This article is for admins who need to edit a contractor’s work details.
Related articles
For admins
Update a contractor’s personal details (personal email, home address, phone, and more).
For contractors
Learn what information you can update on your own.
Expand the sections to learn more. Use CMD + F (or CTRL + F) to search for words in the article.
Contractors typically act as external consultants or project owners. Make sure the job title reflects the contractor’s scope of work. Learn more on our blog.
A contractor’s job title is part of their compensation. You edit it in the Compensation card on the Work tab of their profile.
To add or edit a job title for a contractor in your web browser:
Go to People.
Click the name of the contractor.
Go to the Work tab.
In the Compensation card, click Edit.
Select a title from the Job title dropdown, or click Create job title to add a new one.
Click Save.
To add or edit a job title for a contractor in the Gusto mobile app:
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to the People tab.
Find and tap the contractor’s name.
In the top-left corner, tap the Work menu and select Pay.
Next to Compensation, tap Edit.
Select a job title from the dropdown, or tap Create job title to add a new one.
Tap Save.
You can organize contractors by department to track work and manage reporting.
To assign a contractor to a department from a web browser or in the Gusto mobile app:
Go to People.
Select the contractor’s name.
Go to the Work tab.
In the Contract info card, next to Department, select Edit.
Choose a department from the dropdown, or select Create department to start a new one.
Select Save.
We send some company-related info from Gusto to the work email. This helps keep your company info more secure and private. We also use this email to set up software accounts for this contractor. If you do not add a work email, we’ll use the contractor’s personal email.
To add or update the work email for a contractor from a web browser or in the Gusto mobile app:
Go to People.
Select the contractor’s name.
Go to the Work tab.
In the Contract info card, next to Work email, select Edit.
You may be asked to confirm your identity to make this sensitive change.
Select Add work email. This opens a separate page where you set the email up.
Choose Create a new email address or Add an existing email address, then select Save & continue.
Complete the second step to finish adding the work email.
Managers can approve hours and time off. Based on your settings, they may also be able to access or edit information about their reports. Learn more.
To assign a manager for a contractor from a web browser or in the Gusto mobile app:
Go to People.
Select the contractor’s name.
Go to the Work tab.
In the Contract info card, next to Manager, select Edit.
In the Find a manager field, search for the person and select them.
Select Save.
You can change when a contractor’s work with your company began.
To edit the start date for a contractor from a web browser or in the Gusto mobile app:
Go to People.
Select the contractor’s name.
Go to the Work tab.
In the Contract info card, next to Start date, select Edit.
To change a US contractor’s worker type or country instead, click change worker type or country at the top of this window. Those are handled as a worker type change. Non-US contractors will not see this link. To change their country or worker type, dismiss them and add them again.
Change the start date, then select Save.
To change a contractor’s pay in your web browser:
Go to People.
Click the contractor’s name to view their profile.
Go to the Work tab.
In the Compensation card, click Edit.
Choose whether to set an hourly rate (optional). Whether or not they have an hourly rate, you can also pay the contractor a flat amount at any time.
Click Save.
To change a contractor’s pay in the Gusto mobile app:
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to the People tab.
Select the contractor's name.
In the top-left corner, tap the Work menu and select Pay.
In the Compensation card, tap Edit.
Choose whether to set an hourly rate (optional). Whether or not they have an hourly rate, you can also pay the contractor a flat amount at any time.
Tap Save.
A contractor’s work history shows their start date, pay through date, last working date, worker type, and country.
To view work history for a contractor from a web browser or in the Gusto mobile app:
Go to People.
Select the contractor’s name.
Go to the Work tab.
At the bottom of the Contract info card, select View work history.
In the top-right corner, select the X to close it.
On the Work tab, the Contract info card shows the contractor’s start date, worker type, department, manager, country, and work email. A contractor profile has a work country, not a work state, and no street-level work address.
Here is where to make each change:
Country — how you change it depends on where they work now:
US contractor: this is a worker type change. Go to change a US contractor to a non-US contractor.
Non-US contractor: you cannot change the country on their profile. Dismiss them and add them again in the new country.
The address used on year-end tax forms — this comes from the contractor’s home address. Go to update a contractor’s personal address.
Job title, department, manager, work email, start date, or pay — use the other sections of this article.
If the contractor’s address is different from the place where they did the work, and the 1099 needs to show that state, contact us. Sign in to Gusto and click the help icon in the top-right corner of the page.
Go to our article on dismissing and rehiring contractors for important information and how-tos.
Learn how to change a contractor’s identification number from a Social Security number (SSN) to an Employee Identification Number (EIN), or vice versa.
If you’re changing a US contractor’s country, or converting them to an employee, go to our article on changing worker types. For a non-US contractor, dismiss them and add them again in the new country.