{
  "dataset": "LimitSheet",
  "version": "v1",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "attribution": "LimitSheet (https://limitsheet.com/)",
  "url": "https://limitsheet.com/changes/2026-10-01-github-copilot-upfront-seat-billing/",
  "item": {
    "id": "2026-10-01-github-copilot-upfront-seat-billing",
    "date": "2026-10-01",
    "announced_on": "2026-08-28",
    "effective_on": "2026-10-01",
    "detected_on": "2026-09-28",
    "published_on": "2026-10-02",
    "products": [
      "github-copilot"
    ],
    "plans": [
      "copilot-business",
      "copilot-enterprise"
    ],
    "kind": "price",
    "title": "Copilot Business and Enterprise seats are charged upfront for credit card and PayPal customers",
    "summary": "From October 1, 2026, GitHub charges existing Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise customers who pay by credit card or PayPal upfront for all assigned seats at the start of each billing cycle. For these customers, each new seat must also be paid for before its user gets Copilot access. GitHub says the prices are not changing.",
    "before": "Seats were billed each month for the number assigned, with billed users counted at the end of each billing cycle. Credit card and PayPal payers paid upfront only for seats added during a cycle, prorated for the rest of that cycle.",
    "after": "For credit card and PayPal payers, all assigned seats are charged upfront at the start of each billing cycle, and each new seat is paid for before its user gets access. Seats added mid-cycle are still prorated, and included usage may be prorated to match. Prices unchanged: Business $19 and Enterprise $39 per user per month.",
    "baseline_note": "Seat billing before October 1, 2026, as GitHub Docs describe it. On October 2, 2026 the Docs still described billed seats counted at the end of each cycle and did not yet mention the start-of-cycle charge. Prices are compared like for like: no change. Also not changing, per GitHub: no prorated refund when a seat is revoked, and proration for seats added mid-cycle.",
    "direction": "neutral",
    "material": false,
    "source_ids": [
      "github-changelog-copilot-policies-billing-2026-08-28",
      "github-docs-copilot-seats-billing-cycles"
    ],
    "quotes": [
      {
        "source_id": "github-changelog-copilot-policies-billing-2026-08-28",
        "quote": "All new Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise seat assignments will require payment for each seat before users gain Copilot access."
      },
      {
        "source_id": "github-changelog-copilot-policies-billing-2026-08-28",
        "quote": "At the start of the next billing cycle, all Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise seats assigned will incur an upfront charge. This will apply to existing Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise customers with a credit card or paypal payment method starting October 1, 2026."
      },
      {
        "source_id": "github-changelog-copilot-policies-billing-2026-08-28",
        "quote": "Included usage may be prorated across the month to align with the seat cost proration."
      },
      {
        "source_id": "github-changelog-copilot-policies-billing-2026-08-28",
        "quote": "Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise prices are not changing."
      },
      {
        "source_id": "github-changelog-copilot-policies-billing-2026-08-28",
        "quote": "Revoking a seat does not result in a prorated refund. The removal will be reflected in your next monthly billing cycle."
      },
      {
        "source_id": "github-changelog-copilot-policies-billing-2026-08-28",
        "quote": "All seats added in the middle of a billing cycle will continue to be prorated from date of assignment to end of bill cycle."
      },
      {
        "source_id": "github-changelog-copilot-policies-billing-2026-08-28",
        "quote": "Existing Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise customers can expect these billing updates to take effect starting October 1, 2026."
      },
      {
        "source_id": "github-docs-copilot-seats-billing-cycles",
        "quote": "A Copilot seat is a license to use GitHub Copilot for a user. Each month, your organization or enterprise is billed for the number of assigned seats."
      },
      {
        "source_id": "github-docs-copilot-seats-billing-cycles",
        "quote": "Billed users are calculated at the end of each billing cycle, based on the number of GitHub Copilot seats that are assigned."
      },
      {
        "source_id": "github-docs-copilot-seats-billing-cycles",
        "quote": "If you pay by credit card or PayPal, you will need to pay a prorated amount upfront to cover the seats for the rest of the current billing cycle."
      },
      {
        "source_id": "github-docs-copilot-seats-billing-cycles",
        "quote": "Copilot Business at $19 USD per user per month, includes 1,900 AI credits per user, and access to a broad model catalog."
      },
      {
        "source_id": "github-docs-copilot-seats-billing-cycles",
        "quote": "Copilot Enterprise at $39 USD per user per month, includes 3,900 AI credits per user (GitHub Enterprise Cloud only), and priority access to new models and features."
      }
    ],
    "verified_at": "2026-10-02",
    "verified_by": "Lokesh Rathore",
    "verified_method": "ai_assisted"
  }
}