46 questions answered. Every answer sourced.
Working on Mercor: Pauses, Offboarding, Reviews and Time Tracking
Once you are on a project, the questions change: why tasks vanish, what a pause means, whether you can appeal a removal, and what Insightful records. Mercor's documentation answers most of these directly, and it is clearer than its reputation suggests. Where the docs are silent, this page says so.
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Answers checked against Mercor's contractor documentation, October 2026 · Last updated October 2026
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01 · Availability
Task availability, pauses and steady work
Mercor's work follows client demand. Projects scale up, pause and end on the client's timetable, and Mercor says timelines can change with limited notice. Planning around that is the single most useful mindset shift.
Is it normal to complete onboarding and receive no tasks for two weeks?
It happens. Mercor says task availability and new assignments depend on current project demand and staffing needs, and that tasks may take time to appear depending on setup. Check that your project is visible in Insightful and in the task tool, then ask your project lead or the designated support channel for an expected start date. Complete your weekly check-in so the team knows you are available.
How can I get tasks when the same people claim most of them?
Task allocation is set per project, and Mercor does not publish a general rule. Ask your project lead how tasks are distributed and whether there are claim limits, turn on notifications for the task queue and announcement channel, and keep your availability current in the weekly check-in. If the system rewards speed, plan your sessions around the release times the team shares.
Is it normal for task batches to disappear within minutes?
On queue-based projects, yes. Batches are sized to client demand, and many contributors are online at once. Mercor's documentation does not set a release schedule, so ask whether your project announces batch times, and avoid logging time while waiting for tasks, since idle time is not payable.
Source: Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ; Mercor Docs: Time Tracking and Pay Policies
Is it normal for the client to withdraw tasks immediately after release?
It can happen. Mercor says project status and scope are determined by client requirements and can change with limited notice. Withdrawn tasks are not something you caused. Make sure any time you legitimately spent on project work is tracked correctly, and raise a concern with your lead if it happens repeatedly.
Source: Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ; Mercor Docs: Time Tracking and Pay Policies
How do I keep up with important updates in an overcrowded Slack channel?
Mercor says official updates arrive by email and Slack announcements, so prioritise those. In Slack, turn on notifications for the announcements channel and your project lead, use keyword alerts for terms like pause, deadline or bonus, and check pinned messages. For specific questions, Mercor's Slack assistant Maven or the designated support channel is quicker than the main chat.
Source: Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ; Mercor Docs: Get in Touch
What does a paused contract actually mean?
Mercor defines it clearly: work is halted for everyone on the project, no new tasks are assigned, your weekly cap is set to 0 hours, and you remain part of the project pool. Paused does not mean removed. Submit all hours from before the pause, keep payment details current so pending payouts go through, and watch email and Slack for updates.
Source: Mercor Docs: Getting Started; Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ
Why keep a completed project paused instead of terminating the contract?
Because pauses keep the pool intact. Mercor says contributors stay in the project pool during a pause, which lets the client resume without re-hiring and re-onboarding everyone. Pauses are decided at the project and client level, and Mercor notes their length varies widely with no set timeline.
Source: Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ; Mercor Docs: Getting Started
Will a project paused during onboarding come back soon?
Nobody can promise that. Mercor says pause length varies widely, there is no set timeline, and pauses cannot be lifted on request. You will be notified by email and Slack if it resumes. Keep applying elsewhere in the meantime, since you can work on more than one project with each lead's agreement.
Source: Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ; Mercor Docs: Contracts
Do I still have a contract if the project pauses right after onboarding?
Yes. A pause keeps your contract and your place in the project pool, with the weekly cap set to 0 hours. Mercor states that paused does not mean removed. Keep your weekly check-in going, which Mercor recommends even while paused.
Source: Mercor Docs: Getting Started; Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ
Have paused Mercor projects restarted in practice?
Some have, according to contributors, but Mercor publishes no figures on how often pauses end in a restart. Its documentation only commits to notifying you if a project resumes. Plan as if it may not, and treat a restart as a bonus.
Why did I receive an offer for a paused project with a zero-hour cap?
A zero-hour cap is how Mercor represents a pause, so the offer most likely adds you to the project pool for when work resumes. Accepting costs nothing beyond onboarding, but there is no paid work until the cap is raised. Ask the project team whether there is an expected resume date before investing time.
