Gusto vs Justworks

Agent access

1. ai-native userPoint an agent at llms.txt or agent-oriented docs

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto✓fullprobed9/10

   Gusto hosts a verified llms.txt (HTTP 200) and .md-formatted docs (docs-md probe), plus an official MCP server for AI code editors/assistants to interact with docs and API, directly matching the story. Missing for 10: independent third-party confirmation of agents successfully using llms.txt in practice.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 200 at https://docs.gusto.com/llms.txt # Embedded Payroll Documentation > Documentation for Embedded Payroll ## Guide…”
   • [probe] “PROBE docs-md: HTTP 200 at https://docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/docs/introduction.md --- updatedAt: 2026-02-03T16:33:42.000Z --- Fetch t…”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/docs/dev-assistant-mcp.md”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [claimed-docs] “enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-purpose tools like Claude Desktop, to interact directly with th…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   The probe explicitly shows llms.txt returns 404 and no agent-oriented docs (openapi/well-known) exist; no evidence of any AI-agent-facing documentation format.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userConnect an agent via an official MCP server

   weight 3 · round to Gusto
   Gusto✓fullprobed8/10

   Gusto documents an official Embedded Dev Assistant MCP server that lets AI code editors (Cursor, Windsurf) and general tools (Claude Desktop) interact directly with the Embedded Payroll API and docs, confirmed by both docs and a probe hit. Missing for 10: independent/hands-on community corroboration of the MCP server working in practice, and details on setup/auth specifics beyond the docs page.

   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [claimed-docs] “enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-purpose tools like Claude Desktop, to interact directly with th…”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/docs/dev-assistant-mcp.md”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   Justworks is a PEO/HR SaaS platform, so an official MCP server is a plausible axis, but there is no evidence of any MCP server offering; probes for llms.txt and OpenAPI specs both returned 404, and all docs relate to payroll/benefits/integrations with Xero, not agent connectivity.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

3. ai-native userUse an official CLI

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   Gusto provides an MCP server, React SDK, and API client libraries, but there is no evidence of an official CLI tool for AI-native workflows anywhere in the docs pack; missing for 10: any mention of a Gusto CLI, its installation, or command set.

   ⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of an official CLI for Justworks; the evidence pack only covers HR/payroll web UI features and shows failed probes for llms.txt and OpenAPI specs, with no mention of any command-line tool.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

4. ai-native userDrive the product through a documented public API

   weight 3 · round to Gusto
   Gusto✓fullprobed9/10

   Gusto Embedded Payroll provides a comprehensive, well-documented public REST API covering payroll, contractors, time off, webhooks, versioning, authentication, idempotency, pagination, error handling, official client libraries/SDKs, and even an official MCP server enabling AI agents to interact directly with the API and docs. This is extensive first-party documentation with a probe confirming the docs endpoints resolve live; missing for 10: independent third-party developer accounts of building against the API to corroborate the docs.

   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [claimed-docs] “enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-purpose tools like Claude Desktop, to interact directly with th…”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Gusto Embedded offers official client libraries for several programming languages to help you integrate with our API quickly and reliably.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Gusto Embedded Payroll React SDK offers component libraries with built-in business logic that helps our developers with the complexity o…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Set your API version using the `X-Gusto-API-Version` header”
   • [claimed-docs] “System access tokens allow you to carry out application-level actions such as: Creating a partner-managed company”
   • [claimed-docs] “idempotency ensures that performing the same logical operation multiple times produces the same final result. It protects your integration f…”
   • [claimed-docs] “all updateable objects returned by the Gusto API include a version field ... If another process has already updated the record and changed t…”
   • [claimed-docs] “To use this feature, add a page and optionally a per parameter to the URL query string. For example https://api.gusto.com/v1/companies/abc12…”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/docs/dev-assistant-mcp.md”
   • [probe] “PROBE docs-md: HTTP 200 at https://docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/docs/introduction.md --- updatedAt: 2026-02-03T16:33:42.000Z --- Fetch t…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of a documented public API for Justworks; probes for llms.txt and OpenAPI/swagger specs all returned 404, and the help docs only cover UI-based workflows (payroll, benefits, time off, integrations), not API access.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

5. ai-native userIssue scoped/least-privilege API credentials for an agent

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   Evidence shows Gusto's API has authentication constructs like 'System access tokens' for application-level actions and an MCP server for AI tools to call the API, but nothing describes issuing scoped or least-privilege credentials specifically for an AI agent (e.g., granular permission scopes, agent-specific token types, or restricted access grants). Missing for 10: any documentation of scoped/limited-permission API keys or tokens tailored to AI-agent use, OAuth scope definitions, or least-privilege credential issuance workflow.

   • [claimed-docs] “System access tokens allow you to carry out application-level actions such as: Creating a partner-managed company”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [claimed-docs] “enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-purpose tools like Claude Desktop, to interact directly with th…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of any API, API credentials, or scoped/least-privilege access token system; probes for llms.txt and OpenAPI specs both returned 404. This is an applicable axis for an HR platform (many SaaS HR tools expose scoped API tokens), but Justworks shows no such capability in the evidence pack.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

6. ai-native userBuild against official SDKs

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto✓fullclaimed8/10

   Gusto documents official client libraries/SDKs for multiple languages plus a dedicated React SDK, providing developers with official building blocks. Missing for 10: independent hands-on developer corroboration of SDK quality/coverage across all languages and no explicit list of supported languages beyond React.

   • [claimed-docs] “The Gusto Embedded Payroll React SDK offers component libraries with built-in business logic that helps our developers with the complexity o…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Gusto Embedded offers official client libraries for several programming languages to help you integrate with our API quickly and reliably.”
   • [claimed-docs] “A React component library for building payroll—deeply customizable and quick-to-deploy”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of any official SDKs, API client libraries, or developer-facing API documentation; probes for llms.txt and OpenAPI specs both returned 404s, and all docs relate to HR/payroll product usage, not developer integration.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

7. ai-native userSubscribe to events via webhooks

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto✓fullclaimed8/10

   Gusto's docs describe a full webhook subscription system: creating subscriptions with subscription_types (gusto-docs-56), verifying via a token before events are sent (gusto-docs-71), HMAC signature verification (gusto-docs-23), specific events like payroll.paid (gusto-docs-16/22/49/59), and a health-check endpoint (gusto-docs-57). This is well-documented first-party API capability suitable for AI-native/event-driven integration. Missing for 10: independent/hands-on developer confirmation of webhook reliability and a broader catalog of subscription event types beyond payroll.paid.

   • [claimed-docs] “A webhook is an HTTP request that delivers information about an event as it happens. We recommend that you integrate with Gusto's webhooks i…”
   • [claimed-docs] “When a payroll is paid out, your application may leverage our payroll.paid event. Gusto will publish this webhook event when payroll credits…”
   • [claimed-docs] “When a payroll is paid out, your application may leverage our payroll.paid event.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Gusto computes a hash message authentication code (HMAC) of the event payload using the verification_token”
   • [claimed-docs] “When a payroll is paid out, your application may leverage our `payroll.paid` event. Gusto will publish this webhook event when payroll credi…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create a webhook subscription to receive events of the specified subscription_types whenever there is a state change.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Returns the health status (`healthy`, `unhealthy`, or `unknown`) of the webhooks system based on the last ten minutes of activity.”
   • [claimed-docs] “This `verify` endpoint needs to be called with `verification_token` before webhook events can be sent to the registered webhook URL.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack mentions webhooks or event subscription APIs; documentation only covers payroll, benefits, time-off, and Xero integration workflows. Probes for API/OpenAPI specs also returned 404s, indicating no discoverable webhook or event API.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Agentic features

1. ai-native userGet AI-generated insights and suggestions from my data inside the product

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   The evidence only covers Gusto's Embedded Payroll developer platform (APIs, webhooks, SDKs) and a developer-facing MCP server for AI coding assistants to interact with the API/docs — none of this is an in-product feature that surfaces AI-generated insights or suggestions to end users based on their own payroll/HR data. No dashboard analytics, anomaly detection, or AI recommendations for users are documented.

