GitHub Codespaces Billing Guide 🪙

[shinybrightstar]

What This Guide Covers (and What It Doesn't)

✅ This Guide Covers:

• How Codespaces compute and storage charges are calculated
• Differences between individual vs. organization billing
• Setting up and managing budgets for Codespaces
• Monitoring usage and forecasting costs
• Common billing edge cases and troubleshooting
• Machine type cost implications
• Retention and timeout settings that affect billing

❌ This Guide Does NOT Cover:

• General GitHub billing concepts → See the GitHub Community Billing & Subscription Guide
• How to create or configure Codespaces → See the Codespaces FAQ
• GitHub Actions, Packages, or Copilot billing → See GitHub's official billing documentation
• Enterprise agreements or custom pricing → Contact GitHub Sales

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What makes Codespaces billing unique:

• You're charged for two things: compute time (while running) and storage (even when stopped)
• Storage charges continue for stopped Codespaces until you delete them
• Free tier limits reset monthly, but billing cycles for overages may differ
• Budget configuration is required for usage beyond free tiers (even with valid subscriptions)

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How Codespaces Billing Works

The Two Components of Codespaces Charges

Component	When Charged	Rate Basis	Stops When
Compute	Codespace is running	Per core-hour	Codespace is stopped or deleted
Storage	Codespace exists (running OR stopped)	Per GB per month	Codespace is deleted

💡 Many users are surprised by storage charges because they assume stopping a Codespace stops all charges. It doesn't—only deletion stops storage billing.

Compute Billing Explained

Core-hours measure compute usage:

• 1 core running for 1 hour = 1 core-hour
• 2 cores running for 1 hour = 2 core-hours
• 4 cores running for 30 minutes = 2 core-hours

Current compute rates by machine type:

Machine Type	Cores	Rate per Hour	Free Tier Equivalent
2-core	2	~$0.18/hour	~60 hours/month (Free)
4-core	4	~$0.36/hour	~30 hours/month (Free)
8-core	8	~$0.72/hour	~15 hours/month (Free)
16-core	16	~$1.44/hour	~7.5 hours/month (Free)
32-core	32	~$2.88/hour	~3.75 hours/month (Free)

⚠️ Note: Rates may change. Always verify current pricing at GitHub's Codespaces pricing page.

Storage Billing Explained

GB-months measure storage usage:

• 1 GB stored for a full month = 1 GB-month
• 15 GB stored for a full month = 15 GB-months
• 30 GB stored for half a month = 15 GB-months

Current storage rate: ~$0.07 per GB per month

What counts toward storage:

• Your Codespace's disk contents
• Prebuilt images (prebuilds)
• Cached dependencies and tools

Free Tier Allowances

Plan	Compute (Core-Hours/Month)	Storage (GB-Months)
GitHub Free	120	15
GitHub Pro	180	20
GitHub Team	Org-configured	Org-configured
GitHub Enterprise	Org-configured	Org-configured

⚠️ Note: Free tier resets on the first of each month (metered billing cycle), not your subscription anniversary date.

Individual vs. Organization Billing

Individual Accounts

How it works:

• You receive a personal free tier each month
• Usage beyond free tier requires a payment method AND a budget
• You control your own spending limits
• Charges appear on your personal billing statement

Budget requirement: Even if you have GitHub Pro, you must:

1. Create a Codespaces budget (minimum $1)
2. Set the budget behavior (pause or allow overage)

Organization Accounts

How it works:

• Organization owners configure Codespaces policies
• The organization pays for member usage (if enabled)
• Individual members may or may not have personal usage counted
• Centralized budget controls and usage reporting

Common Billing FAQs

1: "I stopped my Codespace but I'm still being charged"

Why this happens: Stopped Codespaces continue consuming storage. You're charged ~$0.07/GB/month for stored data.

Example:

• You have a 32 GB Codespace stopped for the entire month
• Storage charge: 32 GB × $0.07 = $2.24/month

Solution:

• Delete Codespaces you won't use within 7-14 days
• Set a retention period to auto-delete old Codespaces

2: "I'm being charged but I haven't opened Codespaces in weeks"

Likely causes:

1. Stopped Codespaces still exist — Check https://github.com/codespaces
2. Prebuilds are running — Check repository Settings → Codespaces → Prebuilds
3. Billing delay — Usage can take 24-48 hours to appear

Solution:

1. Visit https://github.com/codespaces and delete all unused Codespaces
2. Disable prebuilds on inactive repositories
3. Export usage CSV from Settings → Billing → Usage to identify charge sources

3: "I exceeded my free tier—how much will I owe?"

