{"meta":{"title":"Usage-based billing for enterprise licenses","intro":"Learn about usage-based billing for licenses in your GitHub Enterprise plan, whether you pay through GitHub or Azure.","product":"Billing and payments","breadcrumbs":[{"href":"/en/billing","title":"Billing and payments"},{"href":"/en/billing/concepts","title":"Concepts"},{"href":"/en/billing/concepts/enterprise-billing","title":"Enterprise billing"},{"href":"/en/billing/concepts/enterprise-billing/usage-based-licenses","title":"Usage-based licenses"}],"documentType":"article"},"body":"# Usage-based billing for enterprise licenses\n\nLearn about usage-based billing for licenses in your GitHub Enterprise plan, whether you pay through GitHub or Azure.\n\nUsage-based billing means you pay each month for the number of licenses actually consumed in your enterprise account, instead of committing to a fixed number in advance. This model provides flexibility and can be more cost-efficient than traditional volume licensing.\n\nFor how billing cycles work and how mid-cycle changes (such as adding or removing seats) affect charges, see [Billing cycles](/en/billing/concepts/billing-cycles) and [Impact of changing your plan on billing](/en/billing/concepts/impact-of-plan-changes).\n\n## Do I have usage-based billing?\n\nYou are already enrolled in usage-based billing if you created a trial of GitHub Enterprise Cloud on or after August 1, 2024.\n\nIf you currently pay for your GitHub Enterprise licenses by invoice with a volume, subscription, or prepaid agreement, you will continue to be billed in this way until your agreement expires. At renewal, you have the option to switch to the metered billing model.\n\n## Can I use GitHub Enterprise Server?\n\nAlthough you can sync licenses with GitHub Enterprise Server, usage-based licensing is a cloud-first license model where users must first be added to an organization on GitHub Enterprise Cloud.\n\nFor a detailed comparison between usage-based and volume licensing models, see [Combined GitHub Enterprise cloud and server use](/en/billing/concepts/enterprise-billing/combined-enterprise-use#usage-based-and-volume-licensing).\n\n## Can I use a Visual Studio bundle?\n\nIf you have a Visual Studio bundle with GitHub Enterprise Cloud, you can switch to usage-based billing by contacting your account manager or [GitHub's Sales team](https://github.com/enterprise/contact) ahead of contract renewal.\n\nUsage-based billing will apply to non-bundled licenses, categorized as \"GitHub Enterprise licenses\" on your enterprise's Licensing page. These licenses include:\n\n* Licenses for enterprise members who are not matched to a Visual Studio account.\n* Any extra GitHub Enterprise licenses you consume beyond the number of licenses purchased in your volume agreement.\n\nBundled licenses (Visual Studio plus GitHub Enterprise) **remain on a volume agreement**.\n\nBefore switching to usage-based billing, to ensure you are not charged extra for Visual Studio users who should consume a bundled license:\n\n* Ensure all Visual Studio users are correctly matched to their account on GitHub. See [Setting up Visual Studio subscriptions with GitHub Enterprise](/en/enterprise-cloud@latest/billing/how-tos/set-up-payment/set-up-vs-subscription#reconciling-users-across-visual-studio-and-github).\n* Add all Visual Studio users to your enterprise on **GitHub Enterprise Cloud** before adding them to GitHub Enterprise Server. Users who are only on GitHub Enterprise Server will consume a \"GitHub Enterprise\" license once you switch to usage-based billing.\n\n## How are metered licenses measured?\n\nWith metered billing, the cost of a license is calculated by measuring **consumed licenses** and **billable licenses**.\n\n* **Consumed licenses**: The number of licenses currently in use.\n* **Billable licenses**: The unique licenses billed in a billing cycle. If a user stops consuming a license within the month, the adjustment is reflected in your next month's bill.\n\nIf a user starts consuming a licensed seat in the middle of the billing cycle, you will pay pro rata for the user's license usage that month.\n\n**For example:** The billing cycle begins on the first day of the month, and the account starts with 0 licenses.\n\n* Day 1: The administrator adds 10 licensed users.\n* Day 2: The administrator adds 20 licensed users.\n* Day 3: The administrator removes 5 licensed users.\n* Day 4: No change.\n\nAt the end of day 4, there will be:\n\n* 25 consumed licenses `(10 + 20 - 5)`. This is the number of users actively consuming licenses.\n* 30 billable licenses `(10 + 20)`. This is the number of distinct users that consumed a license at some point during the month.\n\nPending invitations to join an organization that belongs to your enterprise on GitHub do not consume a license.\n\nTo view your license usage and history, see [Viewing usage for your GitHub Enterprise plan](/en/billing/how-tos/manage-plan-and-licenses/view-enterprise-usage).\n\n## Which payment methods can I use?\n\nYou can use the following payment methods for usage-based billing for licenses:\n\n* Invoiced and self-serve GitHub Enterprise customers can pay using a **credit card** or **PayPal**\n* Invoiced customers can also pay using **prepaid credits** (only available to customers who have a volume subscription with or without metered add-ons)\n* You can connect an **Azure** subscription to your enterprise account\n* For **purchase orders**, you can contact your account manager in [GitHub's Sales team](https://github.com/enterprise/contact)"}