   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [claimed-docs] “enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-purpose tools like Claude Desktop, to interact directly with th…”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack mentions AI-generated insights, suggestions, analytics recommendations, or any AI/ML feature surfaced to users; the docs cover only manual payroll, benefits, time-off, and Xero integration workflows. Missing for 10: any mention of AI-driven insights, automated suggestions, or predictive analytics within Justworks.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can check this information in Analytics > Custom Payroll Report and in your employees' Justworks profiles. If you see any inaccuracies, …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Save time each quarter by checking that your employees’ payroll information is accurate at the end of each month.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can check this information in Analytics > Custom Payroll Report and in your employees' Justworks profiles.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userSet up automations that run autonomously in the background

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   Gusto's evidence shows webhooks for event notification and pre-generated scheduled payrolls, plus an MCP server aimed at AI coding assistants for development-time API/doc lookup — none of these constitute a user-configurable system for autonomous background agent automations. Missing for 10: any workflow/automation builder, agentic scheduling of tasks beyond fixed payroll cadence, or evidence of AI agents autonomously executing multi-step Gusto actions unsupervised.

   • [claimed-docs] “A webhook is an HTTP request that delivers information about an event as it happens. We recommend that you integrate with Gusto's webhooks i…”
   • [claimed-docs] “When a payroll is paid out, your application may leverage our payroll.paid event. Gusto will publish this webhook event when payroll credits…”
   • [claimed-docs] “We automatically pre-generate scheduled regular payrolls based on the company’s pay schedule and corresponding pay periods.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   Justworks is an HR/payroll PEO platform; the evidence pack shows no mention of automations, workflows, agents, or AI-driven background processes—only manual payroll, benefits, time-off, and integration setup steps. No documented capability for autonomous or agentic automation exists, so this applicable axis is unmet.

   ⚑ flag

3. ai-native userDelegate tasks to a built-in AI assistant inside the product

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   The evidence only shows a developer-facing MCP server that lets external AI coding tools (Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop) interact with the Embedded Payroll API for building integrations — this is a dev-tooling integration, not a built-in AI assistant inside the Gusto product for end users to delegate payroll/HR tasks. No evidence of an in-app AI assistant, chat interface, or agentic feature for end users.

   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [claimed-docs] “enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-purpose tools like Claude Desktop, to interact directly with th…”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/docs/dev-assistant-mcp.md”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of any built-in AI assistant or agentic delegation feature within Justworks; all evidence pertains to HR/payroll workflows (payroll, benefits, time off, integrations) with no mention of AI capabilities.

   ⚑ flag

4. ai-native userOperate the product with natural-language commands

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialprobed4/10

   Gusto ships an official Embedded Dev Assistant MCP server letting AI coding tools (Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop) interact with its API and docs, which enables some natural-language-driven operation during integration/development [gusto-docs-6][gusto-docs-34][gusto-docs-66][gusto-probe-3]. However this is a developer-integration tool, not evidence that end-users can operate core Gusto payroll/HR workflows (running payroll, approving time off, etc.) via natural-language commands in the product itself. Missing for 10: an end-user-facing conversational/NL interface for actual payroll operations, and independent hands-on validation of the MCP server's capabilities.

   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [claimed-docs] “enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-purpose tools like Claude Desktop, to interact directly with th…”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/docs/dev-assistant-mcp.md”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of any natural-language command interface, chatbot, or AI assistant within Justworks; all documentation describes manual UI navigation (clicking menus, tabs, buttons). Probes for llms.txt and OpenAPI also failed, indicating no AI-native interface infrastructure.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Api quality

1. ai-native userExplore an interactive API reference with runnable examples

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   Evidence shows extensive reference documentation, endpoint docs, Postman collections, and client SDKs, but nothing describes an interactive in-browser API reference with runnable/try-it examples (e.g., a live console or embedded code execution). Demo companies (gusto-docs-13) and Postman collections (gusto-docs-68) support testing workflows but are not the same as an interactive runnable reference UI.

   ⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of any API reference, interactive docs, or runnable examples; probes for llms.txt and OpenAPI specs both returned 404, and all other evidence is unrelated help-center content about payroll/benefits/time-off features.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userDownload a machine-readable API spec (OpenAPI or equivalent)

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialclaimed4/10

   Gusto publishes versioned Postman collections for its API (gusto-docs-68) and has structured, versioned reference docs (gusto-docs-67, gusto-docs-69), which are machine-readable-adjacent artifacts, but there is no explicit mention of a downloadable OpenAPI/Swagger spec file or equivalent standard schema. missing for 10: explicit OpenAPI/Swagger spec, a documented download link or endpoint for the raw spec, and confirmation of spec format/versioning compatibility with standard tooling.

   • [claimed-docs] “We publish separate collections for each API version.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Set your API version using the `X-Gusto-API-Version` header”
   • [claimed-docs] “Starting from version `2023-02-01`, error messages will have consistent JSON structures.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   Probes explicitly show no OpenAPI/swagger spec or llms.txt is available at any expected location, and no documentation references a machine-readable API spec.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

3. ai-native userTest against a sandbox environment without touching production data

   weight 1 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialclaimed5/10

   Gusto's docs mention that 'Demo companies are automatically generated with company info, employees, and previous payrolls so you can begin testing right away' (gusto-docs-13), which supports sandbox-style testing without touching production data. However, this is a single, brief mention with no further detail on sandbox API endpoints, environment separation, or independent confirmation of its reliability. missing for 10: explicit sandbox API/environment documentation beyond demo companies, details on how sandbox vs production keys/environments are isolated, and independent/hands-on verification of the sandbox experience.

   • [claimed-docs] “Demo companies are automatically generated with company info, employees, and previous payrolls so you can begin testing right away.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of any sandbox or test environment for Justworks; the evidence pack only covers payroll, benefits, time-off, and Xero integration docs, plus failed probes for API/OpenAPI specs. Missing for 10: any mention of a sandbox/test mode, staging environment, or non-production API access.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

4. ai-native userRely on versioned APIs with a documented deprecation policy

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialclaimed5/10

   Gusto documents explicit API versioning (X-Gusto-API-Version header, per-version Postman collections, version-gated error formats since 2023-02-01), showing a real versioning scheme. However, the evidence pack contains no explicit deprecation policy (e.g., sunset timelines, notice periods, migration guides between versions). Missing for 10: documented deprecation/sunset policy, migration guidance between API versions, and independent confirmation of how version transitions are handled in practice.

   • [claimed-docs] “Set your API version using the `X-Gusto-API-Version` header”
   • [claimed-docs] “We publish separate collections for each API version.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Starting from version `2023-02-01`, error messages will have consistent JSON structures.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of any public API, versioning scheme, or deprecation policy; probes for llms.txt and OpenAPI specs both returned 404, and all documentation is about HR/payroll product usage, not developer APIs.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

1. ai-native userPerform bulk operations across many items at once

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   Gusto's API supports pagination and individual payroll/contractor payment operations, but there is no evidence of true bulk/batch endpoints (e.g., bulk employee creation, bulk payroll processing, batch contractor payments in a single call) that an AI-native user could invoke to operate across many items at once. missing for 10: bulk/batch API endpoints, batch job or async bulk-processing documentation, evidence of multi-item operations beyond single-resource calls and pagination.

   ⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   The evidence pack shows only individual, single-item workflows (setting up one PTO policy, mapping one pay type, recording one fringe benefit) with no mention of bulk/batch operations, CSV import, multi-select actions, or APIs for programmatic bulk processing. There is no evidence of any bulk-operation capability for AI-native or automated workflows.

   ⚑ flag

2. ai-native userDefine rules that trigger actions automatically on events

   weight 3 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialclaimed4/10

   Gusto Embedded exposes webhooks for events like payroll.paid, contractor payment states, and time-off requests, letting a developer's application 'perform subsequent business logic' after an event fires — this is event notification infrastructure rather than a native rules engine where an end user defines conditional automation logic inside Gusto itself. Missing for 10: no in-product rule/condition builder, no support for chaining multiple actions or conditional branching declaratively, and no evidence of AI-native or no-code rule definition beyond raw webhook subscriptions that require the partner to write their own business logic.

