> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.safedep.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Usage & On-Demand Billing

> How SafeDep Cloud seat allowances and usage-based on-demand billing work, and the CLI commands to inspect and manage them.

Paid SafeDep Cloud plans include a monthly usage allowance for metered features. This page explains how the allowance is counted, what happens when you reach it, and how to opt in to usage-based billing beyond it.

<Note>
  The commands on this page use the `safedep` CLI. New to it? See [SafeDep CLI Tools](/get-started/cli-tools) for what it is and how to install it.
</Note>

## How allowances work

A metered feature's monthly allowance is a per-seat amount multiplied by your subscription's seats, pooled across the whole tenant. Any member can consume from the shared pool. There is no per-user split. The allowance resets each billing period.

[On-demand package scans](/package-security/scan/overview) are metered this way today. Per-seat amounts and unit prices are listed on the [pricing page](https://safedep.io/pricing).

## Check your usage

```bash theme={null}
safedep subscription ondemand status
```

The output shows, per metered feature:

* **Included limit and consumed**: the pooled allowance for the current period and how much of it is used.
* **Period end**: when the allowance resets.
* **Overage**: units consumed beyond the allowance this period, and their billed value, when on-demand billing is enabled.

It also shows the account-level state: whether on-demand billing is enabled, whether a payment method is on file, and the payment posture.

## What happens at the allowance limit

* **On-demand billing disabled** (the default): requests beyond the allowance are denied until the period resets or you add seats.
* **On-demand billing enabled**: usage beyond the allowance is billed per unit, up to a monthly spending cap.

## Enable on-demand billing

Prerequisites: an active paid subscription with a payment method on file. Add a payment method through the billing portal if needed:

```bash theme={null}
safedep subscription portal open
```

Then opt in:

```bash theme={null}
safedep subscription ondemand enable --accept-terms
```

The `--accept-terms` flag records your acceptance of the on-demand billing [terms](https://safedep.io/terms/), including the terms version, for the tenant account. Without the flag, the command prints the terms location and makes no change.

## The spending cap

On-demand billing has a monthly spending cap that bounds how much overage can be billed in a period. When the cap is reached, further over-allowance requests are denied until the period resets, so a runaway automation cannot create an unbounded bill. The default cap is listed on the [pricing page](https://safedep.io/pricing). Contact [support](mailto:support@safedep.io) to adjust it.

## Disable on-demand billing

```bash theme={null}
safedep subscription ondemand disable
```

Overage billing stops and the included allowance limits apply again. Usage already billed in the current period remains payable.

## Invoices and payment methods

The billing portal handles payment methods, invoices, and billing history:

```bash theme={null}
safedep subscription portal open
```

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="On-Demand Package Scanning" icon="microscope" href="/package-security/scan/overview">
    The metered feature this page's allowances apply to.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pricing" icon="tag" href="https://safedep.io/pricing">
    Plans, per-seat allowances, and unit prices.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>