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

# Spending Limits & Usage

> Control AIWA credit spending with a monthly allowance per team member and a budget per project, and see spending by day and by type on the Usage tab.

When several people build in one workspace, they all spend from the same credit balance.

Spending limits keep that under control. You can cap what each person spends in a month and what each project can spend in total.

**Know where your credits go, and decide how far they can go.**

## Two Kinds of Limit

| Limit | Applies to | Resets |
| - | - | - |
| **Monthly allowance** | One team member | At the start of each calendar month (UTC) |
| **Project budget** | One project | Never. It is a total for the project's lifetime |

For either limit:

* **Blank** means no limit
* **0** means no paid work at all

Both limits are honoured on every workspace that has them set, whether or not the agency profile is on.

## Who Can Spend Credits

Only people who can build can spend credits:

* Owners, Admins and Editors spend from the workspace balance when they build.
* Viewers and Clients never spend credits.

Reviewing, commenting and replying are always free.

## How Limits Are Checked

Before a paid action starts, AIWA checks, in order:

1. The person is allowed to spend on this project.
2. The workspace has enough credits.
3. The person's monthly allowance allows it.
4. The project's budget allows it.

If any check fails, the action doesn't start and nothing is charged.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Limits are checked when an action starts. Two actions started at the same moment can go over a limit by the cost of one action.

## What People See When a Limit Is Reached

| Situation | Message |
| - | - |
| A team member's allowance is used up | "Your monthly allowance is used up." Reviewing and commenting still work; they can ask for more allowance. |
| A project's budget is used up | "This project has reached its budget." An Owner or Admin can raise it from Usage. |
| The workspace balance is used up | "The workspace balance is used up." Add credits to continue. |

## The Usage Tab

Open the **Usage** tab of the [agency console](/agency/console-overview.md). Owners and Admins can see it.

### The month at a glance

Three figures at the top:

* **Spent this month**
* **Balance**: the credits left in the workspace
* **Resets**: when monthly allowances start again

Below them:

* **Spend day by day** for the month
* **Spend by type**:

| Type | Includes |
| - | - |
| Builds | Building and changing projects |
| Brand helpers | Logo, colour and invitation-wording suggestions |
| Briefs and ideas | Briefs, idea shuffles, voice transcription |
| Mobile and release kits | Mobile readiness scans, Android builds, store kits |
| Other | Anything else |

The days and the types each add up to the month's total. The page also notes spending that isn't tied to a project, and spending by people who have since left.

### People

What each team member has spent this month against their monthly allowance.

### Projects

What each project has spent in total against its budget.

## Set a Limit

**1. Open Usage**

In the agency console, open the **Usage** tab.

**2. Find the person or project**

Use the **People** table for monthly allowances, or the **Projects** table for project budgets.

**3. Edit the limit inline**

Enter a number of credits, leave it blank for no limit, or enter 0 to stop paid work.

Limits aren't set in the invite dialog. Set a new team member's allowance here after they join.

## Good Practice

* Give contractors a monthly allowance that matches the work you've agreed.
* Give each client project a budget based on what you've quoted.
* Check **Top spenders** on the console's Overview from time to time.
* Use 0 to pause paid work on a project without removing anyone.

For how credits themselves work, see [Credits and Plans](/billing/credits-and-plans.md).

## Next: The Client Portal

Next, we'll look at the other side of the agency: what your clients see.

> **[The Client Portal](/agency/client-portal.md)**
>
> The branded page where clients see their live site and comment on it.


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