   • [claimed-docs] “A webhook is an HTTP request that delivers information about an event as it happens. We recommend that you integrate with Gusto's webhooks i…”
   • [claimed-docs] “When a payroll is paid out, your application may leverage our payroll.paid event. Gusto will publish this webhook event when payroll credits…”
   • [claimed-docs] “When a payroll is paid out, your application may leverage our payroll.paid event.”
   • [claimed-docs] “When a payroll is paid out, your application may leverage our `payroll.paid` event. Gusto will publish this webhook event when payroll credi…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create a webhook subscription to receive events of the specified subscription_types whenever there is a state change.”
   • [claimed-docs] “This `verify` endpoint needs to be called with `verification_token` before webhook events can be sent to the registered webhook URL.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Gusto computes a hash message authentication code (HMAC) of the event payload using the verification_token”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   Evidence shows only fixed, built-in automations (holiday date rollover, automatic invoice sync) rather than any user-definable rule/trigger-action system; there is no documented workflow builder, conditional rule engine, or custom event-trigger capability in Justworks' help docs or API surface (llms.txt/openapi probes both 404).

   • [claimed-docs] “Justworks will automatically designate these same days as holidays each year. Our software knows that while Thanksgiving is on Thursday, Nov…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Sync method: Manually sync invoices or Allow them to automatically sync the day after processing.”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

3. ai-native userSchedule recurring jobs or workflows

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   Gusto's docs describe automatic recurring payroll generation based on a company's pay schedule (docs-62) and webhooks for event-driven integration, but there is no evidence of an AI-native user or agent being able to define, schedule, or manage recurring automated jobs/workflows themselves via API, MCP server, or any workflow engine — the recurring behavior is a fixed internal payroll process, not a configurable automation primitive.

   • [claimed-docs] “We automatically pre-generate scheduled regular payrolls based on the company’s pay schedule and corresponding pay periods.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Upcoming regular payrolls can be retrieved by calling GET /v1/companies/{company_uuid}/payrolls”
   • [claimed-docs] “Upcoming regular payrolls can be retrieved by calling GET /v1/companies/{company_uuid}/payrolls with processing_statuses=unprocessed.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of any automation/workflow scheduling capability (e.g., API, webhooks, recurring job triggers) for AI-native or programmatic use; evidence only covers HR/payroll UI features and confirms absence of API/llms.txt endpoints. Missing for 10: any API or automation framework, scheduling/trigger mechanism, or documentation of recurring workflow support.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

4. ai-native userVersion, review, and roll back my automations

   weight 1 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   Gusto is a payroll/HR API platform with no mention of automation versioning, change review, or rollback for workflows/automations; only unrelated concepts like idempotency keys and record version fields for concurrency control appear, which are not automation version control.

   ⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence anywhere in the pack discusses versioning, reviewing, or rolling back automations; Justworks is an HR/payroll PEO platform with no documented automation-versioning or audit/rollback tooling. missing for 10: any version history feature, review/approval workflow for automations, rollback mechanism, or audit trail of automation changes.

   ⚑ flag

Benefits

1. ops userOffer and administer health insurance with enrollments and deductions synced to payroll

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto!disputedcontradicted4/10

   Docs confirm Gusto offers health insurance administration via its SimplyInsured partner integration as part of the platform ecosystem [gusto-docs-39], implying enrollment/deduction handling analogous to its 401(k) Guideline flow, but there is no first-party documentation detailing how health-insurance deductions specifically sync to payroll. Independent, hands-on reports directly contradict smooth benefits administration: one describes Gusto failing to correctly terminate an employee's health plan causing prolonged billing problems [gusto-comm-14], and another describes being unable to customize plans for a multi-state/country workforce, leading them to switch providers [gusto-comm-7]; platform lock-in around benefits features is also noted [gusto-comm-4]. Missing for 10: explicit docs on health-insurance enrollment-to-payroll-deduction sync mechanics, resolution/rebuttal of the termination-failure report, and independent corroboration of successful multi-state benefits administration.

   • [claimed-docs] “Health insurance via SimplyInsured * On-demand pay via Clair * Workers compensation via NEXT Insurance * 401(k) (Guideline)”
   • [community] “I'm at the point where if a company is using Gusto I won't accept their offer since I spent 6 months+ dealing with healthcare billing issues…”
   • [community] “Once we started venturing into offering health insurance to employees though and our employees spread across multiple states/countries we we…”
   • [community] “One thing I don't like about Gusto is a platform lock-in for new features... Things we've been asking about like HSA contributions or prorat…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   The evidence pack covers payroll reports, fringe benefits payments, PTO policies, and Xero integration, but contains no documentation about offering or administering health insurance plans, employee enrollment in benefits, or syncing insurance deductions to payroll. Justworks PEO quoting is mentioned only regarding onboarding pricing, not benefits administration or deduction sync mechanics.

   ⚑ flag

2. ops userOffer a 401(k) or retirement plan whose contributions sync automatically with each payroll

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialclaimed5/10

   Gusto's embedded platform lists 401(k) via Guideline as a supported benefit and documents a flow for generating admin access links to Guideline through Gusto Embedded's pre-built flows, implying integration between payroll and the retirement plan provider. However, the docs never explicitly describe automatic contribution syncing with each payroll run — only account-access link generation is documented. missing for 10: explicit documentation of per-payroll automatic contribution deduction/sync mechanics, and independent/hands-on confirmation that 401(k) contributions actually flow through automatically each pay cycle.

   • [claimed-docs] “Partners can generate a link for employer payroll admins to access Guideline by using Gusto Embedded's pre-built flows”
   • [claimed-docs] “Health insurance via SimplyInsured * On-demand pay via Clair * Workers compensation via NEXT Insurance * 401(k) (Guideline)”
   • [claimed-docs] “Partners can generate a link for employer payroll admins to access Guideline by using Gusto Embedded’s pre-built flows.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Partners can generate a link for employer payroll admins to access Guideline by using Gusto Embedded's pre-built flows.”
   • [claimed-docs] “For onboarded companies, Partners can generate a link for employer payroll admins to access Guideline by using Gusto Embedded’s pre-built fl…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   None of the evidence mentions 401(k)/retirement plan offerings or automatic contribution syncing with payroll; the pack only covers PTO, Xero integration, fringe benefits recording, and onboarding topics.

   ⚑ flag

Contractor payments

1. ops userPay both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors from one platform

   weight 3 · round to Gusto
   Gusto✓fullclaimed8/10

   Gusto's Embedded Payroll docs detail full W-2 employee payroll processing (regular/off-cycle, tax filing, multi-location, benefits) alongside dedicated contractor payment APIs (direct deposit, check, historical payment, submission blockers) all within the same platform/API, confirming ops users can manage both worker types from one system. Missing for 10: independent hands-on report explicitly confirming a single payroll run mixing W-2 and 1099 payments, and broader community corroboration beyond docs.

   • [claimed-docs] “Process regular and off-cycle payrolls * Calculate and file taxes automatically * Import historical payroll data * Handle multi-state tax re…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Handle all aspects of payroll management including regular payroll runs, off-cycle payments, termination processing, and all associated fede…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Contractors can have three types of payment methods: 1. Direct deposit... 2. Check... 3. Historical payment”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can use the POST /v1/companies/{company_id}/contractor_payment_groups/preview to validate inputs, determine how fast a payment can be ma…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Every direct deposit contractor payment that is funded ... requires that a contractor payment receipt be available.”
   • [claimed-docs] “To onboard a company, you'll need: Company details (such as name, EIN), Business locations, Bank account information”
   • [claimed-docs] “To onboard a company, you'll need: Company details (such as name, EIN) Business locations Bank account information”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   The evidence pack covers Justworks payroll, benefits, time off, and Xero integration features but contains no mention of 1099 contractors or contractor payments anywhere, so there's no evidence the platform supports paying both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors together.

   ⚑ flag

Global hiring

1. founderEmploy people in other countries through employer-of-record or owned-entity global payroll

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   All Gusto documentation describes US-based payroll (EIN, federal/state/local tax filings) with no mention of employer-of-record services or international entity payroll, and community evidence explicitly states Gusto lacks support for employees outside the US and cannot handle staff spread across multiple countries.

