Entra ID
Connect Gusto to Entra ID
Turn Gusto hires, changes and departures into account updates in Entra ID. Follow the setup steps, preview changes with a dry run, then go live.
Gusto record
08:02:14
Leo Fischer
1187
- Job title
- Software Engineer
- Department
- Engineering
- Work location
- Austin
- Manager
- D. Okafor
- Start date
- Nov 10, 2026
- Status
- Onboarding
Entra ID
eng-austin
- accountEngineering (administrative unit)
- userPrincipalNameleo.fischer@northwind.com
- mailleo.fischer@northwind.com
- jobTitleSoftware Engineer
- managerD. Okafor
- memberOfEng-All
- memberOfLicense-M365-E3
2.3s
- Gusto fields mapped
- 12
- Steps to go live
- 9
- Employee records stored in our cloud
- 0
Joiners, movers and leavers
How Gusto updates Entra ID
HR updates Gusto. ezOnboard updates accounts based on your rules.
Joiner
An account before day one
A person is added in Gusto’s People with a start date.
- Account created in the tenant, disabled until the start date
- Name, email, title, department, office and manager set from Gusto
- Account added to its administrative unit and groups, with group-based licenses assigned
- Account enabled on the start date, with a Temporary Access Pass for first sign-in
Mover
Access for the new role
A job title, department, work location or manager changes in the Work section of a Gusto profile.
- Title, department, office and manager updated
- Account moved to the administrative unit your rules specify
- Groups and group-based licenses updated to match the new role
Leaver
Offboarding on schedule
An employee is dismissed in Gusto with a last day of work.
- Account disabled on the termination date, never deleted
- Sign-in sessions revoked
- Direct licenses recovered and account removed from managed groups
Before you start
What to have ready
Work with a Gusto admin and a directory admin to complete the setup.
- In Gusto
- Gusto Primary admin or full access admin rights to authorize a third-party application
- A work email or employee ID for each person in Gusto to match them to their account
- In Entra ID
- A server running Windows Server 2019 or later; no domain join required
- A Global Administrator to grant consent to the ezOnboard application
- Outbound HTTPS to the HR system, ezOnboard, graph.microsoft.com and login.microsoftonline.com
- Administrative units and groups for ezOnboard to manage, and Temporary Access Pass enabled in your authentication methods policy
Step by step
Set up Gusto with Entra ID
Start in Gusto and on your server. Then finish in the ezOnboard portal with our implementation team.
01
Gusto
Check your admin access
Settings → Permissions → Gusto admins
ezOnboard connects to Gusto as an authorized application. You don’t need a service user or API key. A Primary admin or full access admin must authorize the connection.
Sign in to Gusto and check the connecting admin’s role. If needed, the Primary admin can grant full access from Permissions. ezOnboard only reads employee data and needs no additional payroll or benefits access.
Gusto admins. Use a Primary admin or full access admin to authorize ezOnboard.
02
Gusto
Authorize ezOnboard for your company
App directory → ezOnboard → Connect
Start the connection in the ezOnboard portal or Gusto’s App directory. Sign in, choose your company and review the read-only access to people, jobs, departments and dismissals. Gusto sets these permissions during its application review.
Choose Authorize. The connection covers one company and stays active until an admin disconnects it. Use this authorization to add Gusto as an HR source in step 5.
Authorization. Choose the company, review the read-only access and choose Authorize.
03
Your server
Install the ezOnboard agent
The agent runs as a Windows service on your server with Windows Server 2019 or later. No domain join is required. It connects to Gusto, ezOnboard and Microsoft Graph over outbound HTTPS. No inbound firewall rules are needed.
Download the signed MSI and enrollment bundle from the portal. Save the install code. The portal shows it only once. Run the MSI and enter the code. The agent uses a local virtual account by default, with no password to manage. The installer checks outbound access and the clock before making changes. Domain and LDAP checks show “not needed”.
Installer screen with the setup requirements.
04
ezOnboard portal and Microsoft
Connect your tenant and grant admin consent
Add a Microsoft 365 connection in the portal. Choose the Directory and Licenses capabilities, then continue to Microsoft. Sign in as a Global Administrator and grant consent. The portal shows which capabilities have access. You can grant missing permissions later.
ezOnboard uses application permissions, not an administrator account or password. Revoke consent in Entra ID to remove its access. Each tenant connects to one organization.
- Directory: manage users, managers, group memberships and administrative units
- Licenses: read subscriptions, assign licenses and recover unused licenses
- Sign-in: revoke sessions for leavers and issue a Temporary Access Pass to new hires
Connection page showing which capabilities have access.
05
ezOnboard portal
Add Gusto as an HR source
In the portal, add Gusto as an HR source using the authorization from a Gusto admin. Your credentials are encrypted with your organization’s key and sent to your agent. The agent reads Gusto from your network. Nobody at ezOnboard can read the credentials.
Choose a field to match people across both systems, usually work email or employee ID. The agent checks Gusto every five minutes and catches up on any missed changes.
HR source. Your agent uses these credentials to read Gusto.
06
ezOnboard portal
Map Gusto fields to Entra ID attributes
Choose which Gusto fields update each directory attribute. Start with the defaults below, add custom fields or combine values. For example, build a display name from first and last names, format a job title or look up an office address by site.
