Customer Support Specialist - Payroll

About the role

This role focuses on providing specialized customer support for payroll services to startup clients. You will handle various payroll tasks, including processing pay runs, managing direct deposits, and correcting tax filings. A key part of the job is diagnosing and resolving urgent payroll issues, ensuring timely payments for employees, and translating complex compliance requirements into clear guidance for customers.

As part of a new team, you will have a direct impact on shaping how Mercury's payroll experience evolves. This involves not only solving individual customer problems but also identifying recurring issues to inform product improvements. You will work closely with team leads to escalate bugs and systemic problems, contributing to the development of internal tools and processes that enhance support efficiency and scalability.

Success in this position requires a blend of payroll expertise and strong customer service skills. You are expected to stay current with federal and state payroll tax regulations to provide accurate advice. Additionally, you will contribute to the team's knowledge base by writing and maintaining help articles, internal playbooks, and FAQs, ultimately making both the team and customers more self-sufficient.

The target base salary for this role ranges from $53,100 to $71,600 USD, with specific amounts varying based on geographic location within the US.

Skills that matter here

• payroll support: This role requires hands-on experience in managing various payroll functions, from processing pay runs to handling tax filing corrections.
• customer support: You will be directly assisting customers, translating complex financial information into understandable language, and maintaining composure during high-stakes situations.
• payroll operations: Understanding the end-to-end mechanics of payroll is crucial for diagnosing and resolving issues effectively.
• SaaS, fintech, or HR/payroll software company: Experience in these environments indicates familiarity with the types of products and customer bases Mercury serves.
• payroll fundamentals: A solid grasp of concepts like pay schedules, corrections, and HRIS management is necessary to provide accurate guidance.
• writing help documentation: You will contribute to internal and external knowledge bases, creating resources that improve self-service for customers and efficiency for the team.

Who this role suits

• Someone who finds satisfaction in untangling complex financial regulations and ensuring accuracy in critical processes.
• A person who communicates clearly and patiently, able to explain intricate topics without jargon.
• An organized individual who can manage multiple urgent cases while remaining calm under pressure.
• A proactive problem-solver who identifies patterns in customer issues to drive broader process and product improvements.

From the employer

What You Will Do:

• Handle payroll support, covering pay runs, direct deposit, garnishments, new hire onboarding, off-cycle payments, and tax filing corrections (W-2s, 1099s, and the rest of the fun stuff)
• Diagnose and resolve payroll issues with urgency and accuracy, knowing that a missed payroll isn't just an inconvenience, it affects real people's lives
• Guide customers through Mercury's payroll product with patience and clarity, translating compliance requirements and technical concepts into plain language
• Turn patterns into product improvements - when you see the same question three times, you don't just answer it a third time, you flag it, document it, and help us fix it
• Work closely with your lead and peers to escalate bugs, surface edge cases, and close the loop on systemic issues
• Stay current on federal and state payroll tax regulations, filing deadlines, and compliance changes so you can give customers reliable, accurate guidance
• Write and maintain help articles, internal playbooks, and FAQs that make the whole team smarter and customers more self-sufficient
• Help build and improve internal tooling and processes that make payroll support faster, more consistent, and more scalable as Mercury's customer base grows.

What You Should Bring:

• 1 - 2 years of experience in a payroll support, payroll processing, or payroll operations role. You should be genuinely comfortable with how payroll works end-to-end
• 3+ years of experience in customer support or customer experience, ideally at a SaaS, fintech, or HR/payroll software company
• Solid understanding of payroll fundamentals: pay schedules, payroll corrections, employer & employee support, HRIS management, and Payroll ancillary services
• Ability to communicate clearly and humanly about complex regulatory and financial topics - you can explain a 941 mismatch without making someone feel dumb
• Calm under pressure, especially when the stakes are high (and in payroll support, they often are)
• Organized, thorough, and comfortable managing multiple open cases at varying levels of urgency
• Familiarity with startup environments - our customers move fast and expect support that keeps up
• Experience writing help documentation or contributing to a knowledge base
• A love for process improvement and the instinct to automate whatever can be automated.

What We Offer:

• The total rewards package at Mercury includes base salary, equity (stock options/RSUs), and benefits.
• Our salary and equity ranges are highly competitive within the SaaS and fintech industry and are updated regularly using the most reliable compensation survey data for our industry.
• New hire offers are made based on a candidate's experience, expertise, geographic location, and internal pay equity relative to peers.
• Our target new hire base salary ranges for this role:
• US employees in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $58,900 - $71,600 USD
• US employees outside of New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $53,100 - $64,400 USD
• Mercury values diversity & belonging and is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All individuals seeking employment at Mercury are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic.
• We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process for applicants with disabilities or special needs. If you need assistance, or an accommodation, please let your recruiter know once you are contacted about a role.