   • [community] “Gusto doesn't support outside of US folks... the 2 day payroll... capped it at something like $60k even when we have millions in the bank ac…”
   • [community] “Once we started venturing into offering health insurance to employees though and our employees spread across multiple states/countries we we…”
   • [claimed-docs] “An employee must provide federal tax information to file and pay taxes correctly.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Employees are required to configure two types of tax information as part of their onboarding: Federal tax... State tax:”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   Justworks is a US-focused PEO; the evidence pack covers only domestic payroll, PTO, onboarding, and Xero integration — nothing about employer-of-record services or owned-entity payroll for international employees.

   ⚑ flag

2. founderPay international contractors in their local currencies with compliant contracts

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   Gusto's embedded payroll docs describe US-based contractor payments (direct deposit, check) but no international/local-currency payment support or compliant international contractor agreements are documented; community feedback explicitly states 'Gusto doesn't support outside of US folks,' reinforcing the absence of this capability.

   • [claimed-docs] “Contractors can have three types of payment methods: 1. Direct deposit... 2. Check... 3. Historical payment”
   • [claimed-docs] “Contractors can have three types of payment methods: Direct deposit... Check... Historical payment”
   • [claimed-docs] “Contractors can have three types of payment methods: Direct deposit ... Check ... Historical payment”
   • [claimed-docs] “Contractors can have three types of payment methods: 1. Direct deposit: Gusto will deposit the funds to the bank account associated with the…”
   • [community] “Gusto doesn't support outside of US folks... the 2 day payroll... capped it at something like $60k even when we have millions in the bank ac…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   None of the evidence mentions international contractor payments, multi-currency payouts, or compliant international contractor agreements — Justworks documentation here covers only US domestic payroll, PEO onboarding, PTO, and Xero integration. Missing for 10: any mention of international contractor support, local currency payout, or compliant global contractor contracts.

   ⚑ flag

Ai onboarding

1. ai-native userHave an agent onboard a new hire end-to-end via the API — creating the employee, compensation, and tax setup

   weight 3 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialprobed5/10

   Gusto's Embedded Payroll API docs cover company onboarding, employee tax setup (federal/state), and a paginated /employees endpoint, and the Dev Assistant MCP server lets AI coding tools query the API and docs directly — supporting agent-driven integration work. However, there is no explicit documentation of a compensation-creation endpoint or an end-to-end 'create employee + compensation + tax' flow demonstrated together, and the MCP server is aimed at developers building integrations rather than an agent performing hiring actions itself. Missing for 10: explicit compensation-setup API reference, a documented end-to-end new-hire onboarding sequence, and evidence of an agent actually executing this workflow (not just API capability existing).

   • [claimed-docs] “To onboard a company, you'll need: Company details (such as name, EIN), Business locations, Bank account information”
   • [claimed-docs] “Employees are required to configure two types of tax information as part of their onboarding: Federal tax... State tax:”
   • [claimed-docs] “An employee must provide federal tax information to file and pay taxes correctly.”
   • [claimed-docs] “To use this feature, add a page and optionally a per parameter to the URL query string. For example https://api.gusto.com/v1/companies/abc12…”
   • [claimed-docs] “System access tokens allow you to carry out application-level actions such as: Creating a partner-managed company”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [claimed-docs] “enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-purpose tools like Claude Desktop, to interact directly with th…”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/docs/dev-assistant-mcp.md”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of any public API for creating employees, compensation, or tax setup — probes for llms.txt and OpenAPI specs both returned 404, and all documentation describes manual UI workflows (Time Off tab, Pay menu, Xero integration setup) rather than programmatic onboarding endpoints.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Once your start date is confirmed by Justworks PEO, you can let your current providers for payroll, EPLI (if applicable), and health insuran…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Justworks PEO does not provide estimates, rather we provide customized quotes that are reflective of the plans and pricing your company woul…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Companies in expedited enrollment can complete the enrollment process in 2-3 weeks.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Employee onboarding

1. ops userSend offer letters and HR documents for e-signature and keep them stored per employee

   weight 1 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   Evidence pack covers payroll, contractor payments, time off, benefits, and API/webhook infrastructure extensively, but nowhere mentions offer letters, e-signature, or per-employee HR document storage — this is a distinct HR document management feature not evidenced here.

   ⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   None of the evidence mentions offer letters, e-signature, or document storage per employee; all cited docs relate to payroll, benefits, time off, and accounting integrations. This is an applicable axis for an HR/PEO platform, but there is no evidence Justworks delivers it.

   ⚑ flag

2. ops userSend a new hire a self-serve onboarding flow that collects W-4, I-9, and bank details before day one

   weight 3 · round to Justworks
   Gusto~partialclaimed4/10

   Docs show pieces of new-hire onboarding data collection — employees configuring federal/state tax info (W-4 equivalent) and companies/employees needing bank account information — but there is no mention of I-9 collection or an explicit self-serve 'before day one' onboarding flow sent to a new hire; most evidence is API/company-onboarding oriented (Embedded Payroll platform) rather than a described ops-facing new-hire onboarding UX. Missing for 10: I-9 collection, explicit self-serve pre-day-one flow/UI for new hires, confirmation this exists in core Gusto product (not just the Embedded API).

   • [claimed-docs] “To onboard a company, you'll need: Company details (such as name, EIN), Business locations, Bank account information”
   • [claimed-docs] “Employees are required to configure two types of tax information as part of their onboarding: Federal tax... State tax:”
   • [claimed-docs] “An employee must provide federal tax information to file and pay taxes correctly.”
   • [claimed-docs] “To onboard a company, you'll need: Company details (such as name, EIN) Business locations Bank account information”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks~partialclaimed5/10

   Docs confirm employees self-enroll and Justworks collects W-4 filing/withholding info directly so they don't need to file a W-4 themselves, and general onboarding timelines (2-3 weeks) are documented. However, no evidence explicitly confirms I-9 collection or bank/direct-deposit detail collection as part of a unified self-serve pre-day-one flow. Missing for 10: explicit I-9 collection/verification workflow, explicit bank account/direct deposit setup step, and confirmation these are bundled into one onboarding flow before day one.

   • [claimed-docs] “Justworks collects your employees' filing status, withholding, and exemption information when they enroll with Justworks, so that they don't…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Justworks collects your employees’ filing status, withholding, and exemption information when they enroll with Justworks, so that they don’t…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Companies in expedited enrollment can complete the enrollment process in 2-3 weeks.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Once your start date is confirmed by Justworks PEO, you can let your current providers for payroll, EPLI (if applicable), and health insuran…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

1. ai-native userDo everything through the API that I can do in the UI

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialclaimed6/10

   Gusto's Embedded Payroll API surface is extensive—covering onboarding, payroll runs (regular/off-cycle/contractor), tax configuration, time-off requests/approvals, benefits links, and webhooks—and docs explicitly say partners can 'build custom experiences using APIs' or use pre-built UI Flows interchangeably (gusto-docs-38, gusto-docs-44, gusto-docs-52). This implies broad but not confirmed 1:1 parity between UI actions and API actions. missing for 10: an explicit statement or audit confirming every UI action (e.g., admin dashboard settings, reporting/export UI, benefits marketplace configuration) has a corresponding API endpoint, and independent/hands-on verification that no UI-only features exist.

   • [claimed-docs] “Partners can launch quickly with pre-built UI Flows, build custom experiences using APIs, or combine multiple approaches to create the ideal…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Process regular and off-cycle payrolls * Calculate and file taxes automatically * Import historical payroll data * Handle multi-state tax re…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Handle all aspects of payroll management including regular payroll runs, off-cycle payments, termination processing, and all associated fede…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Use the time_off_request_management flow to give admins an embedded approval interface, or call the approve/decline endpoints directly from …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Upcoming regular payrolls can be retrieved by calling GET /v1/companies/{company_uuid}/payrolls”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Gusto Embedded Payroll React SDK offers component libraries with built-in business logic that helps our developers with the complexity o…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Gusto Embedded offers official client libraries for several programming languages to help you integrate with our API quickly and reliably.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of a public API at all — probes for llms.txt and OpenAPI specs both returned 404, and all docs describe UI-only workflows (payroll, time off, benefits, integrations) with no mention of programmatic access matching UI capabilities.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userExport all of my data in open formats and leave

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   The evidence pack covers Gusto's Embedded Payroll API, webhooks, SDKs, and docs, but contains no mention of a bulk data-export feature, open-format export (CSV/JSON dumps), or an account-closure/data-portability workflow. Community threads mention users switching away to competitors but never describe exporting their data in an open format when leaving.

   ⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of any data export or data portability feature in open formats, nor any documented account-closure/export workflow; evidence only covers payroll, benefits, time off, and Xero integration setup. Probes for llms.txt and OpenAPI both returned 404, suggesting no discoverable API/export tooling.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Ai payroll ops

1. ai-native userHave an agent run a payroll preview via the API and surface anomalies for review before I approve the run

   weight 3 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialclaimed5/10

   Gusto's Embedded Payroll API supports agent-driven interaction: the official MCP server lets AI tools call the API directly, and endpoints exist to retrieve unprocessed/upcoming payrolls (GET /v1/companies/{id}/payrolls) and a contractor payment preview endpoint that surfaces submission_blockers for review before funding. However, there is no documented 'preview' or anomaly-detection endpoint specifically for regular employee payroll runs (only for contractor payment groups), and no explicit anomaly-flagging mechanism (e.g., variance/error detection) is described for the standard payroll approval flow. Missing for 10: a dedicated regular-payroll preview/calculate endpoint, explicit anomaly-detection logic for employee payroll (vs only contractor submission_blockers), and independent evidence of an agent actually performing this workflow end-to-end.

   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [claimed-docs] “enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-purpose tools like Claude Desktop, to interact directly with th…”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Upcoming regular payrolls can be retrieved by calling GET /v1/companies/{company_uuid}/payrolls”
   • [claimed-docs] “Upcoming regular payrolls can be retrieved by calling GET /v1/companies/{company_uuid}/payrolls with processing_statuses=unprocessed.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can use the POST /v1/companies/{company_id}/contractor_payment_groups/preview to validate inputs, determine how fast a payment can be ma…”
   • [claimed-docs] “submission_blockers, an array displaying any blockers preventing contractor payments from being made and options for unblocking”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of any API for payroll preview, run automation, or anomaly detection; probes for llms.txt and OpenAPI specs both return 404, and docs describe only manual UI workflows for payroll review.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can check this information in Analytics > Custom Payroll Report and in your employees' Justworks profiles. If you see any inaccuracies, …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Save time each quarter by checking that your employees’ payroll information is accurate at the end of each month.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Pay runs

1. ops userCancel or correct a submitted payroll before employees are paid

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialclaimed4/10

   Docs describe off-cycle payrolls for handling 'corrections' (gusto-docs-4, gusto-docs-21, gusto-docs-32) and show that upcoming payrolls can be queried with processing_statuses=unprocessed (gusto-docs-46), implying visibility into payrolls not yet finalized, but there is no documented API/UI action to explicitly cancel or edit a submitted payroll before it pays employees. Missing for 10: an explicit 'cancel/void submitted payroll' endpoint or workflow, confirmation of edit windows before check date, and independent/hands-on evidence that corrections actually stop a pending pay run rather than creating a separate off-cycle run after the fact.

   • [claimed-docs] “Off-cycle payrolls handle one-off situations like corrections or special bonuses. They use the same withholding rates, deductions, and contr…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Off-cycle payrolls handle one-off situations like corrections or special bonuses.”
   • [claimed-docs] “One-off (or 'off-cycle') payrolls are available if you need to pay your team outside of the regular payroll schedule.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Upcoming regular payrolls can be retrieved by calling GET /v1/companies/{company_uuid}/payrolls with processing_statuses=unprocessed.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Upcoming regular payrolls can be retrieved by calling GET /v1/companies/{company_uuid}/payrolls”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   The evidence pack covers payroll data verification, fringe benefits recording, PTO policies, integrations, and onboarding, but contains no mention of canceling, voiding, or correcting a payroll run once submitted before pay date. Missing for 10: any documentation on payroll cancellation/correction workflow, deadlines for edits after submission, or off-cycle correction process.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can check this information in Analytics > Custom Payroll Report and in your employees' Justworks profiles. If you see any inaccuracies, …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Save time each quarter by checking that your employees’ payroll information is accurate at the end of each month.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can check this information in A nalytics > Custom Payroll Report and in your employees' Justworks profiles.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can check this information in Analytics > Custom Payroll Report and in your employees' Justworks profiles.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ops userRun an off-cycle payroll for bonuses, corrections, or terminations outside the regular schedule

   weight 3 · round to Gusto
   Gusto✓fullclaimed8/10

   Gusto's docs explicitly cover off-cycle payroll creation for bonuses/corrections (gusto-docs-4, gusto-docs-21, gusto-docs-32) with a dedicated 'create-an-off-cycle-payroll' guide, specific handling of bonus withholding rules (gusto-docs-47), and platform-level messaging that termination processing and off-cycle payments are supported (gusto-docs-52, gusto-docs-44). Missing for 10: no independent/hands-on community verification specifically of the off-cycle run flow (community evidence is about general payroll/support, not off-cycle runs), and no detail on termination-specific off-cycle nuances beyond bonus example.

   • [claimed-docs] “Off-cycle payrolls handle one-off situations like corrections or special bonuses. They use the same withholding rates, deductions, and contr…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Off-cycle payrolls handle one-off situations like corrections or special bonuses.”
   • [claimed-docs] “One-off (or 'off-cycle') payrolls are available if you need to pay your team outside of the regular payroll schedule.”
   • [claimed-docs] “All benefits and deductions are default blocked and the payroll is default taxed at a fixed withholding rate when the off_cycle_reason is se…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Handle all aspects of payroll management including regular payroll runs, off-cycle payments, termination processing, and all associated fede…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Process regular and off-cycle payrolls * Calculate and file taxes automatically * Import historical payroll data * Handle multi-state tax re…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence pack items mention off-cycle payroll runs, bonus payments, correction runs, or termination pay processing—only recurring payroll, fringe benefits recording, time-off policies, and integrations are documented. Missing for 10: any documentation of off-cycle/supplemental payroll run capability, bonus/termination payment workflows, or scheduling outside the regular cycle.

   ⚑ flag

3. ops userRun a full payroll cycle end-to-end — review hours and earnings, preview totals, and submit — in one flow

   weight 3 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialclaimed6/10

   Gusto's Embedded Payroll docs describe the components of a payroll run — retrieving upcoming/unprocessed payrolls (gusto-docs-40, gusto-docs-46), a guide titled 'complete-a-regular-payroll' implying a full review-to-submit flow, off-cycle payroll creation (gusto-docs-32), and platform-overview claims that Gusto 'handles everything from tax calculations to bank transfers' (gusto-docs-58, gusto-docs-44). However, unlike the contractor-payment flow which explicitly documents a preview endpoint (gusto-docs-27), no evidence explicitly shows a 'preview totals' step for regular employee payroll before submission, and all evidence is API/developer-facing rather than showing the actual end-to-end ops-user UI experience. Missing for 10: an explicit preview-totals endpoint/step for regular payroll runs, and direct evidence (docs or hands-on) of the single consolidated UI flow an ops user would use rather than API building blocks.

   • [claimed-docs] “Upcoming regular payrolls can be retrieved by calling GET /v1/companies/{company_uuid}/payrolls”
   • [claimed-docs] “Upcoming regular payrolls can be retrieved by calling GET /v1/companies/{company_uuid}/payrolls with processing_statuses=unprocessed.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Process regular and off-cycle payrolls * Calculate and file taxes automatically * Import historical payroll data * Handle multi-state tax re…”
   • [claimed-docs] “But Gusto Embedded does the heavy lifting for you, handling everything from tax calculations to bank transfers.”
   • [claimed-docs] “One-off (or 'off-cycle') payrolls are available if you need to pay your team outside of the regular payroll schedule.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can use the POST /v1/companies/{company_id}/contractor_payment_groups/preview to validate inputs, determine how fast a payment can be ma…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks~partialclaimed4/10

   Docs confirm ops can review payroll accuracy (via Custom Payroll Report and employee profiles) before running payroll and can record fringe benefits during the pay flow, implying a review-then-run sequence, but there is no explicit description of a 'preview totals' screen or a single continuous submit action tying review, preview, and submission together. missing for 10: explicit preview-totals step, description of final submit/confirmation action, evidence of a single unified flow rather than separate menu actions.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can check this information in Analytics > Custom Payroll Report and in your employees' Justworks profiles. If you see any inaccuracies, …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Save time each quarter by checking that your employees’ payroll information is accurate at the end of each month.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You need to record taxable fringe benefits that you provided to your employees outside of Justworks by clicking on Pay in the side navigatio…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Pay schedules

1. ops userSet up multiple pay schedules (weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly) across different teams

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialclaimed6/10

   Gusto's docs confirm multi-location companies can have different pay schedules ('might want everyone paid at the same time, or prefer different pay schedules based on location or job type') and that payrolls are auto-generated per company's pay schedule and pay periods, supporting the general capability. However, the pack never explicitly enumerates the specific frequency types (weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly) or shows an API/UI flow for configuring multiple schedules per team. missing for 10: explicit list of supported pay frequencies, documented API/UI steps for creating/assigning schedules to specific teams.

