Mercury Payroll launches with an AI agent: confirm every pay run

Mercury, the business bank, now runs payroll, and an AI agent can edit it. On October 20, Mercury launched Mercury Payroll for eligible U.S. business customers. It pays W-2 employees and 1099 contractors from the same account the money already sits in, and its AI agent, Mercury Command, can change a salary or add a bonus from a chat. For a small business, that is a real time saver. It is also a new way to make a payroll mistake.

What actually happened

From Mercury's release via Business Wire:

• Pricing. Free for eligible customers through December 31, 2026. From January 1, 2027, it costs $100 per month plus $50 per month for each person paid that month.
• Switching has a wait. Companies moving from another payroll provider can set up now but cannot run payroll through Mercury until January 1, 2027.
• Coverage. All 50 states. Mercury files and remits federal and state payroll taxes, issues W-2s and 1099s, and handles unemployment claims and state agency mail.
• The AI agent. Mercury Command can update a salary, add overtime to a pay run, set up recurring reimbursements or deductions, and issue bonuses. Mercury's own disclaimer says users must review and confirm AI-assisted actions, and that AI output may be incomplete or inaccurate.
• Who does the work. The release names Check Technologies as a third-party payroll partner and Human Interest for 401(k) plans. Mercury says it has over 450,000 customers.

Why it matters for your business

Payroll inside your bank removes one sync: no more funding a separate payroll account and reconciling two systems. For a five-person shop, the 2027 price is $350 a month. Compare that against what you pay now before you move, and remember the free window is for new setups, not a reason to rush a mid-year switch.

The AI agent is the part to plan. "Add a $500 bonus for Maria" is easy to type and easy to get wrong: wrong Maria, wrong amount, gross versus net. Mercury puts a confirm step in front of every agent action. Your job is to make that step mean something:

• Decide who may ask the agent for pay changes. One owner, not the whole team.
• Write down which changes need a second person: any new pay rate, any bonus over a set amount.
• Check the pay run preview against last period before you approve. A one-line diff catches most errors.

An AI agent that can move wages is an agent with spending power. Treat it with the same rules you give a new bookkeeper.

Sources: Mercury via Business Wire on Yahoo Finance, Mercury.