Source: Mercor Docs: Getting Started; Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ
Why can I no longer get work after completing several projects?
Mercor does not move contributors to new projects automatically; you must apply. Selection depends on current role requirements, availability and fit, and Mercor's referral FAQ notes that prior low performance reduces the chances of future selection. Keep your profile and availability current, and add assessments in areas with active listings.
Source: Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ; Mercor Docs: Referral Policy and FAQs
Should I keep applying or wait for new assignments?
Keep applying. Mercor says project transitions are not automatic and that after a project ends you apply for new opportunities directly through the Work Platform. Waiting only makes sense for a paused project you want to rejoin, and you can apply elsewhere at the same time.
Could location restrictions explain a sudden lack of new work?
Yes. Listings that name a region only accept candidates from that region, and those without a location default to the US, Canada, the UK and the EU. If most current demand is region-locked, people elsewhere see fewer matches. Mercor's supported-countries list also changes over time, so check it if you live outside those regions.
Source: Mercor Docs: Referral Policy and FAQs; Mercor Docs: Supported Countries for Payment
Can I rely on Mercor for regular income?
Not as your only income. Mercor states that project timelines vary with client needs, that projects can end with limited notice, that pauses have no set length, and that deliverable-based contracts carry no minimum hourly guarantee. Treat it as variable contract income: keep a buffer, set aside tax, and keep other work or applications going.
Source: Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ; Mercor Docs: Contracts; Mercor Docs: Taxes and Work Authorization
How consistent is work on a project that has previously paused?
Mercor does not publish data on this. A past pause shows the project depends heavily on client demand, so assume it could pause again. Ask your project lead about expected volume, and do not turn down other work on the strength of one project.
02 · Offboarding
Offboarding, removal and appeals
Mercor separates three outcomes: a project ending, removal for a policy violation, and performance offboarding. Only the last two affect your standing, and knowing which one happened tells you what to do next.
Was I removed because of performance or changing project needs?
Ask your project lead; Mercor says you can request context through them. Mercor lists the reasons contracts end as project completion, changes in scope, budget or client requirements, policy violations, and performance offboarding. Performance cases usually come after warnings, missed deadlines or repeated revisions, often with a trial sprint first. Removal without any of those is more likely to be a project change.
Source: Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ; Mercor Docs: Project Offboarding
Can I appeal removal from a project?
Not formally. Mercor says offboarding decisions are made by the project team or senior project leads and are final, and that support cannot overturn them. You can request context through your project lead. Rejoining after termination is possible case by case with client approval, but is not guaranteed.
Does removal from one project hurt my chances of future work?
It depends on why. Mercor says project terminations for completion, scope or budget reasons do not affect your standing, and that termination does not automatically disqualify you. Removal for policy violations or performance does matter: Mercor notes that prior low performance reduces the chances of being selected again.
Source: Mercor Docs: Project Offboarding; Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ; Mercor Docs: Referral Policy and FAQs
How can I find out why I was removed once Slack access is revoked?
Email [email protected] with the project name, your last working day and details of any earlier communication, which is what Mercor asks for when someone is offboarded unexpectedly. Support cannot reverse the decision, but it can route your request for context to the project team.
Can I get another project after my first contract ends?
Yes. Mercor says you remain eligible for new opportunities and offers after a project ends, as long as it did not end over fraud or performance. Keep your profile current and apply, because you are not moved to new projects automatically.
Source: Mercor Docs: Project Offboarding; Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ
What can I do if I am offboarded before getting a chance to start?
This is usually an offer revocation, which Mercor says can happen before onboarding begins because of background check outcomes, changed project requirements, capacity limits or conflicting assignments. It is generally not linked to your interview or assessments. Revoked offers cannot be reinstated, so apply to other roles; questions go to [email protected].
Can using AI on tasks get me offboarded?
Yes. Mercor's LLM policy allows AI only to check grammar and lightly refine wording that is still your own. It prohibits using AI to judge model responses, write justifications or explanations, or predict code behaviour, and says clearly AI-generated submissions will be flagged. Violations can lead to payment reductions or reversals, removal from projects and, in serious cases, suspension from the platform.
Source: Mercor Docs: LLM Usage Policy; Mercor Docs: Account Security and Conduct
Could other open browser tabs put my project access at risk?
