Download mapped payroll ledgers with the General Ledger Mapper

If you upload payroll data to your accounting software (like Netsuite, Zoho, Microsoft, Sage, Ledger, or Map), you can customize your payroll report format with Gusto’s General Ledger Mapper.

Once you map your Gusto expenses to your chart of accounts, you can download a payroll or payment report as a mapped CSV file that you can upload to your accounting software. The file is formatted to work best with Netsuite and Zoho Books, but it can be altered after downloading to work with other accounting software.

Looking for an API integration with your bookkeeping solution instead? See the available apps in the App Directory.

If you simply want to download an Excel file not mapped by your chart of accounts, you can run a ledger report from the Reports section.

Set up the General Ledger Mapper

To start using the General Ledger Mapper, you’ll upload your chart of accounts to Gusto then map your chart of accounts to your Gusto expense categories. Follow the steps below to get started.

Step 1: Upload your chart of accounts to Gusto

In your general ledger software, download your chart of accounts as a CSV file. Make sure that the account codes are in the first column and account names are in the second columns.
Sign in to your Gusto admin account.
Go to the App directory.
Under “Categories,” choose Accounting.
Select General Ledger Mapper.
Click Connect.
Click Upload CSV.
Choose the file with your chart of accounts and click Open.

Step 2: Map your chart of accounts

Before exporting the general ledger report, Gusto will need to understand how you manage your chart of accounts.

The Mapping tab of the General Ledger Mapper app lists each of your Gusto expense categories. Follow the steps below to match them with their corresponding general ledger accounts.

By default, all your general ledger accounts are displayed for mapping. If you only want to use one account for all earning types and benefits, click the toggle next to “Display all accounts.” Disabling this will show you fewer accounts to choose from, which is better for users with simpler reporting needs.

Click the Bank Account section to begin mapping.
Under “Generic Account,” click Select.
Choose the account that the Gusto category corresponds to. Your progress is saved as you go. Here are a few ways you can map accounts more quickly:
- Map multiple items to the same account at once: check the box next to each item you want to map. Click Actions and choose Edit account type. Type the account name to select it. Click Submit.
- Show only unmapped categories: next to "Actions," click the filter icon. Choose Display unmapped accounts only, then click Apply.
- Clear your selections: uncheck the box next to an item or click Clear all.
Repeat until you've selected an account for each Gusto category.
If you want additional granularity in your reporting, you have the option to further map your chart of accounts, by either job codes, departments, or project. Choose a dropdown below for next steps.

Map your chart of accounts by job codes

If you’d like to map your chart of accounts in even more detail, you can map your chart of accounts by job codes. You can map your chart of accounts by just one category: by projects, jobs, or departments.

Mapping accounts by job codes is useful for businesses with multiple employees in the same role and when some employees work some hours in one role and other hours in another role. This means you can have the earnings of one job go to one account and the earnings of a second job go to a different account. This will expand the entry we send over into the accounting software.

Step 1: Assign employees to jobs

Before you map your chart of accounts by jobs, make sure each employee and contractor is assigned to at least one job. Here's how:

For salaried employees: edit their job title.

For hourly employees:

Go to the People section and choose Team members.
Click your employee’s name.
Navigate to the Job & Pay tab.
In the "Compensation" section, click Add Earning Type or Pay Rate.
Select the earning type or additional pay rate.
Select a job title from the drop-down list.
If the desired job title doesn’t exist, type in a new job title to create a new one.
Add amount, earning period, and default hours per pay period.
Click Save.

Hourly employees can have as many pay rates or jobs as you'd like. If an employee has multiple jobs, their paystub lists each job and its associated earnings.

Step 2: Map your chart of accounts by job codes

In your Gusto admin account, head to the App directory and choose the General Ledger Mapper.
Go to the Settings tab.
Next to "Journal entry consolidation," click edit.
Select by job.
- You can map your chart of accounts by just one category: by projects, jobs, or departments.
Click Submit.
Go to the Mapping tab.
Review or select your accounts under "Default Company Mappings Accounts."
For each job, click Override to customize the mappings by Gusto category.
- If multiple jobs share mappings, there will not be separate line items when synced to your accounting software. Instead, the wages will be lumped together.
Repeat for each job you want to map.

These transactions will be sorted by job when you download a payroll or payment's general ledger report. If any jobs do not have an override selected, they will be sorted based on the default chart of accounts mappings.

Map your chart of accounts by departments

Department mappings are another way to add additional granularity. Mapping by departments is good for businesses who want to better understand payroll expenses of a department or a division. With department mappings you can use different accounts for the different payroll items within a department. This means you can have the earnings of one department go to one account and the earnings of a second department go to a different account. This will expand the entry we send over into the accounting software.

