The asymmetric unit of the title compound, (C5H8N2)[HgBr4]·H2O, consists of one cation, one anion and one water molecule. The anion exhibits a distorted tetrahedral arrangement about the Hg atom. The crystal structure contains alternating sheets of cations (in the ac plane) and stacks of anions. Several strong hydrogen-bonding interactions (pyN—H⋯Br and C—H⋯Br; py is pyridine), along with O—H⋯Br interactions, connect the sheets of cations to the stacks of anions. Cation–cation π–π stacking is also present (C⋯C distances in the range 3.424–3.865 Å). The shortest Br⋯Br distance is 3.9527 (9) Å.