The risk is what is on screen while the timer runs, not the tabs themselves. Insightful takes periodic screenshots while you are clocked in, and time spent on unrelated activity with the timer running can be flagged and removed after human review. Keep personal browsing off your working sessions. Some projects also require a specific managed browser, which your onboarding document will specify.
Source: Mercor Docs: Account Security and Conduct; Mercor Docs: Time Tracking and Pay Policies
03 · Quality
Reviewers, feedback and task quality
Review processes are set per project, so Mercor's documentation is general here. The consistent principles: follow the written requirements, ask early, communicate clearly, and use the project's dispute process when a review is wrong.
What should I do when reviewers give contradictory feedback?
Take both comments and the relevant guideline text to your project lead or the designated support channel, and ask for a ruling. Mercor expects you to address feedback and to ask clarifying questions early. Its performance criteria point to poor communication alongside repeated revisions, so raising the conflict professionally works in your favour.
Source: Mercor Docs: Time Tracking and Pay Policies; Mercor Docs: Project Offboarding
Should I follow the written instructions or a reviewer's preferences?
Mercor's quality standard is adherence to requirements and acceptance criteria, so the written instructions are your baseline. When a reviewer's preference conflicts with them, cite the instruction and ask the project lead to confirm which applies, ideally in writing so the answer is shared with everyone.
Can inconsistent reviews lead to offboarding?
Reviews feed the quality scores that projects use, and Mercor lists substandard work or repeated revisions, combined with weak communication, as signals for performance offboarding. Mercor also says approved disputes are generally excluded from negative quality scoring, which is why disputing a wrong review matters.
Source: Mercor Docs: Project Offboarding; Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ
Is there a process to contest a failed task review?
Yes, through each project's dispute process, which varies by project. Mercor says quality thresholds count reviewed tasks, negative ratings and approved disputes, and that approved disputes are generally excluded from negative scoring. Ask your project lead or support channel how disputes work on your project.
How do I handle reviewers requesting changes beyond the stated standard?
Make the requested change if it is quick and harmless, but flag it: quote the stated standard and ask the project lead whether the extra requirement now applies to everyone. If it does, it should be added to the guidelines. If it does not, you have a basis to dispute ratings based on it.
Source: Mercor Docs: Time Tracking and Pay Policies; Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ
Do repeated revision requests hurt my standing?
They can. Mercor lists substandard work or the need for multiple revisions, together with poor communication or responsiveness, as signals for performance offboarding. Fast, clear responses and early questions reduce that risk, and Mercor advises asking your project lead for feedback early if you are unsure how you are doing.
Source: Mercor Docs: Project Offboarding
How can I stop repeated reviews from sending a task in circles?
After the second round, stop revising and escalate: send the project lead the task ID, every review comment and the guideline text, and ask for a final decision. Mercor's quality process is feedback, correction, then re-evaluation, and a lead can break the loop where reviewers disagree.
How can I challenge a major-issues rating that contradicts the guidelines?
File a dispute through your project's dispute process, quoting the exact guideline the work follows. Mercor says approved disputes are generally excluded from negative quality scoring, so a successful dispute protects your score. Keep disputes factual and specific.
How do I work effectively when project instructions are unclear?
Read the onboarding document and guidelines fully, then ask specific questions early in the designated support channel, as Mercor advises asking clarifying questions early to avoid rework. If you must proceed before an answer, note the assumption you made so you can point to it in review.
Source: Mercor Docs: Time Tracking and Pay Policies; Mercor Docs: Getting Started
How do people get pay-per-task submissions approved in a manageable amount of time?
Mercor says review timelines vary by project and task volume, and per-task (deliverable) work is only paid once deliverables are submitted and approved. Ask your project lead for the expected review time, keep submissions exactly to the acceptance criteria to avoid revision loops, and keep a list of submitted task IDs.
Source: Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ; Mercor Docs: Contracts
How can I avoid rejection for duplicating a task already in the project pool?
Search the existing task pool or reference list before drafting, if your project provides one, and ask the project lead which tools exist for checking duplicates. Mercor's documentation does not set a general rule, so the project's own guidelines decide what counts as a duplicate.
Can I decline an offer to become a reviewer?
Mercor's documentation does not cover reviewer offers specifically. It does say declining an instant offer does not affect future roles, and that project transfers are voluntary. If the reviewer role comes as a new offer or contract amendment, you can decline it; if it is a change within your current project, discuss it with your project lead.