   • [claimed-docs] “Companies can have multiple work locations across different states. They might want everyone paid at the same time, or prefer different pay …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Companies can have multiple work locations across different states. They might want everyone paid at the same time, or prefer different pay …”
   • [claimed-docs] “We automatically pre-generate scheduled regular payrolls based on the company’s pay schedule and corresponding pay periods.”
   • [claimed-docs] “To onboard a company, you'll need: Company details (such as name, EIN), Business locations, Bank account information”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   None of the evidence discusses configuring multiple pay schedules (weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly) or assigning different schedules to different teams; the pack covers payroll accuracy checks, fringe benefits recording, PTO policies, Xero integration mapping, and onboarding — none address pay frequency setup. Missing for 10: any documentation of pay schedule configuration, frequency options, or per-team/department schedule assignment.

   ⚑ flag

Payment speed

1. founderPay employees by fast (next-day or 2-day) direct deposit instead of writing checks

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto!disputedcontradicted5/10

   Gusto's docs clearly describe next-day, 2-day, and standard 4-day direct deposit payroll options as a core capability (gusto-docs-3, gusto-docs-15, gusto-docs-58), fully replacing check-writing with automated bank transfers. However, a hands-on customer account (gusto-comm-5) reports that 2-day payroll was capped at ~$60k regardless of bank balance, requiring manual exception requests every pay cycle, ultimately driving them to switch providers — a concrete contradiction of the frictionless fast-deposit claim. missing for 10: independent confirmation that the cap issue is resolved or was an isolated case, and no evidence of uncapped fast-deposit reliability at scale.

   • [claimed-docs] “Gusto supports next-day, 2-day, and the standard 4-day payroll processing.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Gusto offers expedited payroll for qualifying companies, requiring submission only two business days (2-day payroll) or one business day (ne…”
   • [claimed-docs] “But Gusto Embedded does the heavy lifting for you, handling everything from tax calculations to bank transfers.”
   • [community] “Gusto doesn't support outside of US folks... the 2 day payroll... capped it at something like $60k even when we have millions in the bank ac…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack mentions direct deposit speed, next-day/2-day pay, or check-writing alternatives; the payroll docs cover custom reports, W-4 collection, and fringe benefits but not deposit timing or methods. Missing for 10: any mention of direct deposit, payment speed options, or replacing paper checks.

   ⚑ flag

Embedded payroll

1. developerEmbed white-label payroll into my own product through a partner API

   weight 3 · round to Gusto
   Gusto✓fullprobed8/10

   Gusto Embedded Payroll is an extensive, well-documented partner API/platform explicitly designed for developers to white-label payroll (onboarding, payroll runs, contractors, time off, webhooks, tax, benefits add-ons, SDKs, versioning, idempotency) into their own product. Evidence includes first-party docs, SDKs (React, API clients), and a dedicated MCP dev-assistant server. missing for 10: independent hands-on developer reviews of the embedded API itself (community evidence is about core Gusto payroll/support, not the embedded/partner API), and no case studies of live partner integrations.

   • [claimed-docs] “we've created Gusto Embedded Payroll— to help companies like you build and embed modern payroll and HR tools into your platforms in a fracti…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Gusto Embedded Payroll— to help companies like you build and embed modern payroll and HR tools into your platforms in a fraction of the time…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Partners can launch quickly with pre-built UI Flows, build custom experiences using APIs, or combine multiple approaches to create the ideal…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Process regular and off-cycle payrolls * Calculate and file taxes automatically * Import historical payroll data * Handle multi-state tax re…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Handle all aspects of payroll management including regular payroll runs, off-cycle payments, termination processing, and all associated fede…”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Gusto Embedded Payroll React SDK offers component libraries with built-in business logic that helps our developers with the complexity o…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Gusto Embedded offers official client libraries for several programming languages to help you integrate with our API quickly and reliably.”
   • [claimed-docs] “System access tokens allow you to carry out application-level actions such as: Creating a partner-managed company”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/docs/dev-assistant-mcp.md”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of any partner/embeddable API, white-label payroll offering, or developer platform; probes for OpenAPI/llms.txt returned 404s and all docs are end-user help articles about running payroll within Justworks' own UI, not embedding it into third-party products.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Payroll events

1. developerSubscribe to payroll lifecycle events (payroll processed, employee onboarded, payment failed) via webhooks to drive downstream automations

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialclaimed6/10

   Gusto's docs clearly describe a webhooks infrastructure with subscription creation, verification (HMAC), a payroll.paid event, and a health-check endpoint, directly supporting the 'payroll processed' automation use case. However, the evidence pack does not name or document specific 'employee onboarded' or 'payment failed' webhook event types, only the payroll.paid event is explicitly cited. Missing for 10: documented onboarding-event and payment-failure-event webhook types, and independent/hands-on confirmation of webhook reliability in production.

   • [claimed-docs] “A webhook is an HTTP request that delivers information about an event as it happens. We recommend that you integrate with Gusto's webhooks i…”
   • [claimed-docs] “When a payroll is paid out, your application may leverage our payroll.paid event. Gusto will publish this webhook event when payroll credits…”
   • [claimed-docs] “When a payroll is paid out, your application may leverage our payroll.paid event.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Gusto computes a hash message authentication code (HMAC) of the event payload using the verification_token”
   • [claimed-docs] “When a payroll is paid out, your application may leverage our `payroll.paid` event. Gusto will publish this webhook event when payroll credi…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create a webhook subscription to receive events of the specified subscription_types whenever there is a state change.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Returns the health status (`healthy`, `unhealthy`, or `unknown`) of the webhooks system based on the last ten minutes of activity.”
   • [claimed-docs] “This `verify` endpoint needs to be called with `verification_token` before webhook events can be sent to the registered webhook URL.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence of any webhook or event subscription capability; probes for API/OpenAPI specs returned 404s and no documentation mentions payroll lifecycle event notifications. Missing for 10: webhook subscription mechanism, documented event types (payroll processed, onboarding, payment failed), any developer API reference.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

1. ai-native userChoose where my data is stored (region/residency)

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack mentions data residency, regional storage options, or geographic data controls for Gusto; Gusto's US-focused payroll model is even called out in community evidence as not supporting non-US operations, but that doesn't address configurable data residency choices for the buyer. This is an applicable axis for a data-handling B2B/embedded platform, so absence of evidence yields 'none' rather than 'na'.

   • [community] “Gusto doesn't support outside of US folks... the 2 day payroll... capped it at something like $60k even when we have millions in the bank ac…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack addresses data residency, regional storage options, or any data locality controls for Justworks; all cited docs concern payroll, benefits, time off, and Xero integration. Missing for 10: any mention of data center regions, residency options, or storage location controls.

   ⚑ flag

2. ai-native userPrevent my data from being used to train AI models

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack addresses AI training data usage or opt-out controls; Gusto is a payroll/HR platform and the evidence covers payroll APIs, webhooks, MCP dev tools, etc., with nothing about AI model training data policies.

   ⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   Justworks is a PEO/HR payroll platform; the evidence pack contains only payroll, benefits, time-off, and Xero integration docs with no mention of AI model training, data usage policies, or opt-out controls for AI training. No evidence exists that this capability is addressed at all.

