Onboarding to Merit
How to put money through Merit
To onboard, you must be a member of our partner program. Sign up at merit.systems/partner.
The Payout Flow
Fund your repo in the Terminal
Get money into your repository's balance using multiple funding options in the Terminal:
- Bank transfer via embedded Coinbase on-ramp
- Direct USDC deposit to your repo's wallet address
- Existing stablecoin transfer
Merit hides the digital asset complexity - fund with traditional bank transfers just like any other payment service.
Generate a split
Choose your preferred distribution method:
Guided Mode:
- Launch the Impact-Weighted Payout Wizard for AI-assisted distributions
- Automatically ranks recent pull requests by impact and complexity
- Preview and adjust splits before committing
Manual Mode:
- Create custom splits with full control over allocations
- Perfect for special cases or specific distribution requirements
- Direct input of contributor amounts and percentages
Distribute
Review and finalize your payout distribution:
- The split moves into per-contributor escrow
- Contributors are automatically notified of pending payouts
Contributors claim
Contributors can claim their payouts with minimal friction:
- One-click claim process after tax form completion
- W-9/W-8BEN forms take ~90 seconds to complete
- Self-custody wallets - only the contributor can access funds
Contributors maintain full control of their funds. Merit never holds custody of contributor wallets.
Withdraw anytime
Multiple withdrawal options for contributors:
- Bank transfer (fiat off-ramp) for traditional banking
- Stablecoin wallet for continued custody
- Instant transfers with minimal fees
- Support for global banking systems
Fallback protection
Built-in protection against unclaimed funds:
- 30-day claim window for all payouts
- After 30 days, unclaimed funds automatically return to repo balance
- Distributors can reallocate returned funds
- No funds ever get stuck or lost in the system