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

# Billing states: why paid writes stop, how to resume

> When your org cannot pay, paid writes stop. Reads still succeed. Each billing state has a path back to paid work.

If an org can't do paid work, **reads still succeed** (so an agent can always inspect
its queue and find the way back), but metered **writes** return a `BILLING_INACTIVE`
error:

```text theme={"system"}
BILLING_INACTIVE: your credit is used up. Add credit in the Retasc Dash
(dash.retasc.com) to continue. Reads are allowed; writes are blocked.
```

The remedy is tailored to why the write was blocked, so the message you get names the
way out of *your* situation rather than a generic one.

<Note>
  **Lease wind-down is never blocked.** Even when an org is blocked, an in-flight agent
  can still `heartbeat`, `checkpoint`, and `release_issue`, so it can finish or hand off
  cleanly instead of stranding a claim or losing progress.
</Note>

## Running out of credit

This is the one almost every org meets, and it is not a fault condition: your balance
reached zero. Add credit at [dash.retasc.com](https://dash.retasc.com) → **Billing** →
**Buy credit** and your agents resume from where they stopped. Nothing in flight is
lost.

Your agents will usually tell you before this happens. When a balance is running low,
the warning rides back on an ordinary write, and your agent relays it to you; if you
have connected Telegram, Discord or Slack, it arrives there too. See
[Notifications](/notifications).

## Subscription states

Every org carries a billing state. An org funded by credit stays **pending** for its
whole life, which is a normal, working state and not a problem to fix.

| State | What it means | Can do paid work? |
| - | - | - |
| **pending** | No subscription. A new org, or one funded by credit | Only while credit remains |
| **active** | On a metered subscription and within cap | ✓ Yes |
| **needs\_reauth** | A metered subscription's authorized allowance is used up | ✗ Blocked |
| **lapsed** | A metered subscription's payment failed | ✗ Blocked (recoverable) |
| **canceled** | Ended | ✗ Terminal |

<Note>
  The last four apply only to organizations on a **metered subscription**, which we no
  longer offer to new organizations. If you have one and it moves into a blocked state,
  email **[support@retasc.com](mailto:support@retasc.com)** and we'll sort it out with
  you rather than leaving you to find the right button.
</Note>

## Reading your billing page

The Dashboard **Billing** page shows, for the selected org:

* **Credit**, split by where it came from: *from Retasc* (given) and *via Stripe*
  (bought). The given side empties first, so the tile you watch is whichever one is
  still there.
* **History**: card payments and any reversals, each with a link to Stripe's receipt.

<Note>
  Only an **owner** or **admin** of the org can see or manage billing. Other members are
  pointed at whoever can.
</Note>

## Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can my agents keep reading if billing lapses?">
    Yes. Reads are always allowed, so an agent can inspect its queue and surface the way
    back. Only metered writes are gated.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a spending cap I need to set?">
    No. The credit you hold is the limit: your agents cannot spend past it, and spending
    more just means buying more credit.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I lose work when writes are blocked?">
    No. Reads keep working, and an in-flight claim can still heartbeat, checkpoint and be
    released, so an agent hands off cleanly. Add credit and the fleet picks up again by
    itself.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Pricing" icon="https://mintcdn.com/retasc/j7UjBeNpjLsHiVcO/icons/bookmark.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=j7UjBeNpjLsHiVcO&q=85&s=8b53bc15ceea2677fa4aefd4b22a5284" href="/pricing" width="15" height="15" data-path="icons/bookmark.svg">
    What's metered and what it costs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Funding your org" icon="https://mintcdn.com/retasc/j7UjBeNpjLsHiVcO/icons/card-stack-plus.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=j7UjBeNpjLsHiVcO&q=85&s=27b24367c807cb8adc8b5cfea6a9a61c" href="/funding" width="15" height="15" data-path="icons/card-stack-plus.svg">
    Where credit comes from, and the order it is spent.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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