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Weekly cycle

1

Start of pay period

Saturday at 12:00 AM IST• Summer reference: Friday 11:30 AM PDT• Winter reference: Friday 10:30 AM PST
2

Track your hours

Log time in Insightful during the week. Hours belong to the period defined by the IST boundary.
3

End of pay period

Friday at 11:59 PM IST• Summer reference: Friday 11:29 AM PDT• Winter reference: Friday 10:29 AM PST
4

After cutoff

All tracked and approved hours within this IST window are considered for the following week’s payout.
A common oversight occurs when logging late on Thursday in the Americas, as it is already Friday in India. Such hours will be allocated to the subsequent period.
Payouts for the prior week are typically processed by the end of Wednesday (PST). Most funds arrive on Thursday; timing can vary slightly by provider or bank.

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Process overview

1

Friday IST cutoff

The hours for the period are finalized at 11:59 PM IST on Friday.
2

Review & verification

We review logs and resolve any flagged issues before processing.
3

Processing

Payouts are processed by the end of Wednesday (PST).

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Payment methods

  • Stripe is the primary method for ongoing work.
  • Wise may be used if Stripe isn’t available in your region or for certain one‑off payments.
First payout: Stripe enforces a 7‑day holding period on your first payout. After that, payouts follow a regular weekly cadence.
Insightful is the official time-tracking tool required for Mercor projects. It ensures accurate logging and transparent verification.

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Getting started

1

Install

Download and install the Insightful desktop app. Instructions are sent during onboarding.
2

Log time

Start and stop the timer as you work. Keep it running during project tasks and webinars.
3

Verification

Insightful may take periodic screenshots (a few per hour) to confirm you are working.

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Best practices

Do

• Start the timer when you begin project work• Work in focused blocks and stop the timer when you pause• Review your daily log to catch mistakes early

Don’t

• Don’t leave the timer running while idle or doing unrelated tasks• Don’t try to add time manually (not allowed)• Don’t share screenshots with sensitive client data externally
Mercor enforces a weekly cap to maintain quality standards, enable prompt feedback, and foster a healthy work–life balance.

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Weekly cap

  • Default maximum: up to 40 hours per week
  • Exceeding the cap requires prior approval from your Project Lead
  • The cap is shared across any concurrent contracts
Project Leads own the time cap and must approve exceptions in advance.

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Why do we limit hours

  1. Ensure frequent feedback and alignment with project expectations
  2. Avoid burnout and support a sustainable delivery pace
By default, legitimate time recorded in Insightful is compensated. The exceptions enumerated below are limited in scope and are consistently subject to review by a human reviewer.

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What counts as paid

  • Project tasks within the agreed scope
  • Webinars hosted by Mercor that are part of your engagement
  • Approved meetings or coordination are needed to deliver your work

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What does not qualify (exceptions)

Hours may be withheld only in cases of:
  • Policy violations (e.g., violating the LLM Usage Policy)
  • Spam or bad‑faith activity (e.g., submitting garbage data with no effort)
  • Logging time while not actively working on project tasks
Decisions regarding the withholding of compensation are never determined automatically. A human reviewer evaluates screenshots, activity logs, and contextual information prior to making a final decision.

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Professional standards and conduct

The hours recorded in Insightful represent the hours for which payment is due. By accepting an offer from Mercor, you agree to refrain from any violation of our policies towards Mercor or its clients. In the event of suspected policy violation, we reserve the right to withhold the pertinent payment and to take any actions permissible under your agreement and applicable law.

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Low‑quality work

Low‑quality output does not invalidate legitimate time already logged in Insightful. Those hours remain payable. However, quality affects your future-fit on the platform and project continuity.

What we expect

Clear, scoped deliverables; adherence to requirements; responsive collaboration; and timely iterations based on feedback.

Common quality issues

Deliverables that are off‑scope or incomplete; neglecting acceptance criteria; recurrent rework resulting from overlooked instructions; broken links or assets that are non‑runnable.

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How quality concerns are handled

1

Feedback

The project lead or reviewer shares concrete, actionable feedback tied to the requirements.
2

Correction

You address the feedback and resubmit the work. Ask clarifying questions early to avoid rework.
3

Re‑evaluation

The updated deliverable is reviewed. If quality remains below expectations, we may end your assignment on the project and reassess future opportunities.
Hours are only excluded in cases of policy violation, spam, or non-project activities. All removals and related disputes are subject to review by a human reviewer.

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Process for removing hours

1

Detection

Suspicious logs (e.g., idle activity or unrelated work) may be flagged for review.
2

Review

A human examines screenshots, activity, and context to confirm what should be removed.
3

Notification

You receive an email before payout with the number of hours removed and the reason.
4

Payout

Legitimate hours are paid as scheduled for that period.

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Example

  • On Thursday, you are scheduled to dedicate two hours to the project.
  • The timer stays active for four hours, during which no project work is done. On Friday, six hours are logged in total.
  • On Monday, a review of time integrity indicates that four hours are classified as non-project activity.
  • On Tuesday, you are notified via email that four hours have been deducted.
  • On Wednesday, you will receive payment for the two legitimate hours.
If it becomes necessary to manually subtract hours within a specified week, you should not anticipate ongoing participation in that project anymore.

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Disputes

When to submit
Please submit your dispute during the pay period immediately succeeding the one you are disputing, that is, within the next week. How to submit
Respond to the removal email by providing relevant context and any supporting evidence that should be considered. How decisions are made
We review your message, account history, and project activity, then communicate a final decision via email.
Dispute resolutions are definitive. Duplicate requests for the same period shall be disregarded.

