A pay schedule determines when your team is paid, which dates each pay period covers, and when payroll needs to be submitted. Every pay run is tied to a pay schedule.
This article covers what a pay schedule includes, how to add one, and what you can change after it's created.
What a pay schedule includes
Each pay schedule defines:
- How often your team is paid
- When each pay period starts and ends
- The payday
- Whether payroll is submitted automatically or manually
You'll create your first pay schedule during payroll setup, when you choose a pay frequency and your first payday.
Choosing a pay frequency
Your pay frequency determines how often people on the schedule are paid as well as how taxes are calculated on each paycheck. Mercury offers:
- Weekly — 52 paydays a year
- Every two weeks — 26 paydays a year
- Twice a month — 24 paydays a year, such as the 15th and last day of the month
- Monthly — 12 paydays a year
- Quarterly — 4 paydays a year
- Annually — 1 payday a year
Mercury shows the number of paydays for each frequency and previews upcoming paydays before you create the schedule.
You're responsible for choosing pay schedules that meet applicable wage and hour requirements.
Adding a pay schedule
To add a pay schedule:
- From your homepage, head to Settings > Pay schedules
- Select Add pay schedule
- Enter a name that describes who's on the schedule, like "Contractors (weekly)"
- Choose a pay frequency
- Set the first payday and the end of the first pay period
- Select Create schedule
Automatic and manual submission
Each pay schedule can be set to submit automatically or manually. Your first pay schedule uses auto-submit by default. If you prefer to submit payroll yourself, change the submission setting on the Pay schedules page.
- Auto-submit — Mercury creates each pay run and submits it at the deadline without you taking any action
- Manual — Mercury creates each pay run, and you submit it yourself
With auto-submit, payroll is submitted whether or not you've reviewed the pay run. Make sure any changes to someone's pay are entered before the submission deadline.
Changing a pay schedule
Select a schedule from the "Pay schedules" page to open its details. You'll see its next payday, pay frequency, and who's paid on the schedule.
From there, you can:
- Select Edit name to rename the schedule
- Select Move members to move people to another schedule
- Select More to switch between auto-submit and manual submission, make the schedule your primary schedule, or disable it
You can't change a schedule's pay frequency after it's created. To pay a group on a different frequency, add a new schedule and move them to it.
You also can't disable your primary schedule. Set another schedule as primary first.
Note: You can’t delete a pay schedule once someone has been paid through it.
Using more than one pay schedule
Most companies use a single pay schedule. You might add another when a group of people needs a different pay frequency or timing, such as:
- Hourly team members who submit their hours before being paid, with payday falling a few days after the pay period ends
- Team members in a state with a more frequent pay requirement
- A stipend paid on a different cadence from regular wages
For stipends, you may also be able to prorate the amount across your regular pay periods instead of creating another schedule.
Each pay schedule runs independently, with its own frequency, paydays, and submission setting.
FAQs
Can I change the pay frequency of an existing schedule?
No. A pay schedule's frequency can't be changed after the schedule is created. To use a different frequency, create a new pay schedule and move the relevant people to it.
Can I disable a pay schedule?
Yes, unless it's your primary schedule. To disable your primary schedule, first make another schedule your primary one.
Can I move someone to a different pay schedule?
Yes. Open the schedule they're currently on and select Move members to move them to another schedule.
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.