly plan pricing.

Add-ons

When our team sets up your broker integration, let us know if you’re interested in any of these additional features.

ACA filing

• $1,250 per year.
• Gusto will prepare and file Forms 1094-C and 1095-C in compliance with the Affordable Care Act. 

COBRA administration 

• $30 per company per month for BASIC administration of COBRA continuation coverage.  
• Whether your company is subject to federal or state continuation, Gusto can help facilitate compliant COBRA administration. 

Tax-advantaged accounts

• One $200 annual service charge covers all three account types, plus:
• Health Savings Account (HSA): +$2.50 per participant per month, no minimum.
• Flexible Savings Account (FSA): +$4 per participant per month, $20 per month minimum. You can also offer a Dependent Care FSA (DCFSA)  with no additional fee.
• Commuter benefits: +$4 per participant per month, $20 per month minimum. 
• Gusto will notify eligible employees to enroll. They’ll receive a debit card to fund with pre-tax dollars to spend on qualified expenses. 

The broker integration is also recommended for customers who currently offer health insurance with Gusto and are approaching the size limits for small group coverage. By adding your new large group broker to Gusto, your team can access large group plans without losing your streamlined benefits administration—including the same automated payroll deductions, tax reporting, new hire onboarding, and more. 

When to start looking for large group health insurance 

Some carriers will let you continue small group coverage for a year after you’ve met the large group minimum, but you may find better rates and plans on the large group market. Based on the state your company’s health insurance is written out of, here’s when it’s time to start thinking about large group health insurance with a new broker:

• California, Colorado, New York, or Vermont: 100 employees
• Any other state: 50 employees 

The way employees are tallied varies by state—some use the average number of employees you had in the last year, and others tally all hours worked to get the number of full-time equivalent employees. A large group broker can help you determine if and when your company’s eligible for the large group market. 

If you’re near the small group limit when your benefits are up for renewal, our licensed advisors will walk you through your options and refer you to a large group broker if needed. 

Are you interested in setting up the broker integration with Gusto? We’d love to hear from you! Here’s how to get started:

1. Sign in to your Gusto admin account.
2. Go to the Benefits section. 
3. In the “Manage benefits on Gusto and keep your broker” banner, click View your options.  
   • If you don’t see this banner, scroll to the “Health” section and click Medical, Dental & Vision. Then choose Yes, we currently offer this benefit. You can also head to the Help section and contact our team directly.
   • If you're on the Simple plan, upgrade to Plus to access the broker integration.
4. Under “Bring your broker to Gusto,” click Get more info. 
   • If you don't see this option, contact us from the Help section of your account to discuss eligibility. 
5. Click Get started.
   • If you have more questions, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Talk to our team to be connected to a benefits specialist.
6. Indicate which lines of coverage you’d like to integrate, including medical, dental, vision, life, short-term and long-term disability, and tax-advantaged accounts.
   
   • If you offer life and disability, does your company cover the full cost? The broker integration does not support voluntary life or disability. If you’d like to continue with the broker integration, you’ll need to handle enrollment outside of Gusto and set up deductions manually.
7. Select the month and day your company's medical benefits renew in. If you're not sure, check your policy documents or ask your broker.
   • If your renewal is less than 45 days away: We recommend you run your upcoming open enrollment outside of Gusto. Meanwhile, we’ll integrate your upcoming renewal plans with Gusto. We’ll reach out to discuss the timeline with you once you complete these setup steps.
   • If your renewal is 45–90 days from today: We recommend integrating your renewal policies and running open enrollment through Gusto.
   • If your renewal is more than 90 days from today: we’ll integrate your current policies. When it’s time for your renewal, we’ll work with your broker to run open enrollment through Gusto. 
     No matter when your benefits renew, you can keep setting up the integration and we’ll reach out to discuss timeline. 
8. Click Save and continue.
9. Tell us about your broker: enter their name, agency name, and email.
   • If your company has ever had Gusto as your broker, we’ll also ask when your new broker took over. 
10. Click Save and continue. This sends your broker an invitation to join your company on Gusto. They'll have access to your company's benefits and reports so they can manage your team's benefits. 
11. Click Sign form to review and sign each document.
12. Click Send forms.
13. Review your benefits and broker info. If everything looks correct, click Send broker integration order. You can review a timeline of your integration on the next page. 
    