Calculation example:

Usage Type	Used	Free Tier	Overage	Rate	Charge
Compute	150 core-hours	120	30	$0.18/hr (2-core)	$5.40
Storage	25 GB-months	15	10	$0.07/GB	$0.70
Total					$6.10

⚠️ Note: Using larger machine types consumes core-hours faster. A 4-core machine uses free tier twice as fast as a 2-core.

4: "I'm a student and can't access Codespaces"

The problem: Student accounts with GitHub Student Developer Pack often get stuck at $0 budget with no way to modify it.

Why it happens: GitHub requires a payment method to enable budget controls, even for free tier access.

Solution:

1. Add a payment method (credit card or PayPal)
2. Set a small budget ($1-5) as a safety buffer
3. You won't be charged as long as you stay within free tier

⚠️ Note: 🎓 Adding a payment method is for verification only. If you stay within 120 core-hours and 15 GB storage, you won't be charged.

5: "My Codespace is blocked but I have an active subscription"

The problem: Error message: "You seem to have a billing issue. Please adjust your billing settings to continue using codespaces"

Common causes:

1. No budget configured (required after GitHub's billing platform migration)
2. Spending limit set to $0
3. Payment method authorization issue (especially PayPal)
4. Free tier exceeded with no budget for overage

Step-by-step resolution:

1. Go to Settings → Billing and licensing
2. Scroll to "Budgets and alerts"
3. Click "New budget"
4. Select "Codespaces"
5. Set amount (minimum $1, recommend $10-50)
6. Choose "Pause service at limit" (safer) or "Allow overage"
7. Save and wait 2-5 minutes for activation
8. Clear browser cache and retry

6: "Charges appeared outside my expected billing cycle"

Understanding billing cycles:

Type	Cycle	Example
Free tier reset	1st of each month (UTC)	Resets Feb 1, Mar 1, etc.
Subscription billing	Your signup anniversary	If you signed up Jan 15, bills on 15th
Metered usage billing	End of month, charged on bill cycle day	Usage calculated monthly, charged on anniversary

Why this causes confusion: Your free tier resets on the 1st, but overage charges appear on your subscription anniversary date. This can make charges seem "late" or "early."

Setting Up Budgets

For Personal Accounts:

Settings → Billing and licensing → Budgets and alerts → New budget
├── Service: Codespaces
├── Amount: $10-50 (adjust to your needs)
├── Behavior: "Pause service at limit" (recommended)
└── Save

Configuring Cost-Saving Settings

1. Idle Timeout (stops compute charges)

Settings → Codespaces → Default idle timeout
Recommended: 30 minutes (default is 30)
Aggressive: 15 minutes (for maximum savings)

2. Retention Period (stops storage charges)

Settings → Codespaces → Default retention period
Recommended: 7-14 days
Note: Codespaces are deleted after this period of inactivity

3. Default Machine Type

Settings → Codespaces → Default machine type
Recommended: 2-core (cheapest, sufficient for most work)
Only upgrade when you need more power

Billing Troubleshooting Quick Reference

Error: "You seem to have a billing issue"

Check	Action
Budget exists?	Create one (Settings → Billing → Budgets)
Budget > $0?	Set to at least $1
Payment method valid?	Update or re-add it
PayPal authorized?	Check PayPal.com → Automatic payments
Browser issue?	Try incognito mode or different browser

If all checks pass: Wait 48 hours, then contact GitHub Support with screenshots.

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Prebuilds and Their Billing Impact

What Are Prebuilds?

Prebuilds are pre-configured Codespace images that reduce startup time. They're built automatically when you push to configured branches.

How Prebuilds Affect Billing

Prebuild Activity	Charge Type	Who Pays
Building the prebuild	Actions Compute	Repo owner (or org)
Storing the prebuild	Storage	Repo owner (or org)
Using a prebuild	Normal Codespace rates	User who creates Codespace

Prebuild Cost Example

Scenario: Repository with prebuilds on main branch, 10 pushes/week

Weekly prebuild compute: 10 builds × 5 min × 4-core = 3.3 core-hours
Weekly prebuild storage: 15 GB × $0.07 / 4 = ~$0.26

Monthly total: ~13 core-hours + ~$1.05 storage

When to Use Prebuilds

✅ Use prebuilds when:

• Codespace startup takes >5 minutes
• Multiple team members use Codespaces daily
• Time savings justify the cost

❌ Skip prebuilds when:

• You're the only user
• Startup time is acceptable (<3 minutes)
• Repository is inactive
• You're trying to minimize costs

Disabling Prebuilds to Save Costs

Repository → Settings → Codespaces → Prebuilds
├── Find active prebuilds
├── Click "..." menu
└── Select "Delete" or "Disable"

Keep in mind that prebuilds are stored per region (at $1.05 each), so enabling all 5 regions which is the default setting—costs $5.25, and this multiplies further based on the number of versions retained in your 'Template history' settings, meaning the maximum of 5 versions across all 5 regions equates to storing 25 codespaces at $26. 25.

