When you add a team member to Payroll, they complete the rest of their setup themselves, including entering their Social Security number, bank details, and tax withholdings.
This article covers what they'll be asked during setup, what they can view and change afterward, and where they can find their documents.
Before they start
New team members on Payroll receive an email at the personal email address you entered, with a link to create their account and begin onboarding.
Their progress is saved as they go. If they stop partway through, they can use the same link to pick up where they left off.
What they're asked depends on whether you added them as a W-2 employee or a contractor.
What they'll do during onboarding
1. Sign their offer letter
If you attached an offer letter, they'll review it, enter their full legal name, and type their name to sign electronically.
If you also attached a confidentiality and invention assignment agreement, they can list any prior inventions or agreements before signing it the same way.
Both signed documents are saved to their record.
2. Create their account
They'll review or enter:
- Name
- Preferred name
- Personal email
- Date of birth
- Password
Most of this information is pre-filled based on what you entered when adding them, and they can correct it if needed.
3. Enter their personal details
They'll enter:
- Phone number
- Residential address
- SSN or ITIN
Employees are also asked for their sex assigned at birth, which is required for tax filings, and an emergency contact.
4. Add Form I-9 details
If you elected to have Mercury handle I-9 verification, this step will allow them to fill out their Form I-9 details, upload verification documents, and elect a verifier to verify their documents.
5. Add a bank account
- Mercury Personal: They can link an existing Mercury Personal account or sign up for one with their $240/year subscription covered while they're on an active payroll account. If signing up, they'll connect another bank account to receive paychecks until their Mercury Personal account is ready. They'll receive an email to complete their application, and deposits will switch once their account is open
- Another bank account: They can connect an account instantly through Plaid or manually enter their routing and account numbers
6. Complete their tax withholdings
They'll first answer a few questions about their citizenship or visa status. Their answers determine whether they're exempt from Social Security and Medicare taxes.
They'll then complete the forms required for their worker type:
- Employees: A federal W-4 and any applicable state withholding form. State forms are based on their work address, or home address if they work remotely. If they live in a state without income tax, they'll only complete the W-4
- Domestic contractors: W-9 details, including their legal or business name, entity type, and tax ID
Everything is completed using form fields in Mercury. There's nothing to download, print, or upload.
Submitting a form signs it, so there's no separate signature step.
7. Benefits
If you elected to offer benefits through Mercury, this step will allow them to choose their medical, vision, and dental insurance.
8. Complete security and spend setup
They'll complete the standard Mercury setup for new team members, including two-factor authentication and card setup if you've given them a card.
When they're done
Once onboarding is complete, they'll see a summary of what happens next, including their first day of work and first scheduled payday.
No further action is required on your end at this time.
Check their onboarding status
Until a team member finishes onboarding, they'll appear as Onboarding incomplete in your Team list. Their profile will also show a banner indicating that they haven't completed payroll onboarding.
From their profile, you can:
- Send reminder
- Cancel their onboarding
If they haven't accepted their offer yet, they'll appear as Pending offer instead. You can resend, edit, or rescind their offer.
It's worth checking their status before their first payday, particularly if you're adding yourself to Payroll.
What team members can view and change
Once they're set up, team members can view their pay and tax details from the My Payroll page.
They can view:
- Compensation — their pay rate, the date it took effect, and any recurring earnings or deductions
- Direct deposit — the bank account their pay is sent to
- Work details — their employment type, job title, manager, work location, and start date
- Federal and state tax — their withholding details and the form each comes from
- Documents — their pay statements, tax documents, and employment documents
What they can change
Team members can update:
- Direct deposit by selecting Edit on their direct deposit details. They should make changes well before payday. If a pay run has already started processing, that payment will still go to their previous account
- Tax withholding by selecting Edit on their federal or state tax details and re-signing the updated form
Team members can view their compensation and work details, but can't change them. You can manage those details instead — see Managing someone's payroll details.
Contractors can't update their tax details themselves after onboarding. Ask them to contact our support team instead.
Where team members can find their documents
Team members can find and download their documents at the bottom of My Payroll.
Documents are organized into three groups:
- Pay statements — a pay stub for each time they've been paid
- Taxes — tax forms including their W-4, state withholding form, and year-end W-2 or 1099
- Employment — their I-9 and offer letter
Who can manage payroll details
You can view a team member's payroll details and documents from the Team page. Anyone else with permission to manage Payroll or team members can also view this information.
Some information can only be changed by the team member:
- Team members can change their own direct deposit and tax withholding
- Team members can view their compensation and work details, but can't edit them themselves
Mercury Payroll helps businesses manage payroll and related administrative tasks. Mercury does not provide legal, tax, accounting, or investment advice and does not act as your employer, professional employer organization (PEO), employer of record (EOR), or plan fiduciary. You remain responsible for your legal and regulatory obligations, including worker classification, wage-and-hour requirements, tax withholding and reporting, and benefits eligibility.
Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC. FDIC deposit insurance covers the failure of an insured bank.
Eligible Mercury Business users who apply for and maintain a Mercury Personal account may have their Mercury Personal subscription fee waived provided they remain a user on an active Mercury Business account in good standing. Standard Mercury Platform Subscription fees will apply if they no longer meet eligibility requirements, including but not limited to no longer being associated with an eligible Mercury Business account, or if the program is modified or terminated. Mercury may modify or discontinue this offering at any time and will provide notice as required by law. See Subscription Terms for full details.