Payroll Switching Checklist (Interactive, Printable)

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to Jan 1, 2027

The cleanest first payday for a switch.

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to Jan 31, 2027

Last sign-up day in Gusto's current referral terms.

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to Feb 1, 2027

2026 W-2s due to employees and the SSA.

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Switching from

1. Pick your date 0/3

Pick a first Gusto check date. Jan 2027
January 2027 is the cleanest. With a Q1 start, Gusto only needs that quarter's pay stubs.¹Ask your old provider what it will file for 2026.
Q4 Form 941, Form 940, state Q4 returns, 2026 W-2s. Only one provider can file a quarter.² Get it in writing.Read the your old provider contract.
Look for notice periods or cancellation terms before you give notice.

2. Download from your old provider 0/8

Company tax IDs.
EIN, legal name as the IRS has it, Form 941 or 944, and your deposit schedule.State account numbers.
State withholding ID, unemployment (SUI) number and rate, any local tax IDs.Year-to-date payroll register.
Everyone paid this year, including people who left.This year's 941s, state returns and proof of tax deposits.
Gusto asks for YTD reports and tax payment documentation.²Employee details.
W-4s, state forms, pay rates, deductions, garnishments, PTO balances, bank details.Contractor W-9s and year-to-date payments.
So the 1099s come out right.Quarter-to-date totals and this quarter's pay stubs.
You'll type these into Gusto.¹

3. Set up Gusto 0/5

Open the account and add company info.
EIN, address, state account numbers.Add employees and contractors.
Invite them to confirm W-4 and bank details.Upload or enter earlier payrolls.
Skip most of this with a January start.Set the pay schedule and first check date.
Connect and verify the bank account.

4. Hand off and finish 0/6

Run your last 2026 payroll on your old provider.
Tell your team.
New login for pay stubs. Last year's W-2 still comes from the old provider.Run the first Gusto payroll.
Check the federal deposits in EFTPS.
You're still the employer, and still responsible.⁴Confirm your old provider delivered 2026 W-2s. Feb 1, 2027
Due to employees and the SSA by Feb 1, 2027.⁵Download every report from your old provider. Then cancel.
Once access is gone, those PDFs get hard to find.

Saved in this browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere.

The switching checklist

1. Pick your date 0/3

2. Download from your old provider 0/8

3. Set up Gusto 0/5

4. Hand off and finish 0/6

Sources, checked Oct 31, 2026