Edge Cases and Advanced Scenarios

Edge Case 1: Multiple Organizations

Situation: You belong to Org A and Org B, plus have personal repos.

How billing works:

• Personal repos → Your personal quota/budget
• Org A repos → Org A's budget (if enabled) or your personal quota
• Org B repos → Org B's budget (if enabled) or your personal quota

Potential confusion: If orgs don't enable Codespaces billing, you may hit your personal limits faster than expected.

Edge Case 2: Forked Repositories

Situation: You fork a repo and create a Codespace in your fork.

Billing: Charged to your account (the fork owner), not the original repo owner.

Edge Case 3: Codespace in Organization Repo (Org Billing Disabled)

Situation: Org has Codespaces disabled for billing, but you can still see the Codespaces button.

What happens: Creating a Codespace may fail, or it may charge your personal account (depending on org settings).

Best practice: Check with org admin before creating Codespaces in org repos.

Edge Case 4: Billing Block with Work Trapped Inside

Emergency steps:

1. Check for pushed branches:

   • Your work may already be pushed to a branch
   • Look for branches named codespaces/* or recent branches

2. Use GitHub CLI:

gh repo clone owner/repository
git branch -a  # Look for your work

3. Contact support urgently:

   • State: "URGENT: Unsaved work trapped in locked Codespace"
   • Include Codespace name and repository
   • Request expedited assistance

Edge Case 5: Charges After Deletion

If charges continue 48+ hours after deleting all Codespaces:

1. Export usage CSV with timestamps
2. Screenshot your empty Codespaces list (https://github.com/codespaces)
3. Document when you deleted each Codespace
4. Contact GitHub Support with this evidence

Quick Answers

"How do I stop ALL Codespaces charges immediately?"

1. Go to https://github.com/codespaces
2. Delete every Codespace (not just stop—delete)
3. Disable prebuilds on all your repositories
4. Remove or set your Codespaces budget to $0

"What's the cheapest way to use Codespaces?"

1. Use 2-core machines exclusively
2. Set idle timeout to 15-30 minutes
3. Set retention period to 7 days
4. Delete Codespaces immediately when done
5. Avoid prebuilds unless you really need them

"Can I use Codespaces completely free?"

Yes, if you:

• Stay within 120 core-hours (Free) or 180 core-hours (Pro) per month
• Stay within 15 GB (Free) or 20 GB (Pro) storage
• Use 2-core machines to maximize hours
• Delete Codespaces promptly

"Why do I need a budget if I have a free tier?"

After GitHub's billing platform migration, budgets are required to:

• Enable the Codespaces service
• Allow any usage (even within free tier for some account states)
• Specify what happens if you exceed free tier

"How long until charges appear in my billing?"

• Real-time: Usage dashboard updates every few minutes
• Billing statement: 24-48 hour delay is normal
• Invoice: Generated on your billing cycle date

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References to Existing Resources

For General Billing Questions

• GitHub Community Billing & Subscription Guide — Covers payment methods, subscription management, and general billing troubleshooting

For Non-Billing Codespaces Questions

• Codespaces FAQ — Covers how to access, configure, and use Codespaces

Official GitHub Documentation

• GitHub Codespaces Pricing — Current rates and plan comparison
• Managing Spending Limits — Official spending limit documentation
• Viewing Codespaces Usage — How to access usage reports
• About Billing for Codespaces — Official billing overview

Getting Help

• GitHub Support Portal: https://support.github.com → Billing and payments
• GitHub Community Discussions: For peer support and shared experiences
• GitHub Status: https://www.githubstatus.com — Check for service issues

Summary: The 5 Things Everyone Should Know

1. Stopping ≠ Deleting — Stopped Codespaces still cost money (storage). Delete what you don't need.

2. Budgets are required — Even with a valid subscription and free tier, you need a budget configured.

3. Machine size matters — A 4-core machine uses your free tier twice as fast as a 2-core.

4. Two billing cycles — Free tier resets on the 1st; subscription charges on your anniversary date.

5. Prebuilds add up — They run automatically and charge compute + storage. Disable on inactive repos.

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This guide is community-maintained and designed to complement official GitHub documentation. For the most current pricing and policies, always refer to GitHub's official resources.