In one line
On June 1, 2026, GitHub Copilot moved to usage-based billing (UBB).
Cost is tied to the tokens actually processed, and usage is shown in GitHub AI credits (1 credit = $0.01 USD).
📰 Details: Updates to GitHub Copilot billing and plans ↗ (Changelog). 💡 Code completions and Next Edit suggestions don’t consume AI credits — they stay unlimited on all paid plans.
How usage-based billing works
As GitHub Copilot supports more advanced AI workflows, usage-based billing ties cost to the AI usage actually executed.
- AI usage is measured by the number of tokens processed during each interaction
- Tokens include the prompt, the response, and cached context
- Included usage: it is shared (pooled) across Copilot licenses
- Overage usage: manageable with budgets and controls
- Additional-usage budgets are set in US dollars, and usage is shown in GitHub AI credits
- GitHub AI credits draw down the budget at a fixed rate (1 AI credit = $0.01 USD). For example, a $10 budget equals 1,000 AI credits
Tokens explained
A token is the unit of AI processing (input, output, context).
- The prompt and new context
- Grows with large files or codebases
- The response the AI generates
- Usually the highest compute cost
- Context from past interactions
- Improves speed and efficiency
🎯 Takeaway: every interaction consumes tokens based on input, output, and context.
Usage-based charging (UBB)
How charging works:
- Copilot usage is measured by the total tokens processed in each interaction
- Tokens consume AI credits (based on model rates ↗)
- AI credits are the unit of billing
🎯 Takeaway: larger prompts, longer responses, and more context all increase the tokens processed and the credits consumed.
Pricing model overview
Plans and included value
| Item | Copilot Business | Copilot Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (unchanged) | $19 / user | $39 / user |
| Included token value | $19 worth (1,900 AI credits) | $39 worth (3,900 AI credits) |
📦 The AI credits included with a Copilot plan are shared across the whole enterprise and consumed as tokens are processed. 🎁 Existing customers get a boost during the promotional period (Jun 1 – Sep 1, 2026): CB 3,000 / CE 7,000 credits. Details ↗
How it works:
- Credits are shared at the enterprise / billing-entity level
- They are consumed based on the tokens processed
- They are not tied to individual users
🎯 Takeaway: customers pay for actual usage — not per user, but from credits shared across the whole enterprise.
Shared AI credit pool
AI credits
The AI credits included with each GitHub Copilot license roll up into a single enterprise-wide shared pool.
Every licensed user draws from this pool first.
Any AI credit usage that occurs after the pool is fully exhausted becomes an additional cost.
Shared-pool usage distribution
Usage distribution within the enterprise
✅ All users draw from the same pool — but at different usage rates (light / medium / heavy).
PRU model vs AI credit model
One user can't burn through another user's allotment
⚠️ Con
Overage can occur even while other users still have budget left
Less waste
⚠️ Con
Consumption can skew toward certain users
💡 The shared pool optimizes globally — heavy users can draw more, absorbed by lighter users’ surplus.
User-level Budget (new)
Controls the total AI credits a user can consume during a billing cycle (covering both pool usage and additional spend).
🎯 Takeaway: a $0 user-level budget blocks that user immediately — you can cap per user even while the pool still has credits.
Budget options
[New] can cap
Budget hierarchy
How alerts work
When you enable alerts on a budget, GitHub sends email notifications as spending reaches each threshold.
| Product type | When the budget is exceeded |
|---|---|
| 🎫 License-based (Copilot license, etc.) | Alerts only — usage does not stop |
| ⚡ Metered (AI credits, Actions, etc.) | Budget can stop usage at the threshold |
📧 Emails go to account owners and billing managers by default (additional recipients can be added). 📝 The first billing cycle only counts usage from the budget’s creation date — so you may exceed it that first cycle.