As an example, I have two departments: Design and Marketing. Before I enabled department mappings, all regular wages earned went to one "salaries and wages" expense account. After enabling department mappings, I can use two expense accounts: a "Sales Wages" expense account and a "Marketing Wages" expense account. When running reports in my accounting software I will have this additional breakdown.

In your Gusto admin account, head to the App directory and choose the General Ledger Mapper.
Go to the Settings tab.
Next to "Journal entry consolidation," click edit.
Select by department.
- You can map your chart of accounts by just one category: projects, jobs, or departments.
Click Submit.
Go to the Mapping tab.
Review or select your accounts under "Default Company Mappings Accounts."
For each department you want to map, click Override to customize the mappings by Gusto category.
- If multiple departments share mappings, there will not be separate line items when synced to your accounting software. Instead, the department wages will be lumped together.
Repeat for each department as needed.

If multiple departments share mappings, there will not be separate line items when synced to your accounting software. Instead, the department wages will be lumped together.

These transactions will be sorted by department when you download a payroll or payment's general ledger report. If any departments do not have an override selected, they will be sorted based on the default chart of accounts mappings.

Map your chart of accounts by projects

Mapping by projects (as opposed to job codes or departments) is good for businesses who want to see total workforce costs by project in order to make business decisions, such as adjusting hourly rates for clients.

In your Gusto admin account, head to the App directory and choose the General Ledger Mapper.
Go to the Settings tab.
Next to "Journal entry consolidation," click edit.
Select by project.
- You can map your chart of accounts by just one category: projects, jobs, or departments.
Click Submit.
Go to the Mapping tab.
Review or select your accounts under "Default Company Mappings Accounts."
For each project you want to map, click Override to customize the mappings by Gusto category.
- If multiple projects share mappings, there will not be separate line items when synced to your accounting software. Instead, the project wages will be lumped together.
Repeat for each project you want to map.

These transactions will be sorted by project when you download a payroll or payment's general ledger report. If any projects do not have an override selected, they will be sorted based on the default chart of accounts mappings.

Download a payroll’s general ledger report

Once you set up the General Ledger Mapper app and map your chart of accounts, you download any payroll you've run as a mapped CSV file. The file is formatted to work best with Netsuite and Zoho Books, but it can be altered after downloading to work with other accounting software.

Follow these steps to download the general ledger report for a particular payroll.

Sign in to your Gusto admin account.
Go to the Payroll section and choose Payroll history.
Find the payroll you want to export and click View details.
Click Download.
- If you do not see the Download button: make sure you’ve set up the General Ledger Mapper in the App Directory and mapped your chart of accounts. See the steps in the “Set up the General Ledger Mapper” section above.

Download a contractor payment’s general ledger report

Once you set up the General Ledger Mapper app and map your chart of accounts, you download any payment you've run as a mapped CSV file. The file is formatted to work best with Netsuite and Zoho Books, but it can be altered after downloading to work with other accounting software.

Follow these steps to download the general ledger report for a particular payment.

Sign in to your Gusto admin account.
Go to the Payroll section and choose Payroll history.
Go to the Contractor payment history tab.
Find the payment you want to export and click View details.
Click Download.
- If you do not see the Download button: make sure you’ve set up the General Ledger Mapper in the App Directory and completed mapping of your chart of accounts. See the steps in the “Set up the General Ledger Mapper” section above.

Frequently asked questions

Q: If I update my mappings, can I re-download the general ledger report for a payroll?

A: Yes. If you change your mappings, any payroll you download will use the updated mappings. Follow the steps under “Download the general ledger report” to download a report again after changing your mappings.

Q: Does the ledger report book the wage expense as gross wages or net wages?

A: The wage expense is booked as gross wages. The wage expense includes employee pay, employee taxes, and employee deductions. Employer taxes and employer contributions have their own expense line items on the report.

Q: Does the ledger report break out individual taxes?

A: The employer tax has its own line item in your general ledger report. Employee taxes are lumped together with their wages. By transitioning to Gusto, tax payments will no longer come over to your balance sheet as a liability. Taxes are handled on a cash basis instead of an accrual basis—our tax debits for each payroll are considered a closed transaction.

Q: Can I map to individual employee payroll information?

A: Gusto does not currently support mapping for individual employees. Payroll information is pushed over at the company level. However, you can accomplish this by using Departments. Add one employee to each team, which can then map to specific accounts. Post this over to see the individual employee payroll details.