PAYROLL & HR SOFTWARE · MIGRATION GUIDE

Switching from Rippling to Gusto

Gusto needs every payroll you ran this calendar year before it can file your taxes. Its automated history import does not support Rippling, so plan to enter prior payrolls during setup.

Jump to migration steps Read the full comparison

By Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 17, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team

Switching from Rippling to GustoVerified Sep 17, 2026

Quick verdict: Gusto requires your payroll history from the start of the calendar year to calculate year-to-date amounts and prepare year-end forms. Its payroll transfer automation supports QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, ADP Run and Paychex — not Rippling — so export Rippling’s payroll reports and enter past payrolls during account setup. Gusto files from the quarter of your first Gusto check date onward; your previous provider files completed quarters.

Current Contact / Record Count 25,000

Active User Seats 10

Estimate assumes: 1 hour of data-mapping/cleaning labor per 2,000 records, a blended $75/hr ops rate, tiered migration & cleaning tooling fees, and 4 hours of retraining per seat at a $45/hr fully-loaded rate.

Estimated Migration Time —

Data Friction Rating —

Total Hidden Switching Cost $0

Why teams move from Rippling to Gusto

Published, predictable pricing

Gusto lists every plan (from $49/mo plus $6 per person) with no contracts.

Simpler scope

Small, US-focused teams often need payroll, benefits and HR rather than a full HR-IT-finance platform.

Setup help on Premium

Gusto Premium includes payroll migration and account setup.

How the migration actually works

The order matters: history first, then your first Gusto payroll.

Step	What you do
1Export payroll history from Rippling	Download payroll registers, tax filings and payment records for every payroll this calendar year.
2Create your Gusto account	Gusto account setup is free; choose Simple, Plus or Premium.
3Enter past payrolls during setup	Gusto’s automated upload supports only QuickBooks, ADP Run and Paychex, so enter each Rippling payroll from this year during account setup.
4Set up deductions and contributions	History import does not create deductions, contributions or pay items, so add them separately.
5Agree the tax-filing handover	Gusto files for the quarter of your first Gusto check date onward; your previous provider files completed quarters. Only Gusto should file the year-end forms.
6Run your first Gusto payroll	Check year-to-date totals against Rippling before submitting.

What this path doesn’t do for you:

Rippling history cannot use Gusto’s automated transfer, so budget time to enter past payrolls by hand, ideally during account setup; afterwards they are entered as non-Gusto payrolls. Deductions and contributions do not come over with history. Make sure Rippling does not file W-2s or other year-end forms after you switch.

Pricing side by side

Plan	Rippling	Gusto
Free	No	No, free account setup
Entry paid	Core platform + products, by quote	Simple — $49/mo + $6/person
Mid	By quote	Plus — $80/mo + $12/person
Top	By quote	Premium — $180/mo + $22/person

Gusto prices from gusto.com/product/pricing; Rippling does not publish prices. Checked September 17, 2026.

Feature parity check

Capability	Rippling	Gusto
Published pricing	No, quote only	Yes
Contracts	Not published	None
Automated history import from the other	Year-to-date import by Rippling’s team	No, Rippling not supported
Payroll migration help	Included in switching support	Included on Premium
IT and device management	Yes	No

Going the other direction, or want the full comparison first?

Read the Gusto vs Rippling comparison Switching from Gusto to Rippling instead?

Verified data

Security & access: what changes when you switch

Security, offline and access rules that differ between Rippling and Gusto. Rows where both tools are the same (1) are left out; the full side-by-side is on each tool’s page: Rippling, Gusto.

What changes	Rippling (today)	Gusto (after)
SOC 2 report	SOC 2 Type IIsource	SOC 2 reportType not stated by vendorsource
ISO/IEC 27001	Certifiedsource	Not published
Other certifications	SOC 1 Type II, SOC 3, CSA STAR Level 2, ISO/IEC 27018, ISO/IEC 42001source	Not published
HIPAA (BAA)	Not published	BAA availableFor benefits and health-insurance datasource
Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)	Not published	Nosource
Two-factor authentication	Not published	YesEnforcement: Primary admin setting; applies to admins only (plan not stated)source
Admin audit log	Yessource	Not published
Data residency choices	Not published	US onlysource
Encryption	AES at rest; 256-bit TLS in transitsource	AES-256 at rest (AWS); TLS 1.2 in transitsource
Offline mode	PartialOnly the Rippling time Kiosk works offline: employees can clock in and out, switch jobs, take breaks and capture photos without a connection.source	Not documented
Device & session controls	YesRippling IT device management (Apple and Windows MDM): remote lock and wipe, custom security policies, automated device offboarding.source	Not published
Office & room hardware	Rippling Time & Attendance runs a Kiosk for shared clock-in and out, and the Kiosk has an offline mode.source	Time Kiosk turns any internet-connected tablet or computer into a shared clock-in station (Plus, Premium, or Time & Attendance Plus Simple add-on).source

Editorial assessment

Before you cut over

People who rely on Rippling offline will lose that: Gusto doesn’t document an offline mode. Tell field and travelling staff before the switch.

Checked September 19, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site; it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Gusto import my Rippling payroll history automatically?

No. Gusto’s payroll transfer automation supports QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, ADP Run and Paychex. Enter Rippling payrolls during setup.

Why does Gusto need my past payrolls?

To calculate year-to-date amounts, file quarterly taxes and prepare year-end forms accurately.

Who files taxes for the quarter I switch?

Gusto files for the quarter of your first Gusto check date onward; your previous provider files completed quarters. Only Gusto should file year-end forms.

Can I add past payrolls after setup?

Yes, but Gusto’s automated upload is only available during onboarding; after setup, past payrolls are entered as non-Gusto payrolls. Entering history during setup is simplest.

Canonical data for the tools on this page

Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.

GustoPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›

RipplingPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›

Gusto vs RipplingHead-to-head comparison OnPay vs GustoHead-to-head comparison OnPay vs RipplingHead-to-head comparison

Gusto to RipplingSwitching guide Gusto to OnPaySwitching guide OnPay to GustoSwitching guide OnPay to RipplingSwitching guide Rippling to OnPaySwitching guide

Sources

Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

Gusto pricing (gusto.com)
Rippling pricing (rippling.com)

Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

Source links on this site are checked every month; last check October 4, 2026. How sources are checked.

Bill Belcamino

Founder and author, HelpCompare

Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent eight and a half years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

“I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 17, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

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