# Billing and usage
| Item | Details |
|—|—|
| Who it is for | Administrators |
| Menu location | **Settings → Billing** |
| Plan dependency | Every workspace has a usage page; upgrades happen outside the app |
Chatips unlocks features and caps usage by **subscription plan**. The workspace **does not take payment directly**. This page shows the current plan name, renewal/expiry and how much of each dimension you have used. Change plan, pay and invoices through Chatips commercial process or your purchase portal (for example the website account). Usage refreshes after that completes.
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## 1. What you see on the page
– Plan name and subscription status (active / cancelled / expired, etc.)
– Expiry date: blank means it does not auto-expire under your agreement
– Seat count
– Progress bars for each quota
After expiry the workspace falls back to the **default free plan**. Advanced features (Help Centre, Captain, Campaigns, etc.) may turn off, and excess rules may be disabled. Paid markers are kept so re-enabling is easier.
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## 2. Common quota dimensions
| Dimension | How it is counted | When exhausted |
|—|—|—|
| Agent seats | Current members (including administrators) | Cannot invite more; surplus people may be locked |
| Inboxes | Current channels | Cannot create more inboxes |
| Contacts | Current profiles | Cannot create / import more |
| Storage | Attachment usage in MB | Uploads fail |
| Automation / macros / canned responses | Item counts | Cannot create more; downgrades may disable rules |
| Daily email | Messages via **platform SMTP** | No more platform outbound that day |
| Captain replies | Calendar month | Assistant stops auto-answering |
| FAQ | Item count | Cannot add more Q&A |
| Calling minutes | Calendar month | Voice features stop |
| Campaign sends | Calendar month | Cannot broadcast |
| Portals / published articles | Current counts | Cannot create portals or publish articles |
| Data retention days | Policy | Closed conversations past the age may be purged |
**A value of 0 means that capability is off**, not unlimited. Dimensions without a custom override still hit platform defaults and global caps.
**Does not use platform email quota**: mail sent from your own Google / Microsoft / SMTP on an email inbox.
Captain vector search and some overview stats may not count as “replies”, but answers generated for customers do.
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## 3. Seat lock
When plan seats are fewer than current members, newer members are locked: they cannot go online and realtime channels are unavailable. Administrators should:
1. Remove long-unused accounts, or
2. Upgrade seats, or
3. Unlock people as the UI allows (always keep an administrator who can open Billing)
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## 4. Feature flags and paywalls
Missing menu items or upgrade prompts mean the plan’s `features` list does not include them. The “Plan dependency” line at the top of each help article refers to this. After an upgrade you may need to **refresh or sign in again** to see new menus.
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## 5. Deleting a workspace
If Account settings offers **Request deletion**, confirm as prompted. Afterwards channel messages and attachments are cleaned per platform policy — there is no recycle bin. Export reports and contacts first if unsure.
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## 6. Frequently asked questions
**Progress bar not updating?** Periodic quotas (email daily, Captain monthly) can lag slightly; refresh Billing. Stock counts (seats, articles) are usually instant.
**Few emails but already over quota?** Check whether platform SMTP is used by mistake (website email continuation, system notices) instead of your own mailbox channel.
**Data still there after cancelling?** Usually yes, but capabilities drop to the default plan. Keep paying on schedule to avoid features turning off.
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## Related articles
– [Agents](./13-agents)
– [Captain assistant](./7-captain-assistant)
– [Help Centre](./8-help-centre)