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

# Usage and billing

> Understand what counts as a step, see what your workflows cost, and set a monthly spend cap.

Workflows is billed on the steps your workflows run. The first 100 steps each month are free, then each step costs 2p. Paid prices are plus VAT.

You need the Workflows plan for workflows to run. If the plan ends, runs fail with **Workflows plan required** until you subscribe again. See [Enable Workflows](/business-automation/workflows/overview#enable-workflows).

## What counts as a step

A step is one action that succeeds, such as sending an email, sending a letter, creating an invoice, or creating a task.

These are free:

* **If / else** conditions.
* **For each** loops themselves.
* Actions that fail.

Actions inside a **For each** loop count once for every item. A loop over 3 customers that sends one email uses 3 steps.

### Worked example

A workflow that sends an email and creates a task each time rent is paid uses 2 steps per run. With 300 tenants paying monthly, that is 600 steps a month. The first 100 are free, and the other 500 cost £10.

## See your usage

Open the [Workflows plan](https://dashboard.yorlet.com/settings/plans/workflows) page, or go to [Your plans](https://dashboard.yorlet.com/settings/plans) and find **Workflows**.

The **Usage in** card, named after the current month, shows:

* **Steps used** — the steps your workflows have run this month.
* **Estimated bill** — what those steps cost so far.
* **Monthly spend cap** — your current cap, with how much of it you have used and how many steps are left.

**Usage by workflow** lists the workflows that used the most steps this month, so you can see where your spend is going.

Usage resets on the 1st of each month. The estimate is a guide; the final amount is on your invoice.

## Estimate a workflow's cost

When you build or edit a workflow, the canvas shows an estimate in the top-left corner:

* How many steps one run uses. If the workflow has a **For each** loop, it also shows the steps for each loop item.
* About how many steps the workflow uses a month, and what that costs.

For a workflow that has already run, the monthly estimate is based on its runs in the last 30 days. For a new workflow started by a **Database event**, it is based on how many matching events happened in the last 30 days.

The cost takes off the 100 free steps as if this were your only workflow. The free steps are shared across all your workflows, so your bill is higher if other workflows also run.

## Set a monthly spend cap

Every account has a monthly spend cap of £50 by default. This pays for about 2,600 steps a month, including the 100 free steps.

You need the admin role to change the cap. To change it, follow these steps:

1. Open the [Workflows plan](https://dashboard.yorlet.com/settings/plans/workflows) page.
2. In **Monthly spend cap**, turn on **Limit monthly spend**.
3. Enter an amount in **Monthly spend cap**. The page shows how many steps the amount pays for.
4. Click **Save spend cap**.

To remove the cap, turn off **Limit monthly spend** and click **Save spend cap**. Workflows then keep running whatever the monthly cost.

> [!TIP]
>
> Set the cap to £0 to only use the 100 free steps each month.

### When the cap is reached

When this month's usage reaches the cap, new workflow runs fail with **monthly spend cap reached** and no steps run. The [Workflows plan](https://dashboard.yorlet.com/settings/plans/workflows) page shows a warning while this is happening.

Runs start again when you raise the cap, or on the 1st of next month. Failed runs are not replayed.

A run that starts just before the cap is reached finishes, so your bill can go slightly over the cap.

## Usage alerts

Every admin on the account gets an email when usage reaches 80% of the cap, and again at 100%. Each alert is sent once a month. The email links to the [Workflows plan](https://dashboard.yorlet.com/settings/plans/workflows) page so you can check usage or raise the cap.


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