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

# Billing

> The Billing section provides visibility into how your organisation is charged for platform usage, including credits, invoices, payments, and account balance status.

The **Billing** section helps you manage your account balance, view invoices, and understand how you are charged for platform usage. It includes information about **credits, invoices, payments, and account balance status**, along with guidance on handling low balance scenarios.

***

## Credits

Credits represent the **balance available in your account to pay for platform usage**. When you run workloads such as deployments, training, or compilation, the corresponding cost is deducted from your available credits.

### Credit System

* **1 Credit = \$1** (US Dollar)

### Free Credits

New organisations may receive **free credits** worth \$5 that can be used to explore the platform and run workloads before adding paid credits. Free credits are automatically applied to your account and are consumed in the same way as purchased credits.

### Adding Credits

You can add credits to your account through the **Payments** section. Credits are added immediately after a successful payment and become available for usage across platform services.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/simplismart-3f10d72e/gTRCmRuan7ftye2b/images/billing_1.webp?fit=max&auto=format&n=gTRCmRuan7ftye2b&q=85&s=64d1d3dc177e504f7cfac60a6f0fb0cb" alt="Billing interface" width="2304" height="1299" data-path="images/billing_1.webp" />

***

## Invoices

Invoices provide a **detailed breakdown of charges for your organisation’s usage** during a billing cycle.

Each invoice includes:

* Invoice ID
* Billing period
* Usage details
* Total amount charged
* Applicable taxes
* Payment status

### Invoice Format

Invoices are generated with a structured summary of:

* Usage across services
* Pricing applied
* Total payable amount
* Tax components (if applicable)

Invoices can be accessed from the **Billing section of the platform**.

***

## Billing Models

Simplismart supports both prepaid and postpaid billing models.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Prepaid">
    In a **prepaid billing model**, usage charges are deducted from the **credits available in your account**.

    * Credits must be added in advance.
    * Charges are deducted in real-time based on usage.
    * Deployments and workloads continue as long as sufficient credits are available.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Postpaid">
    In a **postpaid billing model**, usage is tracked throughout the billing cycle and **invoiced at the end of the period**.

    * Usage is accumulated during the billing cycle.
    * Payment is made after the invoice is generated.
    * Typically enabled for organisations with predictable or higher usage.

    ### Converting to Postpaid

    Organisations may switch from prepaid billing to postpaid billing based on usage patterns and operational requirements. Postpaid billing may be suitable when:

    * Usage is consistent and predictable.
    * Teams prefer consolidated billing instead of managing credits.
    * Workloads are large or continuous.

    To request conversion to postpaid billing, please contact the Simplismart team.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Payments

The **Payments** section allows organisations to add credits and manage billing payments.

<Info>
  Please ensure you have added your **billing address** before adding new credits to the platform. You can update your billing address in the `Organisation` tab.
</Info>

### For Prepaid

Credits can be added using the following payment methods:

* **Credit Card**: Payments can be made using supported credit cards. Once the payment is successful, credits are automatically added to the account.
* **UPI**: UPI payments are supported for adding credits. After the transaction is completed, the credits are reflected in your balance.
* **Netbanking**: You can also add credits using netbanking through supported banking partners.

### For Postpaid

For postpaid accounts, payments are made **against generated invoices** at the end of the billing cycle. Your organisation will receive invoice details along with the payment instructions.

### Taxation

Applicable taxes are calculated and added to invoices based on the **billing country and regulatory requirements**. Tax details are included in the invoice breakdown.

***

## Low Balance Issues

### What is Low Balance?

A **low balance state** occurs when the available credits in your account fall below the amount required to run active workloads.

### What are the Consequences?

If the balance becomes too low, the platform may not be able to continue running certain workloads. Potential consequences include:

* New deployments may fail to start.
* Existing deployments may stop.
* Training or compilation tasks may not run.

### What to Do When Low Balance?

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to the Payments section">
    Go to the **Billing** section of the platform.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add additional credits">
    Add credits to your account using one of the supported payment methods.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify credit balance">
    Ensure that the credit balance has been updated in your account dashboard.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Once credits are available, workloads can resume normally.

### Account Suspension

In cases where the account balance remains insufficient for an extended period, **account activity may be restricted** until the balance is replenished.

### Deployment Stoppage

Active deployments may be **automatically stopped** if the account balance cannot support the required compute usage.