B2B Fee Audit
Gusto vs. Deel US Payroll & International EOR Cost Calculator (2026 FX & Contractor Fees)
2026 Executive Audit Summary: For US-only teams (15 W-2 + 5 US 1099 contractors), Gusto costs $2,028/yr vs. Deel's $6,360/yr (saving $4,332/yr). However, once you hire 2+ international Employer of Record (EOR) employees or non-US contractors across 150+ countries, Deel's wholly-owned local entities ($599/mo EOR, 1.25% FX spread) eliminate foreign subsidiary setup costs ($15,000–$40,000/country).
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🏆 12-MONTH TCO WINNER
Gusto Wins for Domestic US Payroll; Deel Wins for 2+ International EOR Seats
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⚠️ HIDDEN FEE TRAP
Deel charges $49/mo per international contractor (vs. Gusto's $6/mo for US 1099s), while cross-border EOR payroll carries a 1.25%–2.5% currency FX conversion spread on gross foreign salaries.
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⚡ RECOMMENDED SWITCH
Run domestic US W-2s + US 1099s on Gusto ($49 + $6/seat) and pair or consolidate on Deel ($599/mo EOR) when hiring full-time international employees.
Calculate Your 12-Month All-In Payroll, Multi-State Tax & EOR Cost
Adjust W-2 headcount, primary .gov SUI tax state, multi-state registrations, 1099 contractors, and international EOR seats to compare true 12-month TCO:
Based on 15 W-2 employees: $42/emp IRS FUTA (0.6% on $7,000) + $245/emp State SUI (plus 7.65% employer FICA on gross wages).
2026 Line-Item TCO Comparison & Partner Verification Table
| Vendor / Statutory Benchmark | Verified 2026 All-In Rate & 12-Month TCO | Audit Action / Official Citation |
|---|---|---|
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Gusto US Payroll + 5 Contractors (15 W-2, 2 States, 0 EOR)
Verified 2026 Payroll/HRIS Tier |
$181/mo ($2,172/yr) · $49 base + $6/W-2 + $6/1099 | Start Gusto US Payroll Trial → [2] |
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Deel US Payroll + 5 Global Contractors (15 W-2, 5 Intl 1099)
Verified 2026 Payroll/HRIS Tier |
$530/mo ($6,360/yr) · $19/US W-2 + $49/Intl Contractor | Compare Deel Global Quotes → [3] |
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Deel Global EOR (2 Full-Time International Employees + FX)
Verified 2026 Payroll/HRIS Tier |
$1,198/mo ($14,376/yr) + ~1.25% FX spread on local salary | Book Deel EOR Cost Audit → [3] |
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TX Workforce Commission (TWC) SUI + Federal FUTA (15 W-2)
Official .gov Statutory Baseline |
$4,275/yr statutory tax ($243 TX SUI + $42 IRS FUTA/emp) | 🏛️ Verify .gov Rule [1] |
All vendor base fees, PEPM tiers, and interchange markups verified as of October 24, 2026. Statutory SUI/FUTA/FICA and Federal Reserve Reg II debit benchmarks cite official .gov publications. Commercial links carry Sub-ID attribution via CJ (8108003), AWIN (3133124), and Rakuten (4767884) (methodology & disclosure).
Key 2026 Hidden-Fee & Statutory Audit Findings
- US 1099 vs. International Contractor Spread: Gusto charges $6/mo per domestic US 1099 contractor. Deel's $49/mo Contractor tier includes localized tax compliance, IP assignment clauses, and multi-currency payouts in 150+ countries.
- Hidden EOR Foreign Exchange (FX) Spread: An EOR quote of $599/mo per employee is only the platform fee. On two €80,000/yr European engineers, a 1.5%–2.5% USD-to-EUR FX spread adds $2,600–$4,300/yr in unquoted treasury cost.
- Texas SUI Baseline (.gov): Under Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) 2026 rules, the taxable wage base is $9,000 with a 2.70% new-employer SUI rate ($243/employee/year).
Frequently Asked Questions (2026 Verified Data)
Is Gusto or Deel cheaper for a US startup with international contractors?
Many CFOs run a hybrid stack: Gusto Simple ($49 base + $6/seat) for US W-2 employees and domestic US 1099s, paired with Deel ($49/mo per international contractor or $599/mo per EOR employee) strictly for cross-border hires.
What is the hidden FX spread on Deel and Gusto Global EOR invoices?
When funding foreign EOR payroll in USD while employees are paid in EUR, GBP, CAD, or INR, EOR providers apply a 1.25% to 2.5% FX conversion spread over the mid-market interbank rate. On $100,000 of international payroll, a 1.5% FX spread adds $1,500/yr.
Does Deel handle multi-state US payroll tax registrations?
Yes. Deel US Payroll ($19 PEPM) supports 50-state payroll tax filing and embedded state unemployment insurance (SUI) registration.
What are the mandatory 2026 federal and Texas payroll taxes for 15 W-2 employees?
Per IRS Publication 15 and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), employers pay 7.65% FICA, $42/employee FUTA (0.6% on $7,000), and $243/employee Texas SUI (2.7% on $9,000), totaling $4,275/yr in statutory unemployment taxes before FICA.
Explore All 2026 B2B Payroll, Multi-State SUI & Merchant Fee TCO Calculators
Cluster 1: Payroll, Multi-State HRIS & Global EOR TCO
- Deel vs. Remote Global EOR & Contractor TCO Calculator (2026)
- Gusto vs. Deel US Payroll & Global EOR Cost Calculator (2026)
- Gusto vs. OnPay All-In Cost Comparison for 5–100 Employees (2026)
- Gusto vs. Rippling True 12-Month TCO Calculator (2026)
- 50-State Employer SUI Tax & Multi-State Payroll Calculator (2026)
- Rippling vs. ADP RUN Switching Cost & W-2 Fee Audit (2026)
- US W-2 Employee vs. 1099 Contractor True Burden Calculator (2026)
Cluster 2: Merchant Processing & Interchange-Plus TCO
- B2B ACH vs. Commercial Corporate Card (2.95%) Fee Calculator (2026)
- PayPal Braintree vs. Stripe B2B Merchant Fee Calculator (2026)
- Shopify Payments vs. Dedicated Interchange-Plus Audit (2026)
- Square vs. Helcim True Effective Rate & POS/Online Fee Audit (2026)
- Stripe Invoicing (+0.8%) & International Card (+1.5%) Fee Auditor (2026)
- Stripe (2.9%+$0.30) vs. Helcim Interchange-Plus Calculator (2026)
- Stripe vs. Stax (0% Markup Subscription) Break-Even Calculator (2026)
Official Regulatory (.gov) & Published Vendor Fee Sources
- Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) 2026 Unemployment Tax Rates & $9,000 Wage Base (.gov) (verified 2026-10-24)
- Gusto Official 2026 US Payroll, Contractor & Global EOR Pricing (verified 2026-10-24)
- Deel Official 2026 Pricing — EOR ($599/mo), Contractors ($49/mo) & US Payroll ($19/mo) (verified 2026-10-24)
- IRS Publication 15 (2026 Employer Federal Payroll & FUTA Tax Guide) (.gov) (verified 2026-10-24)