What Guideline does

Guideline operates a full-stack 401(k) record-keeping and retirement plan platform targeting U.S. small and medium-sized businesses and self-employed individuals. Founded in 2015 by Kevin Busque (co-founder of TaskRabbit) and headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, the company built proprietary technology that combines plan record-keeping, plan administration, automated IRS compliance testing (including Form 5500 and 1099-R preparation), and fiduciary investment management (acting as both 3(16) and 3(38) fiduciary through SEC-registered Gusto Investment Services). The product surface spans four 401(k) plan types — Standard, Safe Harbor, Starter (a first-to-market simplified plan for the smallest employers), and Solo — plus Traditional, Roth, and SEP IRAs, all accessible via an award-winning iOS/Android mobile application. Plan assets are custodied at State Street and invested through 40 low-cost Vanguard funds structured into six guided portfolios.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring monthly employer subscriptions across three pricing tiers (Starter at $49/month, Core at $119/month, Enterprise at $179/month) plus per-participant fees ($6-$8/month) and 0.25% annual participant account fees on $20B AUM. Go-to-market combines product-led growth (self-serve onboarding, mobile app) with inside sales (direct demos at 888-228-3491), accountant/advisor partnerships through the GPRO program, and a deeply integrated distribution channel via payroll partner Gusto, which acquired Guideline for approximately $600 million in August/November 2025, bringing Guideline's 400 employees and $140 million of annualized revenue into Gusto's 2,800-person workforce.

At acquisition, Guideline reported 65,000+ customers and 1M+ savers, with case-study customers including Farmgirl Flowers, Be Bright Coffee, and Dax Lee's Barbershops. The product is now branded 'Gusto 401(k) powered by Guideline,' and approximately 27,000 non-Gusto payroll plans were transitioned to Vestwell, indicating the company has concentrated its retained book around the Gusto payroll customer base.

Name

Guideline

Legal name

Gusto Retirement Services, LLC

Website

https://guideline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Guideline is a full-stack 401(k) and IRA platform for U.S. small businesses and self-employed individuals, offering automated record-keeping, compliance, fiduciary investment management, and mobile account access, now operated as 'Gusto 401(k) powered by Guideline' following Gusto's 2025 acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan Administration

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292), Pension Funds (52511)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retirement & Pension Planning (401(k)/IRA) (FSAEAAAD), Retirement Plan Participant Advice & Managed Accounts (FSAEABAF), Digital/Hybrid Robo-Wealth & Retirement Advisory (FSAEABAK), Retirement & Distribution Planning RIAs (401(k)/IRA/Pension Rollovers) (FSAAACAE)

Keywords

• Retirement plan platform
• 401(k) administration
• Individual retirement accounts
• Small business retirement
• Fiduciary services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 401(k) Plan Administration: Monthly subscription fees from employers based on plan tier (Starter, Core, Enterprise) plus per-participant fees. Revenue at acquisition was $140 million annualized.
2. 401(k) Participant Account Fees: Active employees charged annual account fee starting at 0.25%. Former employees pay $6/month base fee plus 0.25% account fee after 90-day grace period.
3. IRA Account Fees: SEP IRA: $8/month base fee + 0.08%/year. Traditional IRA: $4/month base fee + 0.08%/year. Roth IRA: $2/month base fee + 0.08%/year if balance under $10,000.
4. Acquisition by Gusto: Acquired by Gusto in 2025 for approximately $600 million, converting revenue-sharing partnership into full ownership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Guideline provides a full-stack 401(k) retirement plan platform for small businesses and self-employed individuals, combining record-keeping, plan administration, investment management, and compliance testing in a single offering. The platform supports multiple 401(k) plan types (Standard, Safe Harbor, Starter, and Solo) plus Traditional, Roth, and SEP IRA products, with deep integration to Gusto payroll for automated deductions and onboarding. Following its 2025 acquisition by Gusto, the product is marketed as "Gusto 401(k) powered by Guideline" with SEC-registered fiduciary services (3(16) and 3(38)) via Gusto Investment Services.

