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

# How Credits Work

> Everything you need to know about credits.

## Understanding Credits

Credits are your usage balance on the platform. They power everything your agents do—from quick replies to long-running, multi-step workflows in sandboxes.

Instead of charging per request or per feature, we use credits to provide transparent, usage-based billing. The more complex the task, the more credits it uses. Simple interactions cost less; heavy compute and long-running agents cost more.

### What Consumes Credits

Credit usage depends on task complexity and how long your sandbox runs.

| Resource                 | Description                                                                           |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **AI Tokens**            | Processing requests through LLMs, image generation, and other AI models               |
| **Compute**              | Running agents in your custom sandboxes and execution environments                    |
| **Agent Builds**         | Creating, configuring, and deploying new agents                                       |
| **File Storage**         | Storing and managing files created during your tasks                                  |
| **Web Searches**         | Searching the internet for information needed to complete tasks                       |
| **Third-Party Services** | Accessing external APIs and integrated services that extend your agent's capabilities |

<Note>
  * After a task completes, **AI token usage stops**, but **compute** can continue until your sandbox stops (timeout).
  * **Storage and downloads** can still use a small number of credits while agents are idle.
  * If you use **your own API keys**, we don’t deduct credits for AI tokens or other third-party services.
</Note>

### Credit Types

Credits fall into three categories. They are deducted in a specific order to maximize value:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Daily Credits" icon="circle-dollar">
    Use-it-or-lose-it credits that reset to 25 every day.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Monthly Credits" icon="rocket">
    Your main allocation, refreshed each billing cycle.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Refill Credits" icon="upload">
    Extra credits you can purchase anytime that never expire.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

| Credit type | Who gets them             | Amount                  | Refresh                            | Rollover                                              | Notes                                               |
| ----------- | ------------------------- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| **Daily**   | All users (Free and Pro)  | 25 credits per day      | Every 24 hours at midnight UTC     | No — unused daily credits reset and do not accumulate | Use-it-or-lose-it. Resets to 25 at midnight UTC.    |
| **Monthly** | Pro users only            | 2,000 credits per month | At the start of each billing cycle | No — unused monthly credits do not carry over         | Main plan allocation. Refreshes each billing cycle. |
| **Refill**  | Anyone who purchases them | Based on purchase       | One-time purchase                  | Yes — refill credits never expire                     | One-time purchase. Never expires.                   |

### Credit Usage Priority

When you run a task, credits are consumed in this order:

1. **Daily credits** (used first)
2. **Monthly credits** (used second)
3. **Refill credits** (used last)

This ensures expiring credits are always used before your permanent refill credits.

<Note>
  We prioritize expiring credits so you get maximum value from every plan. Refill credits stay available as your backup.
</Note>

## Monitoring Your Usage

Track credit consumption in [**Settings → Billing**](https://agencii.ai/settings/?tab=billing) to review:

* **Current balance:** remaining daily, monthly, and refill credits
* **Usage by agency:** credit consumption per agency to highlight the most resource-intensive builds

## Credit Refunds

If a task fails because of a system error on our side, we automatically refund the credits used for that task.

<Warning>
  Refunds are not issued for tasks that fail due to user-provided instructions, external service issues, or reaching task limits. Provide clear, detailed instructions to minimize unnecessary usage.
</Warning>

## Tips for Optimising Credit Usage

<Steps>
  <Step title="Be specific">
    Give clear, detailed requests so agents complete tasks efficiently.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Batch work">
    Group similar tasks together to reduce repeated setup work.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review checkpoints">
    Review intermediate results on complex workflows before committing additional credits.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup defaultOpen={true}>
  <Accordion title="When do daily credits reset?">
    Daily credits reset every 24 hours at midnight UTC.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When do monthly credits reset?">
    Monthly credits refresh at the start of each billing cycle, on the same date you started your subscription.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I buy more credits?">
    Yes. Pro users can purchase refill credits at any time, and those credits never expire.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I run out of credits?">
    You'll receive notifications when your balance is low. You can wait for the daily refresh, upgrade to Pro for monthly credits, or purchase refill credits on PRO plan.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do unused credits roll over?">
    Daily and monthly credits do not roll over. Refill credits remain in your account until you use them.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>