Ensure the contractor record exists in Gusto and that the contractor has a payment method configured (direct deposit, check, or historical).
Optionally call GET /v1/companies/{company_uuid}/contractor_payments/preview to see the expected debit date and available payment speed before committing.
POST to /v1/companies/{company_uuid}/contractor_payments with fields: contractor_uuid, date, payment_method, wage, hours (if hourly), and reimbursement amount if applicable.
Retrieve payment confirmation via GET /v1/companies/{company_uuid}/contractor_payment/{contractor_payment_uuid}.
Once funded (ACH initiated), fetch the receipt via the contractor payment receipts endpoint.
Known gotchas
Contractor payments are entirely separate from W-2 employee payroll runs — do not use the /payrolls endpoint for contractors.
Payments using direct deposit require ACH funding; the payment is not immediate, and a receipt is only available after the ACH transfer has been initiated.
Historical payment_method records past payments for reporting only — no money moves; confirm the correct method to avoid silent no-ops.
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