   ⚑ flag

3. ai-native userControl data retention and deletion

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   The evidence pack contains no documentation of data retention policies, deletion controls, or privacy/GDPR-style data management APIs for AI-native users; all evidence covers payroll processing, webhooks, contractor payments, and MCP dev tooling, none of which address retention/deletion controls.

   ⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack addresses data retention policies, deletion controls, or any AI-specific privacy/data governance features for Justworks; all evidence concerns payroll, benefits, time off, and Xero integration workflows.

   ⚑ flag

Accounting sync

1. ops userSync payroll journal entries automatically to my accounting software like QuickBooks or Xero

   weight 3 · round to Justworks
   Gusto~partialclaimed2/10

   Gusto states it 'works with many types of apps, including accounting... software' but no evidence specifies automatic payroll journal entry sync, journal entry mapping, or named integrations like QuickBooks/Xero. Missing for 10: explicit QuickBooks/Xero integration docs, journal entry field mapping, and automatic sync confirmation or independent user reports of this working.

   • [claimed-docs] “We work with many types of apps, including accounting, applicant tracking, performance management, time tracking, and business operations so…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks✓fullclaimed8/10

   Docs describe a documented Xero integration where pay types map to Chart of Accounts, with department/office/employee-level overrides, and invoices can auto-sync the day after payroll processing (justworks-docs-12, -5, -19, -6, -13, -20, -25). This directly matches the story of syncing payroll journal entries to accounting software automatically. Missing for 10: explicit QuickBooks integration details (only Xero is documented) and independent/hands-on corroboration beyond vendor help docs.

   • [claimed-docs] “Before you can start setting up, you’ll first need to connect your Xero account. Clicking “Connect Xero” will redirect you to login to Xero.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Now that you've set up your preferences, you'll need to map each pay type in Justworks to an account or sub-account from your Chart of Accou…”
   • [claimed-docs] “you'll need to map each pay type in Justworks to an account or sub-account from your Chart of Accounts in Xero.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Once you've set up your default company mappings you'll have the option to override the same line items by department to their own accounts …”
   • [claimed-docs] “You are also able to override line items at the individual employee level.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Similar to departments, you are able to override line items at the individual Office level.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Sync method: Manually sync invoices or Allow them to automatically sync the day after processing.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You are also able to override line items at the individual employee level. This is optional and you do not need to map each line item and on…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userHave an agent pull payroll journal data via API or export and reconcile the entries into my ledger

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Gusto~partialclaimed4/10

   Gusto's docs show a general Payroll API (e.g., GET /v1/companies/{id}/payrolls), webhooks for payroll.paid events, and mentions of 'Generate payroll reports' plus integrations with accounting apps, which could support an agent pulling payroll data programmatically. However, there is no explicit documentation of a payroll journal-entry export, GL-mapping, or reconciliation feature, and the MCP server referenced is a dev-assistant tool for building integrations (coding help), not an agent-facing data-pull/reconciliation workflow. Missing for 10: explicit journal entry/GL export endpoint, documented reconciliation workflow, and evidence of an agent (not just a developer) performing the reconciliation end-to-end.

   • [claimed-docs] “Upcoming regular payrolls can be retrieved by calling GET /v1/companies/{company_uuid}/payrolls”
   • [claimed-docs] “Process regular and off-cycle payrolls * Calculate and file taxes automatically * Import historical payroll data * Handle multi-state tax re…”
   • [claimed-docs] “We work with many types of apps, including accounting, applicant tracking, performance management, time tracking, and business operations so…”
   • [claimed-docs] “A webhook is an HTTP request that delivers information about an event as it happens. We recommend that you integrate with Gusto's webhooks i…”
   • [claimed-docs] “When a payroll is paid out, your application may leverage our payroll.paid event. Gusto will publish this webhook event when payroll credits…”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Embedded Dev Assistant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI-powered code editors like Cursor and Windsurf, as well as general-…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks~partialprobed4/10

   Justworks provides a Custom Payroll Report in Analytics and native Xero GL-mapping/sync (with department/office/employee-level overrides and manual or automatic invoice sync) that could serve as an export/reconciliation path, but there is no evidence of a public API, and probes explicitly show no OpenAPI spec or llms.txt endpoint, so an agent could not pull data programmatically as described. missing for 10: documented payroll/journal API for agent access, evidence of agent-friendly export automation, confirmation that Custom Payroll Report can be pulled without manual UI steps.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can check this information in Analytics > Custom Payroll Report and in your employees' Justworks profiles. If you see any inaccuracies, …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Now that you've set up your preferences, you'll need to map each pay type in Justworks to an account or sub-account from your Chart of Accou…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Once you've set up your default company mappings you'll have the option to override the same line items by department to their own accounts …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Before you can start setting up, you’ll first need to connect your Xero account. Clicking “Connect Xero” will redirect you to login to Xero.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You are also able to override line items at the individual employee level.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Sync method: Manually sync invoices or Allow them to automatically sync the day after processing.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You are also able to override line items at the individual employee level. This is optional and you do not need to map each line item and on…”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://help.justworks.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://help.justworks.com/openapi.json, https://help.justworks.com/swagger.json, https://help.justw…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Reports

1. ops userGenerate payroll registers and gross-to-net reports and export them for analysis

   weight 2 · round to Justworks
   Gusto~partialclaimed3/10

   The only direct evidence is a single bullet listing "Generate payroll reports" among platform capabilities, with no detail on payroll register format, gross-to-net breakdowns, or export/download options for offline analysis. Missing for 10: documentation of report content/format, gross-to-net specificity, export file types (CSV/PDF), and any independent confirmation that ops users can actually pull and export these reports.

   • [claimed-docs] “Process regular and off-cycle payrolls * Calculate and file taxes automatically * Import historical payroll data * Handle multi-state tax re…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks~partialclaimed5/10

   Evidence confirms an Analytics > Custom Payroll Report exists for checking payroll data, implying report generation, but there's no explicit mention of gross-to-net reports or export/download functionality for analysis. Missing for 10: explicit gross-to-net report detail, export/download format confirmation (CSV/Excel), and independent corroboration of reporting depth.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can check this information in Analytics > Custom Payroll Report and in your employees' Justworks profiles. If you see any inaccuracies, …”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can check this information in A nalytics > Custom Payroll Report and in your employees' Justworks profiles.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can check this information in Analytics > Custom Payroll Report and in your employees' Justworks profiles.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Save time each quarter by checking that your employees’ payroll information is accurate at the end of each month.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Compliance monitoring

1. founderGet proactive alerts when a new hire, location, or law change creates a compliance obligation

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Gusto—none0/10

   The evidence pack covers Gusto Embedded Payroll's API/webhook infrastructure for developers building on Gusto, plus community sentiment on support quality — none of it describes a founder-facing proactive compliance alert system for new hires, new locations, or law changes. Webhooks (e.g., payroll.paid) are developer integration events, not compliance-obligation notifications to founders.

   ⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   No evidence pack items mention proactive compliance alerts for new hires, new locations, or law changes; the docs cover payroll accuracy checks, benefits recording, PTO setup, and Xero integration but nothing about automated compliance notifications. Missing for 10: any mention of proactive alerting, multi-state/location compliance triggers, or law-change notifications.

   ⚑ flag

Tax filing

1. ops userHave federal, state, and local payroll taxes calculated, filed, and remitted automatically

   weight 3 · round to Justworks
   Gusto!disputedcontradicted6/10

   Gusto's docs explicitly claim automatic federal/state/local tax calculation, filing, and remittance as a core Embedded Payroll feature (gusto-docs-44, gusto-docs-52, gusto-docs-58, gusto-docs-45, gusto-docs-63), which is a strong first-party claim covering the full story. However, independent community reports describe a concrete tax-filing failure — W-2c corrections causing 2021 Q1 payroll to be double-reported to the IRS with support unable to resolve it — directly contradicting the 'automatically calculated and filed correctly' claim. missing for 10: independent third-party audit or hands-on verification showing reliable accuracy at scale, and no rebuttal/fix documentation for the cited filing error.

