Gusto Vs Intuit Payroll: Which Software Delivers The Best Value?

Gusto optimizes payroll processing with its automation-focused design that allows businesses to set up and run payroll in a few clicks. Its standout capability lies in automatic payroll runs, where employers can set up recurring payroll schedules, ensuring that employees are paid on time without manual intervention.

The software calculates all necessary withholdings, including federal, state, and local taxes, and handles complex situations like multiple pay rates, contractor payments, and overtime calculations.

Intuit Payroll is similarly built to simplify payroll processing and one of its strongest features is same-day direct deposit, which allows businesses to process payroll quickly and still ensure that employees receive their paychecks the same day. Intuit’s integration with QuickBooks enhances its payroll workflow by automatically syncing payroll expenses into the accounting system.

This is particularly useful for businesses that already rely on QuickBooks, as it eliminates the need for redundant data entry.

Gusto completely automates federal, state, and local tax filings. It ensures that businesses never miss deadlines by calculating, filing, and paying payroll taxes directly through the platform. Gusto also guarantees accuracy by covering penalties for any errors that occur due to miscalculations on its part.

This feature is especially valuable for small businesses without dedicated HR or accounting departments. Additionally, Gusto prepares and distributes tax forms like W-2s and 1099s to employees and contractors for year-end reporting. Its compliance extends to state-specific requirements, which makes it a great tool for businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions.

Intuit Payroll is equally reliable when it comes to tax compliance and offers features that calculate, file, and pay federal and state payroll taxes automatically. For users, the software provides an exclusive Tax Penalty Protection feature, which covers up to $25,000 in penalties if Intuit makes a mistake.

This level of financial assurance makes it appealing for businesses that prioritize risk mitigation. Like Gusto, Intuit also generates W-2s and 1099s and ensures timely filings. Its smooth QuickBooks integration further simplifies tax-related accounting, which makes it easier to track tax obligations and deductions.

Gusto simplifies time tracking by offering built-in tools that allow employees to log their work hours directly in the platform. The time-tracking module integrates smoothly with payroll and automatically syncs logged hours, overtime, and paid time off (PTO) data for accurate calculations during payroll runs. Additionally, Gusto supports time-tracking integrations with third-party apps like QuickBooks Time, Homebase, and When I Work, providing businesses with flexibility if they already use external systems.

For businesses with hourly employees, Gusto ensures compliance with federal and state labor laws by tracking overtime hours correctly and allowing employers to monitor hours worked against schedules. The platform also includes features like geolocation tracking, which can verify whether employees clocked in from the correct location, particularly useful for remote or on-site workforces.

Intuit Payroll offers advanced time tracking through its integration with QuickBooks Time, a highly regarded time-tracking solution. Employees can clock in and out using various methods, such as mobile apps or web browsers using geofencing technology.

The integration with QuickBooks Time supports advanced features like job and shift scheduling, which gives businesses detailed insights into how time is spent across projects or departments. This makes Intuit Payroll a powerful option for businesses that need precise labor cost tracking and project-level time data. The feature also ensures a smooth flow of time-tracking data directly into payroll, which enables accurate calculations of wages, overtime, and PTO without manual intervention.

Gusto reporting and analytics features are designed to give businesses actionable insights into their payroll and HR data. The platform offers a wide variety of pre-built reports, including payroll summaries, tax liability breakdowns, benefits usage, and employee details. These reports are easy to generate and feature an intuitive layout that doesn’t require extensive financial expertise to interpret. Gusto’s reports help business owners track labor costs, identify trends in benefits utilization, and ensure compliance with tax regulations.

A particularly notable feature of Gusto’s reporting system is its focus on employee-centric data, such as tracking PTO balances, sick leave usage, and benefits enrollment. Employers can generate reports to evaluate workforce trends, such as average hours worked or turnover rates. Additionally, Gusto includes specialized reports for compliance, helping employers stay on top of regulations.

Intuit Payroll reporting capabilities allow users to create fully customizable reports that combine payroll and accounting data. Employers can track detailed labor costs, break down expenses by department or project, and monitor tax liabilities across multiple states.

Intuit’s advanced analytics also extend to workforce management that enables employers to track employee earnings over time, monitor payroll trends, and evaluate profitability based on payroll expenses. Additionally, Intuit Payroll allows users to schedule recurring reports to ensure access to the latest data without manually generating reports every time.

Gusto provides transparent and flexible pricing options for payroll and HR services, ensuring there are no hidden fees. The pricing plans include:

For businesses with only contractors and no W-2 employees, Gusto offers a specialized plan:

Intuit Payroll offers flexible pricing plans for every kind of business, along with a free 30-day trial. The plans include,