Import a Gusto employee report into Org Chart Studio. Export-and-import only; Studio does not connect to Gusto.
1. Export an Employee summary from Gusto
In Gusto, open Reports and find Employee summary. If Reports is unavailable, ask the primary admin for reporting permission. Gusto describes Employee summary as a directory export and lists names, Gusto employee ID, department, job title, and Manager among its fields. Download a spreadsheet format such as CSV or XLSX when your report offers one. See Gusto's official report instructions.
The report can contain payroll and personal data that an org chart does not need. Make a working copy and remove fields such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, compensation, payment details, and withholding information before sharing or importing it.
2. Prepare names and manager references
Studio needs one complete Name value for each person. If the export has separate first- and last-name columns, combine them in the working copy.
Keep Gusto employee ID as Employee ID so each employee has a stable identity. Gusto's report documentation lists a Manager field, but it does not say that Employee summary provides a manager ID. Use that field as Manager Name; it must exactly match the manager's combined Name value.
Prepared shape:
| Name | Title | Department | Employee ID | Manager Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Rivera | Executive Director | Leadership | G-100 | |
| Casey Lee | Operations Director | Operations | G-110 | Alex Rivera |
| Jordan Patel | Program Manager | Programs | G-120 | Casey Lee |
| Morgan Chen | Finance Director | Finance | G-130 | Alex Rivera |
Download this prepared example. It contains the same fictional rows and columns shown above; it is not a Gusto export.
If 2 people share a name, resolve the ambiguity in the prepared file before importing. Use unique display names that your readers will understand, or prepare paired employee and manager IDs when your export contains both matching ID fields.
3. Import and check the chart
In Studio, choose Choose spreadsheet and select the prepared file. In Map spreadsheet columns, map:
- the combined name to Name
- Gusto employee ID to Employee ID
- Manager to Manager Name
- job title and department to their matching fields
The sample value under each mapping is a preview from the selected source column. It is not a place to edit that person's data. Choose Confirm & import after checking the mappings. The CSV and Excel import guide explains the complete mapping and review flow.
Open People and compare the person count with the working copy. Use Needs manager to find unresolved relationships. A missing manager row, a changed name, or duplicate names may require you to choose Reports to manually.
4. Update the chart from a later report
Export a fresh Employee summary, prepare it with the same columns, and keep each person's Gusto employee ID unchanged. In the existing chart, open People → Update from spreadsheet. Review the proposed additions, removals, and changes before applying them.
This does not write anything back to Gusto. Review the updated chart; changes to an account chart are saved automatically.
Questions about Gusto imports
Does Studio connect directly to Gusto?
No. Download a report from Gusto, prepare a working copy, and import it into Studio.