Edit an employee's personal details (for admins)

When entering an employee's SSN in Gusto, we'll let you know if the format is incorrect, but we cannot validate or invalidate SSNs—this must be done by an employer. You can use the Social Security Number Verification Service to verify your employee's SSNs. 

To see the full SSN listed in Gusto for an employee, run an employee information report.

Troubleshooting SSN issues or errors

If you notice an SSN error (or mismatch):

• Notify your employee—you can use this sample template letter from the SSA. 
• Confirm with the individual that they've applied for an SSN or have had one historically. To apply for a new SSN, point them here. 
• Check if the SSN entered starts with a "9"—if it does, this is actually not an SSN, but instead an ITIN.
  • ITINs are not valid to use for employees working in the US, and your employee needs to apply for and provide an SSN for reporting wages on their W-2.
  • ITINs are more commonly used by business contractors.

Correct an SSN

If you're a Gusto admin with the required permissions, you can edit an employee's Social Security number (SSN) by following the instructions below.

• If you do not have the option to update an employee's SSN, reach out to the primary admin of your company's Gusto account. 

If you're an employee, reach out to your employer who can assist with the change.

1. Sign in to your Gusto admin account.
2. Go to the People section. 
3. Select an employee.
4. Click the Personal tab.
5. From the “Personal information” section click Edit.
6. Edit the employee's Social Security number—you must enter the full corrected SSN (even if only one digit is off). If the full corrected SSN is not entered, the changes will not be saved.
7. Click Save.

If you offer health insurance with Gusto (including the broker integration) and the employee is enrolled in coverage, their SSN update will also be sent to their insurance carriers. 

Previous year W-2 corrections

If a previous year's Form W-2 was filed with an incorrect SSN, and you edit the SSN for the employee in Gusto, we'll automatically create a federal W-2c (corrected W-2) that'll be available in the employee’s profile within the next week. A few reminders:

• We'll automatically create federal W-2c forms for the past two years, if the employee was paid in Gusto during that time.
  • If the SSN change is only needed for the past year, contact us from the Help section of your account so we can cancel the other W-2c.
• We’ll let you and the employee know by email when the W-2c is ready to view.

Gusto does not amend state W-2s for SSN changes—if you need to amend a state-specific W-2 to correct for a SSN error, you'll need to do so outside Gusto.

Past unemployment filings

In some states, unemployment reports have an employee's name and social security number. If past unemployment filings have been sent with an incorrect SSN, contact the agency to let them know and fix the issue. Gusto does not amend unemployment returns for SSN updates.

If you're an employee or contractor and need to update your home address, follow the steps in this article.

Admins can update an employee’s home address, and view home address history from the Personal tab of their employee profile in Gusto.

Important reminders

• The home address of an employee can impact their tax liability and health premiums (if you have benefits with Gusto). Learn how to update their address below. 
  • If you offer health insurance with Gusto (including the broker integration) and the employee is enrolled in coverage, their home address update will also be sent to their insurance carriers. 
• Do not delete a home address unless the employee never actually lived there. Gusto needs historical home addresses for tax purposes.
• Do not use an employee's PO Box for their home address.

1. Go to the People section.
2. Click on the name of the employee that you need to update.
   • If your employee has been dismissed, toggle to the Dismissed team members tab to find the employee's profile.
3. Go to the Personal tab.
4. Next to the "Personal information" section click Edit.
   
   • You'll need to have the necessary permissions before making sensitive edits—if you don't have this option, reach out to your primary admin for help updating the info, or your permissions.
5. Update your employee's full legal name or add a preferred name.
   • Heads up: We do not support accent marks in names, and it's not a requirement on form filings.
6. Click Save.

If you offer health insurance with Gusto (including the broker integration) and the employee is enrolled in coverage, their name update will also be sent to their insurance carriers. 

Sometimes, you won’t be able to change a teammate's email address for them. If that happens, they’ll need to update it themselves or contact Gusto if they cannot (there might be implications related to the email change).

Update a work email

1. Go to the People section.
2. Click on your employee's name.
3. Go to the Work tab and find the “Role” section.
4. Next to “Work email” click Edit.
5. Enter the email.
6. Click Save.

Update a personal or recovery email

Admins may not be able to update an email for employees who have Gusto Cash Accounts.

If this is the case, contact us from the in your account so we can assist. 

How to update the personal or recovery email (when editable):

1. Go to the People section.
2. Click on your employee's name.
3. Go to the Personal tab and find the “Personal information” section.
4. Next to “Personal email” click Edit.
   • You must use an email address that’s not associated with any other Gusto account.
   • To update the “Recovery email”, find and click the Edit next to “Personal information”.
5. Enter the new email in both the “New email” and “Confirm email” fields.
6. Click the checkbox to acknowledge that this will change the email used to access the account.
7. Click Save.
8. The employee will receive next steps at the new email address. They must follow the prompt in the email to complete the update.
   • If the employee does not see the confirmation email, they should check their spam folder.
   • You can also resend the email: On their employee profile, return to the Work tab. If the employee has not yet approved the change in the confirmation email, a "Pending" section is listed under "Email." Click Resend Email.

1. Go to the People section.
2. Select an employee.
3. Go to the Personal tab and click Edit next to "Personal information".
4. Edit the employee's phone number.
5. Click Save.

1. Go to the People section.
2. Select an employee.
3. Go to the Personal tab and click Edit next to "Personal information".
   
   • If you're unable to edit, you may not have the required permission to do so. 
4. Edit the employee's birthday.
5. Click Save.

If you offer health insurance with Gusto (including the broker integration) and the employee is enrolled in coverage, their date of birth update will also be sent to their insurance carriers. 

To help prevent fraud, we strongly recommend you have your employee make their own bank account changes in Gusto. They may need to verify old bank account details before they can add their new one.

1. Go to the People section.
2. Select an employee.
3. Next to their profile name at the top of the page, click the edit pen in the photo circle.
4. Upload or drop a file, and click Save.

Your team members can make this update on their own as well. 

1. Go to the People section. 
2. Select a team member.
3. Go to the Personal tab and scroll to the "Emergency contact" card.
4. Next to "Emergency contact" click Edit.
   
   • If you're unable to edit, you may not have the required permission to do so. 
5. Update the emergency contact info, and click Save.

Go to our article on how to change employment types. 

If a team member becomes deceased, and a direct family member is trying to take ownership of their account, contact us from the Help section of your account. Include:

1. A death certificate—this must include the relative's name on the certificate, and the person must be a direct family member (mother, father, or spouse).
2. The family member's photo ID—only a passport or driver's license will be accepted.

Once our Assurance team reviews the documentation and approves, we can help with the change of account ownership.