Gusto

Gusto is what a creator business turns to on the day an editor stops being a contractor and becomes an employee. It runs the payroll, files the taxes in the states you owe them, handles onboarding and offers benefits on top. The per-person fee is the number to watch: the base looks small and the headcount is what actually sets the bill. Contractor-only payments are cheaper than full payroll and sold separately.

Simple is $49 a month plus $6 per person and covers single-state payroll, reports and basic support. Plus is $80 a month plus $12 per person and adds benefits, HR tooling, time and attendance tracking, and multi-state payroll. Premium is $180 plus $22 per person for dedicated support. The per-person figure is what decides the bill: at five people, Simple costs $79 a month and Plus costs $140, so the gap widens with every hire rather than staying fixed. A limited-time offer waives the base fee on one tier while showing the standing price beside it.

A creator business making its first real hire, where the person is an employee rather than a contractor and nobody involved has run payroll before. It suits a team small enough that the per-person fee stays modest. Anybody paying only contractors is buying a lot of machinery they will not use, and should look at a contractor-only product or at Melio.