Whether you’re just getting started or scaling fast, Mercury makes it easy to get your business finances set up from day one. This guide walks you through the key steps to set up your account, so you can start sending payments, organizing your finances, and controlling spend with confidence.
Before you begin make sure you have:
- Completed your application and received account approval.
- Set up 2-factor authentication and have logged into your dashboard.
Deposit funds
To start using Mercury, you'll need to deposit money into your account. You can make your first deposit by wiring funds, transferring money from another account, depositing a check, issuing a SAFE, or requesting a payment from a customer or financial platform. Simply navigate to the Move Money dropdown in your dashboard and choose Deposit.
Tips:
- The quickest way to fund your account is by initiating a domestic wire (0-1 business days) or international wire (3-9 business days) from your pre-existing bank. Wires in USD are free on Mercury.
- Waiting for a client payment? Send a free invoice directly from your Mercury account.
Raising funds? Create and track SAFE investment documents directly from your dashboard – it’s free and automatically linked to your deposits.
Customize your account
Mercury makes it easy to set up a financial foundation that scales with your company. You can create multiple accounts to separate funding, payroll, or vendor spend, then use rules and policies to automate how money moves and how it's used.
To create an account, go to the Accounts tab and click Add Account. You can name accounts by function (e.g. “Operating Expenses,” “Taxes,” “Payroll,” etc.) and manage them independently.
You can also set up auto transfer rules to distribute funds between accounts automatically.
Tip: Have $250k or more in funding? Apply for a Treasury account to earn yield on idle cash.
Create debit and credit cards
Debit card
Once your account is funded, you can create debit cards to manage everyday business expenses like hardware, office space, or other company purchases. Virtual cards are available instantly and can be used right away; physical cards can be ordered for in-person needs.
To create a card, go to the Cards tab in your dashboard and click Create Card. You can name the card (e.g. "Software," "Advertising Spend"), choose which checking account it pulls from, and set spend limits.
Credit card
With Mercury’s IO card, eligible orgs can earn 1.5% cashback on all spend and start building business credit from day one. You can activate IO as soon as your account is funded, starting with daily repayment terms and a lower credit limit. Eligibility is based on several factors, such as your company’s size, spending patterns, and fundraising history.
Once your Mercury balance reaches $15K, you’ll unlock higher limits and switch to a monthly repayment schedule with the same great cashback and no personal guarantee required.
To create an IO card, go to the Cards tab and click Create Card. You can issue virtual or physical cards and manage spend with built-in controls.
Tips:
- Create separate virtual cards for subscriptions, ad spend, or travel
- Manage spend policies to control who can spend what, where, and how
- Use merchant-locked cards to limit purchases to a single vendor or tool
Send and receive money
Send money
Mercury makes it easy to move money across your business all from one dashboard. You can:
- Set up scheduled or recurring payments for payments you make on a regular basis (e.g. rent, contractor payments, etc.)
- Pay contractors or vendors via ACH, wire, or check
- Send USD wires for free and non-USD international wires in 40+ currencies with a 1% currency exchange fee
Tips:
- Set up approval flows to review or restrict high-value transfers and payments
- Download the mobile app for iOS or Android to send payments on the go
Receive money
To receive money, you can create and send invoices to customers directly from your Mercury account. Customize line items, set due dates, and accept payments via credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, wire, or ACH.
Go to Invoicing > Create Invoice. Add your customer’s details, set your payment terms, and choose the connected account where you'd like the funds deposited.
Tips:
- Customize your invoice template with your company logo and color
- See payment status and send reminders for overdue payments in just a few clicks
- Set up recurring invoices for invoices you send regularly
Connect your payment and accounting software
Mercury easily connects to your payment stack and accounting tools to help you streamline operations. To set up integrations, go to Settings > Integrations, then select your provider.
You can:
- Add Mercury as your bank account in platforms like Stripe, Shopify, or Amazon for payouts
- Integrate with QuickBooks, Xero, or NetSuite to automatically sync transactions directly to your accounting software
Once your integrations are set up, create custom categories for common expense types (e.g. “Travel,” “Remote Work Setup,” or “Events”) to organize transactions and simplify reconciliation.
To create a category:
- Go to Settings > Categories
- Click Create Category, enter a name, and choose where it applies (card spend, reimbursements, or other transactions)
To automate GL coding for each category:
- Go to Accounting > Settings in the upper-right corner
- Click Create a Rule to map a category to the correct GL code
Tip: Invite your bookkeeper or accountant as a viewer or Bookkeeper role to streamline tax prep and reconciliations.
Add team members
You can invite team members and control what they can see or do, from viewing invoices to managing payments or issuing cards. To get started navigate to your Team page to invite a new user and choose an existing role: Admin, Bookkeeper, Employees, or create a Custom role from scratch.
Tips:
- Issue dedicated cards for your team with spend limits and vendor restrictions
- Enable reimbursements so your team can submit expenses through Mercury
- Connect your HRIS or payroll systems to automate team invites and keep access up to date
- Use custom roles to tailor permissions. Learn more in our roles and permissions overview
Perks
Mercury gets you deals on the best tools for your startup. Get started with some of our most popular perks for businesses like yours:
- AWS or Google Cloud: receive hosting credits so you can build without burning cash
- Quickbooks: establish strong accounting practices early to prevent future headaches
- GitHub: get essential engineering infrastructure so your codebase runs smoothly
- Gusto: hire, pay, and manage talent all-in-one platform
Resources
Here’s some additional resources to help you get started:
- Navigating the costs of launching a startup
- Report: The new economics of starting up
- How to build customer trust as a startup
- How to avoid common marketing startup mistakes
- The co-founder guide: What I’ve learned from 1,000+ startups
- Ultimate Pitch Guide: What to do before pitching your startup
Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.
Mercury Treasury is offered by Mercury Advisory, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to purchase any security. Funds in Mercury Treasury are subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal invested, and past performance is not indicative of future results. Please see full disclosures at mercury.com/treasury. Mercury Advisory is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mercury Technologies.
Mercury Treasury is not insured by the FDIC. Funds in Mercury Treasury are not deposits or other obligations of Choice Financial Group or Column N.A., and are not guaranteed by Choice Financial Group or Column N.A.
The Mercury Debit Cards are issued by Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC, pursuant to licenses from Mastercard®.
The IO Card is issued by Patriot Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Mastercard®. To receive cash back, your Mercury accounts must be open and in good standing, meaning they cannot be suspended, restricted, past due, or otherwise in default.
Some features are only accessible to paid subscribers. Learn more about Mercury subscription plans here.