If you require assistance regarding your referral link, earnings payment, or status tracking, be assured that you are in the appropriate place.
How to refer someone
- Navigate to the Job Listing page for the role to which you would like an individual to apply.
- Click on Activate your Referral Link
Share your unique referral link
Do ensure that you utilise your unique link to guarantee that the referral is properly recorded in your account. You can locate this in your ‘Referral’ section on your Mecor platform. Click on the ‘Share’ icon
Candidate accepts an offer
A referral is established when the candidate signs up and creates a Mercor account. If they already possess an account without a referrer, a new referral will be recorded the moment they use your unique referral link.
Candidate starts working, you earn!
Mercor uses an earnings-sharing model. Once your referral begins billable work, you earn 20% of what they earn (hourly pay, bonuses, and one-time payments), up to a cap known as ‘Earnings Cap’.
Earning status (Hired)
This status indicates that your referral is working and you are actively earning.You will also see your progress toward the earnings cap for that referral.
Payout timing
Referral earnings are released twice per week on Wednesdays and Fridays at 12:00 PM PST. After release, bank transfers typically arrive in 2–3 business days (and can take longer around weekends/holidays, depending on the recipient’s bank).
Your Earnings Cap
Your earnings cap is determined by the first job offer your referral accepts.
How does it work?
- Hourly contracts: cap = 4× the hourly rate of the first accepted offer
- Daily/task-based (DBC/task-based) contracts: cap is explicitly set per contract
Case example (earning across projects):
- If your Earnings cap is 4× the hourly rate of Project 1, you can still earn across Projects 1, 2, and 3—because you may not reach the cap from Project 1 alone (or even from Projects 1 + 2), and only reach it after your referral has worked across Projects 1 + 2 + 3.
- Your Earnings cap is locked to Project 1 (the first offer your referral accepted), but your 20% earnings continue across Projects 1, 2, and 3 until you hit that Earnings cap.
- Even if your referral moves from Project 1 to Projects 2 and 3, your earnings continue to accumulate towards the same cap—so you might only reach the cap after their work spans Projects 1, 2, and 3.
Referral links & tracking
UTM parameters
Maintaining UTM parameters (e.g., utm_source=referral…) assists us in channel analysis; however, it is optional. Your referral is still tracked even in their absence. We are currently developing shorter, customizable URLs.
If the link won't load
Refresh using Shift+Cmd+R (Mac) or Shift+Ctrl+R (Windows), or alternatively, access the role directly at work.mercor.com/explore.
My referral link doesn't load. What should I do?
My referral link doesn't load. What should I do?
Try refreshing using Shift + Cmd + R (Mac) or Shift + Ctrl + R (Windows). Or visit work.mercor.com/explore directly.
Do I need UTM parameters in the link?
Do I need UTM parameters in the link?
No. They’re helpful for analytics but not required. Your referral will be tracked regardless.
How do I know if someone used my link?
How do I know if someone used my link?
Go to the Referrals tab in your dashboard. You’ll see their name, status, and hours. If they’re missing on your dashboard, please send an email to [email protected].
How do I get my referral link for an application?
How do I get my referral link for an application?
To get a specific listing/application referral link:
- Go to the Mercor Explore page.
- Search for or open any job listing.
- Scroll down to the Referral Link section.
- Click Copy Link to copy your unique referral link.
Bonus Status and Payments
Why do I see earnings as “pending” (e.g., “$209.95 + $110.05”)?
Why do I see earnings as “pending” (e.g., “$209.95 + $110.05”)?
For hired referrals, the dashboard can show earned + pending. Pending amounts reflect earnings that have been accrued but not yet processed in the next referral payout cycle.
My referral worked across multiple projects — how does that affect my earnings?
My referral worked across multiple projects — how does that affect my earnings?
You earn 20% across all of your referral’s projects until you reach the Earnings cap. The Earnings cap is locked to the first job offer your referral accepts, even if they later move to higher-paying or lower-paying projects.
My referral cap indicator mentions “TBD” instead of the amount, what does that mean ?
My referral cap indicator mentions “TBD” instead of the amount, what does that mean ?
It means your referral’s earnings cap is still to be decided (TBD) and hasn’t been finalized or locked yet for this referred person. Once the cap is determined and locked, the indicator will update to show the exact amount.
Trials, Timelines, and Hiring
Do work trial hours count?
Do work trial hours count?
No. Work trials (deliverable-based trial engagements) do not count for referral earnings-sharing.
How long until my referral is hired?
How long until my referral is hired?
Timing varies depending on the listing, application quality, and demand. Certain roles are filled rapidly.
Why was my referral's contract ended or offer cancelled?
Why was my referral's contract ended or offer cancelled?
This occurrence may result from performance issues, timing adjustments, or project modifications. If your referral has already begun billable work, your earnings will reflect eligible work completed (subject to the earnings cap and program rules).
Updates and Escalations
Do I get notified when my referral makes progress?
Do I get notified when my referral makes progress?
Yes. We provide you with dashboard updates, as well as weekly and daily email summaries.
How do I receive Top Referrer emails?
How do I receive Top Referrer emails?
Contact any member of the Mercor team, and we will ensure you are included.
Someone said I referred them but I did not — what now?
Someone said I referred them but I did not — what now?
Do contact support ([email protected]). We will investigate the matter and resolve it accordingly.
I want help with a specific referral issue. What should I include?
I want help with a specific referral issue. What should I include?
Do contact support ([email protected]) and include the following information:
• The name of your referral
• Their email address
• Your referral link
• A brief description of the issue
• The name of your referral
• Their email address
• Your referral link
• A brief description of the issue
I got an email stating someone earned by referring me. Can you remove them from my profile?
I got an email stating someone earned by referring me. Can you remove them from my profile?
Mercor’s referral program is structured so that a user is only associated with a referral when they click on a referral link and explicitly opt in through a confirmation step. This arrangement guarantees transparency and obtains user consent. If you believe you were incorrectly linked, you may dispute the assignment via “Not my Referrer,” and our team will review the dispute.
How many times will my referrer earn for referring me?
How many times will my referrer earn for referring me?
Referral earnings accrue until the referrer reaches the earnings cap for that referral. The cap is determined by the first job offer accepted by the referred user. This is a one time event.