    • Billing: if the broker integration is an add-on to your Gusto plan, billing will begin after we set up your benefits in Gusto.

Once you request the broker integration by following the steps above, a dedicated benefits specialist will reach out to start your onboarding. Click here for an outline of the setup process. 

You can let your broker know that we’ll email them a link to start adding your company’s plans to Gusto. We'll also request some plan documents from them via email.

Once we start setting up your benefits in Gusto, we’ll let you know when to follow the steps below and grant your broker admin permissions in Gusto. 

Add your broker as a new Gusto admin

Follow these steps if your broker does not yet have admin access to Gusto. Admin permissions can only be added or changed by your company’s primary admin. 

1. Sign in to your Gusto admin account
2. Go to Settings.
3. Choose the Permissions tab.
4. Click Gusto admins.
5. Click Add new admin.
6. Select Not an employee.
7. In the dropdown, choose Broker.
8. Enter your broker's name and email.
9. The permissions they need as a broker are automatically selected: under “Finance & accounting,” they can View payroll reports and tax filings. For “Benefits,” they can Manage all benefits. 
10. Scroll down and click Add admin.
11. We’ll email your broker and invite them to set up their account. 

Once your broker sets up their account, they can manage your company’s benefits, set up employee deductions, and view payroll reports and tax filings. 

Add broker permissions to an existing admin

If your broker is already an admin of your company, follow these steps to make sure they have the benefits access they’ll need. Admin permissions can only be added or changed by your company’s primary admin. 

1. Sign in to your Gusto admin account
2. Go to Settings.
3. Choose the Permissions tab.
4. Click Gusto admins.
5. Find your broker’s name in the list of admins, then click the three dots icon under the “Actions” column.
6. Click Edit admin roles.
7. Select Specific role. 
8. Under “Finance & accounting,” select View payroll reports and tax filings. 
9. Under “Benefits,” select Manage all benefits. 
10. Scroll down and click Save changes.

The next time your broker logs in as an admin, they’ll have access to manage your company’s benefits, set up employee deductions, and view payroll reports and tax filings. 

Change your broker 

If your broker integration is active in Gusto and you change brokers, email [email protected] with the new broker's name, contact info, and effective date of the change.

We'll reach out with additional instructions. Be prepared to: complete a new broker intake form (we will provide this), add your new broker to Gusto as an administrator, remove your previous broker from Gusto, and coordinate responsibility of any outstanding member-level event tasks between your previous broker and new broker.

New hires

We automatically notify eligible new hires to view and choose coverage in Gusto. Then we’ll notify your broker to process their enrollment. 

Benefit changes

Employees who experience a qualifying life event can request a benefit change in Gusto. Your broker will be notified to process their change with the carriers.

Dismissals

If the employee was enrolled in benefits, your broker will be notified to process their coverage termination. If your integration includes the COBRA add-on, the employee will receive a notice of continuation and an enrollment packet. Learn more about continuation administration here. 

Other plan administration

If you have questions about your benefits, contact your broker directly. They'll answer any questions about coverage, claims, and more. The table below outlines which tasks your broker will complete themselves vs. when they'll partner with Gusto to make updates. 

When your plans renew, we’ll work with your broker to update your plans in Gusto. Employees will receive an email when it’s time to complete open enrollment in Gusto.

Check out the video below for a walkthrough of the open enrollment process. Employees: Skip to the 3-minute mark of the video for your enrollment demo. 

Video contents 

Benefits timeline (00:12)

• For admins and brokers, the open enrollment sequence—setup, employee email notifications, and broker submissions to the insurance carrier

• Employee account setup for admins who want to enroll in benefits

• Accessing your employee profile as an admin

• Signing in to Gusto to choose plans

• Verifying your personal and dependent information
• Choosing or waiving coverage in Gusto
• Reviewing your selections and cost summary

• What to expect after open enrollment