Source: Mercor Docs: Instant Work Offers; Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ; Mercor Docs: Contracts
04 · Tracking
Insightful time tracking and privacy
Insightful (its desktop app is called Workpuls) is required on nearly every Mercor contract. Mercor documents what it collects and when, which answers most privacy questions; a few specifics, such as monitor coverage, are not documented.
Does Mercor track screen time, mouse movements, and keyboard activity?
Mercor says Insightful tracks your active working time, takes a small number of screenshots per hour while the timer runs, and processes related activity signals that help confirm the work is genuine. It does not list every signal. It also says Insightful does not access your files, applications or personal data as long as you do not open them while the timer is running.
Source: Mercor Docs: Account Security and Conduct; Mercor Docs: Time Tracking and Pay Policies
How is offline thinking, paper work, or reading counted?
Legitimate project work is paid, including reading guidelines and approved meetings, but extended idle periods with the timer running are reviewed. Mercor says a human looks at screenshots, activity and context before removing any hours. If your task needs offline work, tell your project lead in advance so the context is known if your activity is reviewed.
Source: Mercor Docs: Time Tracking and Pay Policies; Mercor Docs: Account Security and Conduct
What is average handling time?
Average handling time (AHT) generally means the average time spent per task. Mercor's public documentation does not define it, so it is a project-level metric. Ask your project lead how your project calculates it and what target, if any, applies.
Where can I see my average handling time?
Mercor's documentation does not say AHT is shown to contributors. Insightful's web dashboard (Open Dashboard in the Workpuls app) shows your time by day and project, which you can divide by tasks completed. Ask your project lead whether the task platform reports AHT directly.
Source: Mercor Docs: Use Insightful for Time Tracking; Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ
What can Insightful actually see?
Per Mercor: your logged working time, periodic screenshots while the timer is running, and activity signals that help confirm the work is genuine. It does not access your files, apps or personal data unless you open them while clocked in. Treat anything visible on screen during a session as potentially captured.
Can I play music or a podcast while tracking work time?
Mercor's documentation does not mention audio. Its rule is that the timer should only run while you are actively working on project tasks, and a media app visible in screenshots could look like unrelated activity. If it matters to you, ask your project lead.
Source: Mercor Docs: Time Tracking and Pay Policies; Mercor Docs: Account Security and Conduct
Can I view the screenshots Insightful captures?
Mercor's documentation does not say contributors can view their screenshots. What it does say you can review is your time by day and project in the Insightful web dashboard. If hours are removed after a review, you can dispute through your project lead with your own context and evidence.
Source: Mercor Docs: Use Insightful for Time Tracking; Mercor Docs: Time Tracking and Pay Policies
Does Insightful capture every connected monitor?
Mercor's documentation does not say. The safe assumption is that any screen may be captured while the timer runs, so keep personal content off all displays during working sessions, or stop the timer first.
Does tracking continue when I am not billing time?
Mercor says it monitors your desktop while you are actively working, meaning while the timer runs. Stopping the timer ends tracked time. Mercor adds that during a paused contract Insightful caps time at about a minute per contractor, and time logged during a pause is not paid.
Source: Mercor Docs: Account Security and Conduct; Mercor Docs: Payments
Why is legitimate project activity marked unproductive?
Automated categories can misread unfamiliar tools or research as unrelated. Mercor says no hours are removed automatically: a human reviews screenshots, activity logs and context first. If hours are removed in error, dispute them through your project lead in the pay period right after the one in question, with context and evidence. Dispute outcomes are final.
Sources
Read and checked October 2026. Policies change, so confirm anything time-sensitive on the source page.
- Mercor Docs: Project and Onboarding Support FAQ
- Mercor Docs: Time Tracking and Pay Policies
- Mercor Docs: Get in Touch
- Mercor Docs: Getting Started
- Mercor Docs: Contracts
- Mercor Docs: Referral Policy and FAQs
- Mercor Docs: Supported Countries for Payment
- Mercor Docs: Taxes and Work Authorization
- Mercor Docs: Project Offboarding
- Mercor Docs: LLM Usage Policy
- Mercor Docs: Account Security and Conduct
- Mercor Docs: Instant Work Offers
- Mercor Docs: Use Insightful for Time Tracking
- Mercor Docs: Payments