Skip to content
IncomeShip

Mercor

Mercor places U.S. professionals on AI training projects as 1099 contractors. Hourly projects pay weekly through Stripe; rates are set per listing and projects can end on limited notice.

All platformsFees and payouts

Accepting U.S. sign-ups · checked Nov 1, 2026

Is Mercor worth it for expert contractors?

Mercor pays U.S. contractors by the hour on AI projects, with rates set per listing and projects that can end on limited notice.

Mercor makes sense if

Choose another platform if

Mercor pay rates

Mercor sets the rate for each project in your offer and doesn't publish one rate card. Its own listings show how far rates range by role, and Mercor says the rate is fixed once you start. Mercor says deliverable-based contracts pay only when all assigned deliverables are approved, with no minimum hourly guarantee. Mercor doesn't publish what it takes from the client's rate.

Mercor fees

Checked Nov 1, 2026

Cost to apply

No fee to apply or work

Mercor says it never charges talent or authorizes bank charges.

Payout fee

Instant Payout: 1.0% fee

Standard payout is free; instant arrives faster for a fee.

How and when Mercor pays you

Hourly contractors are paid once a week through Stripe, which deposits to a U.S. bank account.

How Mercor pays

Checked Nov 1, 2026

  1. Job done

    Service completed

  2. Paid out

    Paid weekly, each Wednesday

  3. Work week

    Saturday to Friday, IST

  4. First payout

    7-day Stripe hold

  5. Standard payout

    Up to 5 business days

  6. Deliverable contracts

    Within 3 business days

How you're paid

Stripe Connect to a U.S. bank

Payment provider is assigned by your bank's country, not chosen.

Bank account in your own legal name

Joint, business and relative-owned accounts fail identity checks.

Payment holds

Hours can be removed after weekly review

You can file a dispute if you think a removal was wrong.

Pay can be reduced or reversed

Applies to work flagged for time, tool or conduct violations.

Tax forms

1099-NEC if you earn over $600

Issued by February through Stripe if you filed a W-9.

No W-2: Contract work only

Mercor can't verify employment for contractors.

No tax withholding from payments

You calculate and pay quarterly estimated taxes yourself.

How to get approved for Mercor

You apply to a listing, pass its assessments and AI interview, then accept an offer and finish onboarding before you log any hours. Mercor says assessments you pass once can count toward similar roles, and that LinkedIn Easy Apply is available for select roles.

Joining Mercor, step by step

  1. Find a listing

    Search open roles by title or keyword on the Explore page.

  2. Complete the application checklist

    Resume, assessments and a work authorization check.

  3. Take the AI interview

    An AI interviewer asks role-specific questions and scores you.

  4. Receive an offer

    The offer shows your hourly rate, weekly cap and payout schedule.

  5. Finish onboarding paperwork

    Sign agreements, submit a tax form and set up time tracking.

  6. Set up payments

    Stripe collects identity, bank and tax details when you accept.

Mercor requirements

Checked Nov 1, 2026

Where you can work

U.S. is a supported payment country

Mercor can onboard and pay experts in the United States.

ID and documents

W-9 with your SSN

U.S. citizens and residents certify tax status on a W-9.

Work authorization check

Part of the application checklist, along with a resume.

Device

Computer with camera and microphone

Needed for the AI interview; mobile browsers aren't supported.

Also required

One account, own name, no VPN

Mercor reviews for account sharing and multiple accounts.

How much you can make on Mercor

Figures Mercor publishes

None states a sample or date

Per hour

  • $91/hr

    Stated average contracted rate

  • $60-$70/hr

    Homepage listing, Nov 1, 2026: Sales and Marketing Expert

  • $40-$80/hr

    Job board listing, Nov 1, 2026: Generalist (must own a MacBook)

What clients pay per job

  • $65-$75/task

    Job board listing, Nov 1, 2026: chemistry and safety roles

These are Mercor's own figures. The listed rates are pay for tracked hours or per task, not monthly income, and your hours are limited by the weekly cap in your contract. Mercor doesn't publish what contractors actually earn in a month or how many hours projects offer. See how to calculate your real hourly rate to account for unpaid time.

Can Mercor deactivate your account?

Mercor says it monitors on-project activity, mainly through Insightful, for idle time, undisclosed AI use, shared accounts and tampering. A violation can bring pay reductions, removal from a project or, in the most serious cases, suspension from the platform. Mercor's help center says a human reviews time logs before pay is withheld. For general steps after losing access, see how to appeal a gig app deactivation.

When a project ends rather than your account, Mercor's help center says you apply for the next project yourself.

Is Mercor legit?

Mercor's terms name Mercor.io Corporation of San Francisco as the provider, and TechCrunch reported it as a hiring platform that pivoted to placing domain experts on AI-lab training work.

Mercor company record

Operated by

Mercor.io Corporation, San Francisco

other

Expert contractors are outside the terms' arbitration clause

History

  1. Legal

    The Wall Street Journal reported at least seven class actions against Mercor after a third-party data breach that allegedly exposed contractor information, including recorded interviews, facial biometric data and screenshots. Plaintiffs also allege contractor monitoring and use of recorded interviews to train AI models. Mercor said it strongly disputes the claims. No ruling is reported.

  2. Legal

    Plaintiffs filed class actions in the Northern District of California alleging a March 2026 breach lost personal information. They allege negligence, unjust enrichment, breach of implied contract and breach of privacy, and a violation of California's Unfair Competition Law. HR Dive reported Meta was among companies that paused work with Mercor amid the breach.

  3. Policy

    Business Insider reported Mercor told thousands of contractors a large Meta project, codenamed Musen, was ending, then offered similar work on a project paying $16 an hour, $5 less. Mercor called the reporting inaccurate and said the work is temporary and project-based.

  4. Ownership

    Mercor raised $350 million at a $10 billion valuation in a Series C led by Felicis Ventures, TechCrunch reported.

Scams that use the Mercor name

Taxes on Mercor income

Mercor doesn't offer W-2 employment, so U.S. contractors report the income themselves. Mercor says contractors with a W-9 on file who earn over $600 in a year receive a 1099-NEC through Stripe. Mercor doesn't withhold tax from payments. See taxes on side income for how self-employment tax and estimated payments work.

Mercor vs other AI training platforms

Compare how each platform pays, and how it handles projects ending, before choosing where to apply. For the kind of work involved, see AI response rating and AI coding trainer.

Mercor questions

Sources

19 public sources, strongest evidence first.

View 13 more sources

How we researched this

IncomeShip compiled this page from 19 public sources, including 15 official company pages. We haven't done this work ourselves, so we report what those sources say and note where the evidence is thin. Facts were last checked on . Reviewed and approved by Jacob Dymond, our editor.

Editorial policy · Report a correction