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FAQ

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Pay Period

Saturday at 12:00 AM IST through Friday at 11:59 PM IST. All tracked and approved hours within this window are considered for the following week’s payout.
India Standard Time (IST). Hours logged after the IST cutoff are added to the upcoming week’s payout cycle.
If it was already Friday in India when you logged them, those hours fall into the next period.
This difference is expected and is due to time zone alignment, not missing hours.• Insightful shows your hours in your local timezone.• Mercor calculates pay periods strictly in IST (India Standard Time).IST Pay-Period Window:• Starts: Saturday 12:00 AM IST• Ends: Friday 11:59 PM ISTBecause of the timezone conversion, the hours you see on one date in Insightful may shift into a different date or a different pay period on your Earnings page.Even if the dates look different, your total hours and payout are accurate.To see the exact breakdown Mercor uses, switch Insightful to Org Time Zone (IST) in your Insightful settings while filtering the pay period.Contact Support only if hours are missing after viewing Insightful in IST.

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Payouts & Money

Payouts for the previous week are generally processed by the end of Wednesday (PST). Most experts receive funds in 2-10 days; however, timing may vary slightly depending on the provider or bank. You can track the transaction ETA in your Stripe dashboard. 
Mercor primarily uses Stripe as its payment processor. In cases where Stripe is unavailable in your region (e.g., Brazil, Kosovo, or the United Arab Emirates) or for specific one-off transactions, Wise may be used as an alternative.
  • Once a payout is marked as “Paid” in your Stripe dashboard, the funds have been sent to your bank. In some cases, banks may require an additional 5–10 business days for the funds to be reflected in your account.  Please wait until this time has elapsed. If the payment still hasn’t appeared in your bank account after this period, we recommend contacting your bank directly with the transaction details available on your Stripe dashboard.
Yes. Stripe enforces a 7‑day holding period on your initial payout. Subsequently, payments typically adhere to a weekly schedule.

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Using Insightful (time tracking)

To verify that the recorded time aligns with the project work, screenshots serve as protective measures for both you and our clients.
Mercor mandates the utilization of the Insightful (formerly Workpuls) desktop application:
  • Initiate the timer at the commencement of work activities.
  • Pause or stop the timer during breaks or when completing daily tasks.
  • Guarantee comprehensive tracking of all work-related activities, including meetings and webinars.
Manual time entries or adjustments are generally discouraged.
Manual time entries or adjustments are generally discouraged. If you miss logging your time, please contact your project point of contact (POC) directly. Each request is reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and any adjustments require supporting documentation and are not guaranteed.
If you forget to start the timer, your request may be reviewed manually as a one-time exception.Please get in touch with your project point of contact (POC) as soon as possible with all relevant details. Each case is reviewed individually, and any adjustment is not guaranteed; it requires a clear supporting context or evidence.To prevent such issues, we strongly recommend tracking time in real-time through the Insightful application.

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Payment methods & providers

No. Currently, Mercor supports Stripe Connect (the default option in most supported countries) and Wise for regions where Stripe is not available or for manual exceptions.Check our Supported Countries List to confirm.
Stripe is the default payout method in supported countries, while Wise is used exclusively in regions where Stripe is unavailable (e.g., Brazil, Kosovo, UAE).

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Stripe — common questions

Please update your banking information directly within your Stripe dashboard. Please note that your payout account must be located in the same country or region as the one selected during your Stripe account’s initial setup and should support your local currency. 
If your bank rejects a Stripe transfer, it may take between 8 and 12 business days for the transaction to be marked as “Failed.” Once marked as failed, the payout will be automatically retried using your updated details — no further action is required to reprocess the transfer.
No. Each Stripe profile can support only one active payout account at a time. You can modify the account in your Stripe dashboard; subsequent payouts will be directed to the new account.
Standard payouts are processed weekly. If eligible, you may utilize Stripe Instant Payouts, subject to applicable fees.To verify eligibility:
  1. Log in to your Mercor account.
  2. Navigate to Profile.
  3. Determine whether Instant Payout is offered.
  4. If available, follow the on-screen prompts to activate the service.
Important eligibility notes:• Instant Payouts are enabled only if Stripe supports Instant Payouts to bank accounts in your country/region.• Mercor sends payouts only to bank accounts, not debit cards.• Therefore, Instant Payout will appear in your Mercor account only if your region supports Instant Payouts directly to bank accounts.To verify whether Stripe supports Instant Payouts for your country and bank, please refer to Stripe’s documentation: https://docs.stripe.com/payouts/instant-payouts-banksIf your region is not supported, the Instant Payout button will not appear in your Mercor account, and Mercor will not be able to enable it. 
The list of supported countries for Stripe and Wise is available here: Supported Countries.
To change your country, you’ll need to reset your Stripe connection from your Mercor account. Go to work.mercor.com, open the Earnings tab, click the gear icon, and reset Stripe.This creates a new Stripe account and applies only to future payout cycles. Payments already pending or in transit will still be delivered as expected.

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Safety & Authenticity

Mercor never requests or requires any payment or fee from talents. We do not make or authorize any charges to the talent’s bank account.
All official communication from Mercor comes from email addresses ending in @mercor.com. If you receive an email, message, or offer from another domain or with any spelling variations, it is not official.
No. Applying to opportunities, participating in interviews, and starting work through Mercor are entirely free.
If you receive a payment request that claims to be from Mercor, do not proceed. This request is not legitimate. We recommend immediately contacting your bank to initiate an investigation or dispute, as Mercor does not issue any charges.
Your information is private and securely managed within Mercor’s systems. We highly recommend that you protect your personal details by not sharing sensitive account information with external parties or platforms. Note, Mercor never requests direct payments or bank transfers for applying for a role at Mercor or for any other reason.