   • [claimed-docs] “Process regular and off-cycle payrolls * Calculate and file taxes automatically * Import historical payroll data * Handle multi-state tax re…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Handle all aspects of payroll management including regular payroll runs, off-cycle payments, termination processing, and all associated fede…”
   • [claimed-docs] “But Gusto Embedded does the heavy lifting for you, handling everything from tax calculations to bank transfers.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Employees are required to configure two types of tax information as part of their onboarding: Federal tax... State tax:”
   • [claimed-docs] “Multi-location management * Department organization * Tax configuration and compliance * Bank account and payment setup”
   • [community] “10 days ago our 2021 W-2 forms... were updated by Gusto with W-2c forms that combine payments from two different tax IDs... 2021 Q1 payroll …”
   • [community] “Gusto has horrible customer support. We switched to JustWorks... For high stakes tax work they need professionals who take this work serious…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks~partialclaimed4/10

   Evidence shows Justworks collects employee withholding/filing status info and provides payroll accuracy checks, implying tax handling is embedded in payroll runs, but no documentation explicitly confirms automatic calculation, filing, and remittance of federal/state/local payroll taxes. Missing for 10: explicit docs on tax filing cadence, remittance to agencies, and multi-jurisdiction tax compliance guarantees.

   • [claimed-docs] “Justworks collects your employees' filing status, withholding, and exemption information when they enroll with Justworks, so that they don't…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Justworks collects your employees’ filing status, withholding, and exemption information when they enroll with Justworks, so that they don’t…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Save time each quarter by checking that your employees’ payroll information is accurate at the end of each month.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ops userRun payroll for employees across multiple states with the right registrations and withholdings per state

   weight 3 · round to Gusto
   Gusto✓fullclaimed8/10

   Gusto's platform docs explicitly state it handles multi-state tax requirements, multi-location payroll with different schedules, and 'federal, state, and local filings and payments,' plus employee onboarding requires both federal and state tax configuration (docs-44, docs-48, docs-52, docs-63). This directly matches the story of running payroll across states with correct withholdings/registrations. missing for 10: explicit documentation on the mechanics of new-state tax registration/EIN setup, and independent hands-on confirmation that multi-state tax filings are error-free (community evidence only covers support/benefits complaints, not multi-state tax accuracy).

   • [claimed-docs] “Process regular and off-cycle payrolls * Calculate and file taxes automatically * Import historical payroll data * Handle multi-state tax re…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Companies can have multiple work locations across different states. They might want everyone paid at the same time, or prefer different pay …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Handle all aspects of payroll management including regular payroll runs, off-cycle payments, termination processing, and all associated fede…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Employees are required to configure two types of tax information as part of their onboarding: Federal tax... State tax:”
   • [claimed-docs] “Companies can have multiple work locations across different states. They might want everyone paid at the same time, or prefer different pay …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   Evidence covers general payroll setup, W-4-equivalent withholding collection, benefits recording, and PTO/Xero integration, but nothing addresses multi-state employer tax registrations or per-state withholding/compliance handling that the story specifically asks about.

   ⚑ flag

3. ops userHave W-2s and 1099s generated and distributed to workers automatically at year-end

   weight 3 · round to Gusto
   Gusto!disputedcontradicted4/10

   Gusto's docs claim broad automatic tax compliance ('Calculate and file taxes automatically', 'Tax configuration and compliance', 'federal tax information to file and pay taxes correctly') implying year-end tax form handling, but no doc explicitly describes automatic W-2/1099 generation and distribution to workers. A concrete community report describes Gusto incorrectly reissuing 2021 W-2 forms as W-2c forms that combined two tax IDs, causing double reporting to the IRS and unresponsive support on the issue — a documented failure in exactly this workflow. missing for 10: explicit vendor documentation of automatic W-2/1099 generation/e-filing/distribution timeline, and independent evidence the process works reliably at scale.

   • [claimed-docs] “Process regular and off-cycle payrolls * Calculate and file taxes automatically * Import historical payroll data * Handle multi-state tax re…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Multi-location management * Department organization * Tax configuration and compliance * Bank account and payment setup”
   • [claimed-docs] “An employee must provide federal tax information to file and pay taxes correctly.”
   • [community] “10 days ago our 2021 W-2 forms... were updated by Gusto with W-2c forms that combine payments from two different tax IDs... 2021 Q1 payroll …”
   • [community] “Gusto has horrible customer support. We switched to JustWorks... For high stakes tax work they need professionals who take this work serious…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   None of the evidence items mention W-2/1099 generation or year-end tax form distribution; the pack only covers payroll reporting, benefits recording, PTO setup, onboarding, and Xero integration. Absence of evidence for this applicable payroll-compliance capability yields 'none'. missing for 10: any documentation of W-2/1099 generation, e-filing, or worker distribution at year-end.

   ⚑ flag

Time off

1. ops userDefine PTO policies with accruals and approvals that apply automatically to payroll

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Gusto~partialclaimed6/10

   Gusto Embedded's docs show a full time-off request lifecycle API — balance checking, submission, employer approval/decline, and payroll integration (gusto-docs-11, gusto-docs-19, gusto-docs-29, gusto-docs-51, gusto-docs-55) — which supports approvals flowing into payroll automatically. However, there's no evidence of ops-configurable PTO *policy* definition (accrual rates, carryover rules, policy types) being exposed via API/UI, only that balances can be checked and requests approved. Missing for 10: documentation of accrual policy creation/configuration, accrual rate rules, and independent/hands-on confirmation that approvals auto-apply to payroll runs.

   • [claimed-docs] “This guide covers implementing time off requests and approvals using the Gusto Embedded Payroll time off request APIs. It covers the full re…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Use the time_off_request_management flow to give admins an embedded approval interface, or call the approve/decline endpoints directly from …”
   • [claimed-docs] “This guide covers implementing time off requests and approvals using the Gusto Embedded Payroll time off request APIs. It covers the full re…”
   • [claimed-docs] “It covers the full request lifecycle — from balance checking and submission through admin approval — and payroll integration.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Decline a pending or approved time off request. Requires an employer_note.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Partners with their own time off system can record approved time off in Gusto without re-implementing the approval workflow.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks~partialclaimed6/10

   Docs confirm PTO policy setup (name, dates, policy type, timecard sync) and integration with payroll/timecards via docs-3, docs-11, docs-16, plus automated holiday handling (docs-24). However, evidence does not detail accrual rules/rates or an explicit approval workflow for time-off requests feeding into payroll. missing for 10: explicit accrual rate configuration details, documented approval workflow for PTO requests, and independent confirmation that approved PTO flows automatically into payroll processing.

   • [claimed-docs] “On the setup page you'll be able to enter these key policy details: Policy name ... Policy start date ... Policy end date ... Policy type ..…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Getting set up for PTO with Justworks is easy. From Home, select Time Off from the main navigation.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Start by selecting into the Time Off tab in the left-hand side menu of your Justworks Payroll account. Then, click the Policies tab, followe…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Justworks will automatically designate these same days as holidays each year. Our software knows that while Thanksgiving is on Thursday, Nov…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Time tracking

1. ops userHave hourly time entries and overtime flow directly into the payroll run

   weight 2 · round to Gusto
   Gusto~partialclaimed3/10

   Gusto's docs cover time-off (PTO) request/approval APIs and payroll processing/off-cycle runs, and mention generic integrations with 'time tracking software' apps, but there is no documentation of native hourly time-entry capture or overtime calculation logic that flows directly into a payroll run. The evidence only implies this happens via unspecified third-party time-tracking integrations rather than a built-in Gusto feature. missing for 10: dedicated hourly timesheet/time-entry API, overtime rule/calculation documentation, explicit description of how hourly+overtime data is ingested into a payroll run.

   • [claimed-docs] “We work with many types of apps, including accounting, applicant tracking, performance management, time tracking, and business operations so…”
   • [claimed-docs] “This guide covers implementing time off requests and approvals using the Gusto Embedded Payroll time off request APIs. It covers the full re…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Process regular and off-cycle payrolls * Calculate and file taxes automatically * Import historical payroll data * Handle multi-state tax re…”
   • [claimed-docs] “We automatically pre-generate scheduled regular payrolls based on the company’s pay schedule and corresponding pay periods.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Justworks—none0/10

   Evidence covers PTO policy setup, payroll accuracy checks, integrations, and fringe benefits, but there is no mention of hourly time entry tracking or overtime calculation flowing into payroll runs.

   ⚑ flag