Blank Gusto fields leave directory values unchanged unless you configure the mapping to clear them.
Field mapping. See the full list of defaults below.
07
ezOnboard portal
Set rules for accounts, administrative units and groups
Rules define who gets an account, which administrative unit it belongs to, how it’s named and which groups it joins. They also control offboarding. Use Gusto fields, such as department and site, to make those choices.
Our implementation team helps you write the rules. With approvals enabled, your team must approve each rule change before the agent uses it.
Rules page with the placement rule open.
08
ezOnboard portal
Preview changes with a dry run
Run a dry run for your whole workforce. The agent matches Gusto records to existing accounts by employee ID, then work email, and previews changes without applying them. If two accounts match one person, that action stops for review.
Review the planned changes and the rules behind them in the portal. Adjust your rules and repeat the dry run until the results match your expectations.
Dry run. No changes are applied while dry run is on.
09
ezOnboard portal
Go live
Turn off dry run to apply changes. If a run would disable or move more accounts than your safety limits allow, it stops and alerts your team before making changes. We review the first runs with you.
HR continues working in Gusto. Your rules handle new accounts, updates and offboarding on schedule. Get alerts by email, in the portal or by webhook when a run stops, the HR feed stops updating or the agent stops reporting. An inactive feed never triggers offboarding.
Reports with account activity, tickets avoided and agent uptime.
Field mapping
Gusto fields and Entra ID attributes
Start with these defaults and adjust any mapping. Dates and lifecycle status control when accounts are created, enabled or disabled.
| Gusto field | Entra ID attribute | How it’s used |
|---|---|---|
| First namePersonal | givenName | Sets the first name at account creation and keeps it up to date. |
| Last namePersonal | surname | Keeps the last name up to date. Also updates the logon name if your naming rule uses it. |
| Preferred first namePersonal | displayName | Uses the preferred first name for the display name and email. Uses the first name if blank. |
| Work emailPersonal | mail, userPrincipalName | Sets the email address and sign-in name. A mail rule can also generate them from the person’s name. |
| Employee IDPersonal | employeeId | Assigned by Gusto, added to new accounts and used first to match existing accounts. |
| Job titleWork › Role | jobTitle | Keeps the job title up to date and sets groups based on your rules. |
| DepartmentWork › Role | department | Keeps the department up to date. Rules can use it to choose account placement and groups. |
| Work locationWork | officeLocation | Keeps the office up to date. A lookup table can also fill in the street, city and country. |
| ManagerWork › Role | manager | Links to the manager’s account to keep approvals and org charts in sync with Gusto. |
| Start dateWork | accountEnabled | Sets when the account is created and enabled. You choose how many days before the start date to create it. |
| StatusPeople | accountEnabled | Onboarding and Active keep the account enabled. Dismissed disables it when no other record keeps the person active. |
| Last day of workDismissal | accountEnabled | Sets the date for disabling the account and starting offboarding. Your rules set the time. |
Frequently asked questions
- Does ezOnboard write to Gusto?
- No. ezOnboard only reads Gusto. Its authorization carries read-only permissions for people, jobs, departments and dismissals. Make any corrections in Gusto.
- Which Gusto permissions does the authorization need?
- Gusto sets ezOnboard’s read-only permissions during its application review. A Primary admin or full access admin authorizes the connection for one company.
- Do we need Gusto’s Entra ID integration or provisioning apps?
- No. ezOnboard reads Gusto’s API and uses your rules to manage accounts in Active Directory or Entra ID. Its agent runs on your network and can also manage Exchange.
- Do we need a server for Entra ID?
- Yes. Use a Windows Server with outbound HTTPS to Gusto, ezOnboard and Microsoft Graph. No domain join or inbound firewall rules are required. The agent runs as a local virtual account by default and keeps employee data on your network. It doesn’t store tenant administrator credentials.
- What permissions does ezOnboard need in Entra ID?
- A Global Administrator grants consent to the ezOnboard application. Permissions are grouped by capability, such as managing users or assigning licenses. You can grant additional capabilities later. Revoke consent in Entra ID to remove access.
- How quickly does a Gusto change reach Entra ID?
- The agent checks Gusto every five minutes and usually applies changes within seconds of finding them. Scheduled changes follow your rules: accounts are created before the start date, enabled on that date and disabled on the termination date at the time you choose.
- How does Gusto trigger offboarding in Entra ID?
- On the termination date, the account is disabled and its sign-in sessions are revoked. Direct licenses are recovered. The account is removed from managed groups, releasing their licenses. The account is never deleted. Every step is recorded for audit.
- How do new hires sign in?
- With a Temporary Access Pass issued when their account is enabled on the start date. ezOnboard emails it to their manager or an address set by your rules. Enable Temporary Access Pass in your authentication methods policy and provide an Exchange Online mailbox to send from.
- Which guide should we use for a hybrid directory?
- Use the Active Directory guide if your accounts sync to Entra ID through Entra Connect. The agent updates on-premises accounts and manages licenses and mailboxes in the cloud. It won’t change cloud attributes owned by Entra Connect. This guide covers cloud-only accounts.
Get a demo
See Gusto connected to Entra ID
Get a demo for your Gusto and Entra ID setup. For questions, email sales@ezonboard.io.