Product overview

Guideline (now a subsidiary of Gusto) provides a comprehensive suite of retirement planning products centered around 401(k) plans and IRAs for small businesses and self-employed individuals. The core offerings include four 401(k) plan types (Standard, Safe Harbor, Starter, and Solo) plus three IRA options (Traditional, Roth, and SEP IRA), offered across four pricing tiers (Starter at $49/month, Core at $119/month, Enterprise at $179/month, and Solo at $49/month + 0.25%). Following Gusto's 2025 acquisition, the product is branded as 'Gusto 401(k) powered by Guideline' and integrates retirement plan administration with Gusto's payroll platform. The platform also includes investment management through Gusto Investment Services (SEC-registered adviser), fiduciary services, automated compliance testing, and an award-winning mobile app.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gusto Investment Services: SEC-registered investment adviser providing investment advisory services for Gusto's 401(k) product when 3(38) fiduciary services are appointed, as well as SEP IRA/IRA products.

Products and services

• Standard 401(k) A flexible, customizable 401(k) plan offering full control over plan design, eligibility, and vesting, with automated 401(k) compliance testing and optional employer match, targeted at small and mid-sized businesses.
• Safe Harbor 401(k) A retirement plan that automatically passes IRS nondiscrimination tests by requiring employer contributions (usually via match), simplifying administration and ensuring fairness among all employees, designed for small businesses.
• Starter 401(k) A simplified 401(k) with limited features and easy administration, designed for small businesses and self-employed individuals with $6,000 employee contribution limit and no employer contributions required.
• Solo 401(k) A self-directed 401(k) plan for self-employed individuals and sole proprietors with higher contribution limits (up to $72,000 through employer and employee contributions) and the ability to borrow from the plan.
• Traditional IRA A pre-tax individual retirement account where contributions are tax-deductible, investments grow tax-deferred, and withdrawals in retirement are treated as taxable income.
• Roth IRA An after-tax individual retirement account where contributions are made with post-tax dollars, investments grow tax-free, and qualified withdrawals in retirement are tax and penalty free.
• SEP IRA

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped 34,000+ businesses save $10 billion towards retirement
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• GustoflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 August 2025Acquired by Gusto for approximately $600 million in 2025. Converted revenue-sharing partnership (since 2016) into full ownership. Brings Guideline's $140M annualized revenue and 400 employees into Gusto's 2,800-person workforce.
• VanguardcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides 40 low-cost Vanguard funds for investment portfolios. Gusto Investment Services portfolios comprised of Vanguard funds with very low expense ratios (0.04%-0.16%).
• State StreetcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party custodian for plan assets. Custodial services for 401(k) and IRA accounts.
• VestwellminorOthersVestwell acquired approximately 27,000 retirement plans from Guideline's non-Gusto payroll partner network as part of their DC market expansion.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Human Interest: Direct competitor in the SMB 401(k) market, offering a full-stack 401(k) recordkeeping and administration platform with automated payroll integrations for small businesses and startups.
• Vestwell: Direct competitor in SMB and mid-market retirement plan recordkeeping and administration; notably acquired ~27,000 of Guideline's non-Gusto plans, indicating overlap in product and customer base.
• ForUsAll: Direct competitor offering 401(k) plans for small and mid-sized businesses, with a focus on low-cost plans, automated administration, and integrations with payroll providers.
• Betterment for Business: Direct competitor offering a digital 401(k) plan built on a robo-advisor platform, targeting small businesses with low-fee automated investing and administration.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Investments: Large incumbent retirement plan provider offering 401(k) recordkeeping, administration, and investment management across all business sizes, competing with Guideline in the SMB and self-employed segments via low-cost plan options.
• Empower Retirement: Major incumbent in retirement plan recordkeeping and administration, serving employers of all sizes with a full-stack platform that overlaps directly with Guideline's SMB offering.
• Charles Schwab: Large incumbent 401(k) provider offering low-cost retirement plans for businesses of all sizes, including self-employed solo 401(k) options that compete directly with Guideline.
• ADP Retirement Services: Incumbent retirement plan provider bundled with ADP's dominant payroll platform, competing with Guideline's Gusto integration in the SMB payroll-adjacent retirement market.
• Principal Financial: Major incumbent provider of 401(k) plans and retirement plan services to small and mid-sized businesses, with overlapping full-stack recordkeeping and administration capabilities.

Regional players

• Wealthsimple (Canadian 401(k)-equivalent): Canadian digital wealth manager with workplace/group retirement offerings; comparable in product (digital recordkeeping + low-cost fund lineup) but does not directly compete in the US SMB 401(k) market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/guideline401k
• Facebookfacebook.com/guideline401k
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/guideline
• Instagraminstagram.com/guideline401k_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors19 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Guideline