Reading GitHub Copilot Token-Based Billing Specifications from the Trial Calculation Tool "Billing Preview"
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Starting June 1, 2026, GitHub Copilot billing will undergo a major specification change from request-based to token-based.
As announced in advance, GitHub has provided a trial calculation tool (Billing Preview), so this article explains how to use it and the key points to understand the new pricing structure.
This article assumes you are using the GitHub Copilot Business or Enterprise plan under a GitHub Organization / Enterprise.
Review of the New Pricing Structure
In the new AI Credits (AIC) pricing structure, credits are consumed based on token usage.
Each plan is pre-allocated a certain amount of credits, and once credits are exhausted, usage-based billing of 1 AIC = $0.01 applies. Some features, like code completion, do not consume credits, but unlike before, there are no models that can be used for free.
For the first three months after migrating to the new system, existing users will be allocated extra credits.
| Plan | License Cost | Default Credits | Credits During Transition Period (2026-06-01 to 09-01) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copilot Business | $19/seat/month | 1,900 AIC ($19) | 3,000 AIC ($30) |
| Copilot Enterprise | $39/seat/month | 3,900 AIC ($39) | 7,000 AIC ($70) |
Additionally, credits are pooled across the entire organization and consumed on a first-come, first-served basis, which allows credits to be balanced between heavy and light users.
How to Calculate Estimates
The tool is easy to use. Simply obtain the Premium Request Usage CSV report from the Billing page and upload the file.
Download the Premium Request Usage Report CSV
At the top of the Billing and licensing → Overview page for your GitHub Organization or Enterprise, there is a section about this specification change (GitHub Copilot is moving to AI credits).
From the popup screen opened via the Preview your usage button, request the Premium Request CSV report.
Report generation is performed asynchronously, and when ready, you will receive an email with the subject "[GitHub] Your premium request usage report is ready to download".
Upload the CSV to View Estimated Results
On the popup screen from before, click "Explore usage and trend" next to the download button to navigate to the following estimation page.
https://copilot-billing-preview.github.com/
Once you upload the CSV file, the dashboard will be displayed.
How to Read the Overview
The most important section is the Overview on the top page.
You can compare old and new billing amounts based on last month's (April 2026) usage.
- Old specification: Current billing (PRUs)
- New specification: Usage-based billing (AICs)
There are two important notes:
- More promotional credits for the transition period will be provided from June through August
- The simulation is calculated based on these promotional credits (Promotional amounts are used in this simulation), so billing after September will increase
The four items listed on the new specification side allow you to understand your organization's billing structure.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Consumed AICs | AIC consumption amount ($) converted from April usage |
| Included AICs | Amount offset from pooled AICs. If Consumed is below the Pool, equals the Consumed amount |
| Additional usage | Usage-based charges for amounts exceeding the Pool |
| License cost | Fixed cost of seat count × seat price (incurred even with zero usage) |
| Total | License cost + Additional usage |
The following relationships apply:
- Consumed AICs (tokens consumed) = Included AICs (amount offset from promotional credits) + Additional usage (out-of-pocket amount)
- Total = Additional usage + License cost
Calculating usage costs after the promotion ends is even simpler:
- Total = the greater of Consumed AICs or License cost
3 Pattern Estimation Examples
Here are three specific usage scenarios showing how the Overview actually appears for an organization with Copilot Business × 5 seats (dummy data created with Claude Code).
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Plan | Copilot Business |
| Pooled credits (during promo) | 5 × $30 = $150 |
| Pooled credits (after promo) | 5 × $19 = $95 |
| License | $19 × 5 = $95 |
For convenience, Pooled AICs has been added to the table even though it does not appear on the Overview page.
Case 1: No Usage at All
As an extreme case, consider a scenario where GitHub Copilot is not used at all.
| Item | Usage-based billing (AICs) |
|---|---|
| Consumed AICs | $0.00 |
| Included AICs | $0.00 |
| Pooled AICs | $150.00 |
| Additional usage | $0.00 |
| License cost | $95.00 |
| Total (license + additional) | $95.00 |
Since Consumed is $0, the entire Pool remains unused. The License cost is the payment amount as-is.
After the promotion ends, you will continue to pay the full License cost.
Case 2: Within Credits During Promo Period, but Out-of-Pocket Afterward
This assumes a team with a few heavy users that currently manages within the license cost.
| Item | Usage-based billing (AICs) |
|---|---|
| Consumed AICs | $120.00 |
| Included AICs | -$120.00 |
| Pooled AICs | $150.00 |
| Additional usage | $0.00 |
| License cost | $95.00 |
| Total (license + additional) | $95.00 |
During the promo period, Consumed $120 falls within the Pool of $150, so no out-of-pocket costs (Additional usage) occur, and the total payment (Total) is the same as the License cost at $95.
After the promotion ends, the credit Pool decreases to $95 (same as the License cost), so the difference between Consumed AICs and License cost ($25) becomes an out-of-pocket expense.
Case 3: Out-of-Pocket Even During Promo Period
This assumes a team that actively uses GitHub Copilot.
| Item | Usage-based billing (AICs) |
|---|---|
| Consumed AICs | $400.00 |
| Included AICs | -$150.00 |
| Pooled AICs | $150.00 |
| Additional usage | $250.00 |
| License cost | $95.00 |
| Total (license + additional) | $345.00 |
During the promo period, even using the entire Pool ($150) is not enough to cover Consumed $400, resulting in $250 of out-of-pocket costs (Additional usage), bringing the total payment to $345.
After the promotion ends, the total payment becomes equal to Consumed AICs at $400, and the difference from License cost (= out-of-pocket) becomes $305.
How to Approach the GitHub Copilot Pricing Change
With the GitHub Copilot specification change, token consumption is now directly tied to usage costs.
The estimation tool (Billing Preview) not only calculates usage costs but also provides clues for cost optimization.
The Users page allows you to check PRU and AIC consumption by user.
Users with low PRU but high AIC consumption can be said to be effectively leveraging AI agents, but they are also cost drivers.
The Models page allows you to check model usage.
Are you solving everything with Claude Opus?
Make use of auto mode and similar features to use models appropriately for each task.
Note that with the migration to token-based billing, models with a 1M token (1 million token) context window will also become available. The tokens consumed will simply be reflected in the user's usage costs.
The Spend Insights page provides a bird's-eye view of usage.
The 2:6:2 rule (working ants principle) and the 2:8 rule (Pareto principle) are sure to come to mind.
Closing Remarks
Using GitHub's Billing Preview tool, you can estimate the monthly cost under the new billing based on April 2026 usage. Key points to check are as follows:
- Starting June 2026, GitHub Copilot will be billed on a token basis
- Use the Overview to estimate old and new (Current billing / Usage-based billing) charges
- This estimation tool is based on the promotional period when more credits are allocated
- Make sure to understand not only the costs during the promo period but also after it ends
During the transition period when more credits are allocated, explore ways to convert tokens into business value.
I thought it was very GitHub-like to make this estimation tool publicly available as OSS.
Until next time.