Gusto 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Gusto is a payroll, benefits and HR service, used by business owners running payroll and by employees checking pay stubs. Because the account holds so much personal information, Gusto requires most users to turn on 2-step verification, and you need it at every sign-in (Gusto). Codes can come by text, call or WhatsApp, or from an authenticator app, which Gusto recommends. Passkeys are also supported.

Know this before you start: Gusto has no backup codes. Lose your authenticator and you'll prove who you are, usually with a photo ID and a selfie. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the Gusto steps come from Gusto's own help center article, linked below. Gusto's site blocked our automated requests, so we read an archived copy of the article on web.archive.org (saved October 2, 2026) on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested the steps on a Gusto account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

Gusto describes these steps for setting it up from a computer (Gusto):

1. Sign in to Gusto and click your name in the top-right corner.
2. Click Settings, then Security under Personal. If you're an admin, go to Settings, then My profile.
3. In the 2-step authentication section, click Set up next to Authenticator app.
4. Pick the authentication app as your method and click Continue.
5. Gusto shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If you're doing this on the same iPhone, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo instead. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
6. If you can't scan it, Gusto prints a setup key below the QR code, with an icon next to it that copies the key. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, and paste it as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
7. Enter the code from Novaz and click Confirm.

The article's phone instructions start from a You icon instead, so labels may differ by device. Gusto says codes are 6 digits but not how often they change, so scanning the QR code is safer than typing the key.

No backup codes, so add a photo ID backup

Gusto says it doesn't currently offer backup codes (Gusto). With Novaz that matters: its keys stay on your iPhone unless you turn on iCloud backup or export a backup file. Gusto's alternatives:

• Photo ID backup. In the 2-step authentication section, click Add next to Photo ID backup. Gusto can then check your identity against that ID later.
• A passkey. Gusto suggests one alongside your main method. After a code sign-in, it may offer Add a passkey to this device.
• A phone number. Text or WhatsApp codes also work if your number is current.

When Gusto asks for a code

Gusto asks for a code each time you sign in with your password. If you tick Remember this device, it skips the code on that device for 30 days. You can review or remove those devices under Trusted devices > Manage on the Security page. Signing in with a passkey replaces the code entirely.

Primary admins can require it for all other admins: Settings > Customization (under Company) > 2-step authentication for all admins > Edit.

If Gusto rejects your code

Gusto's first suggestion is to check that your phone's clock and time zone are right (Gusto). On iPhone, open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz also warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

While you can still sign in, go to the 2-step authentication section, click Edit next to your current method, and run through the authenticator setup again with the new phone. Do this before you wipe the old iPhone, unless you have a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file to restore your accounts from on the new one. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Without backup codes, Gusto points you to these routes (Gusto):

1. Verify with a photo ID and selfie. Enter your email and password, then on the code screen click Need help with 2-step verification? and choose Continue under Verify with a photo ID. Gusto uses Persona for this check, and you get in right away if it succeeds.
2. Verify with your phone. In the Gusto mobile app, tap Help on the code screen, then Verify with phone, and enter the code Gusto texts you.
3. Call Gusto. If neither works, Gusto's support line is (628) 246-1969, Monday to Friday during office hours. It warns that wait times can be long. If asked for a call code, get one at gusto.com/code with your email and password.

All of these need your email and password. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning 2FA off

Most users can't turn off 2-step verification completely, since Gusto requires it. You can remove the authenticator app as one method: click Remove next to it, enter a current 6-digit code and your password, then click Remove again.

Official Gusto help

• Set up, manage, and troubleshoot 2-step verification (read in an archived copy from October 2, 2026)