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GitHub Copilot Pro currently includes 1,500 AI credits per month: 1,000 base credits plus a 500-credit flex allotment. Credits are a dollar-linked usage budget, not a fixed allowance of prompts. The amount an interaction uses depends on the model and the input, output, and cached tokens involved, so a short chat and a multi-step agent task can have very different costs.
This guide reflects GitHub’s documentation as accessed October 7, 2026. Some existing annual Pro subscribers may still be on legacy premium-request billing, so check the account’s billing model before applying the credit figures.
What are GitHub AI Credits?
GitHub defines one AI credit as $0.01 USD. For usage-based billing, the credit cost of an interaction is calculated from the model used and the tokens processed, including input, output, and cached tokens. It is therefore not accurate to treat one prompt as one credit, or to promise a set number of prompts from a monthly allowance.
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GitHub documents the credit value and billing approach in its GitHub Copilot billing overview and its usage-based billing guide for individuals.
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How many AI credits does Copilot Pro include?
GitHub’s current individual plan table lists Copilot Pro at $10 USD per month with 1,500 monthly AI credits. The total consists of 1,000 base credits and a 500-credit flex allotment. GitHub describes the flex portion as variable, intended to adapt to model pricing, new models, and efficiency changes; treat the 1,500 total as the currently documented allowance rather than a permanent guarantee.
| Individual plan | Documented monthly price | Monthly AI credits | Base and flex composition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copilot Pro | $10 USD | 1,500 | 1,000 base + 500 flex |
| Copilot Pro+ | $39 USD | 7,000 | Not stated in GitHub’s cited plan table |
| Copilot Max | $100 USD | 20,000 | Not stated in GitHub’s cited plan table |
These are GitHub’s listed plan figures, accessed October 7, 2026; they are not independent usage measurements or forecasts. GitHub’s table also includes Free and Student plans, but the cited paid-plan rows do not quantify their allowances. Check the live individual billing page for current amounts.
What uses Copilot AI credits?
GitHub lists these features as using AI credits:
- Copilot Chat
- Copilot CLI
- Copilot cloud agent
- Copilot Spaces
- Spark
- Third-party coding agents
Code completions and next edit suggestions are not billed in AI credits and remain unlimited on paid plans. This distinction matters when explaining usage: frequent inline completions are different from chat or agent activity that invokes models.
Why does credit use vary?
Credit use depends on model cost and token volume. Longer conversations and larger context can require more tokens; higher-cost models can cost more; and an agent task may make multiple model calls rather than one. GitHub does not publish a representative guaranteed credit estimate for a typical engineering task in the cited sources, so a team should use actual usage data rather than translate credits into a fixed number of chats, code changes, or agent runs.
Auto model selection and cost
GitHub states that paid plan users receive a 10% discount on model costs when using auto model selection in Copilot Chat, CLI, the GitHub Copilot app, or cloud agent. This is a documented cost reduction, not a claim that auto selection will always choose the best model for a particular code-quality need. See GitHub’s billing documentation for applicable products and current terms.
When do Copilot credits reset?
Included credits do not roll over. GitHub says they reset at 00:00:00 UTC on the first day of each calendar month, regardless of the subscription’s billing date. The usage dashboard shows credits available and used; engineers and budget owners can use it to monitor consumption during the month.
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What happens when an individual runs out?
Once the included allowance is exhausted, GitHub documents three choices for an individual: upgrade to another plan, set a budget for additional usage, or wait for the monthly reset. Additional usage may be capped, so do not assume it is enabled or unlimited. The account owner should verify the available budget controls and allowance in the billing interface before relying on paid continuation.
Is every Copilot Pro account on AI-credit billing?
No. GitHub says usage-based billing replaced request-based billing on June 1, 2026. Some existing annual Pro and Pro+ subscribers who remained on legacy billing continue to track premium requests and model multipliers until their annual plan ends. That is a limited transition exception; do not use the AI-credit plan table to explain an account until its billing status is confirmed. GitHub describes the transition and options for affected subscriptions in What changed with Copilot billing (legacy).
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How should engineering leaders explain and manage the allowance?
- Separate interactive chat from multi-step agent work when discussing usage; the latter can involve multiple calls and greater token use.
- Use the usage dashboard to check credits used and remaining rather than estimating from prompt counts.
- Consider auto model selection as a documented discount option in supported products, while making model choice according to task requirements.
- Confirm whether the account is on legacy annual billing before describing credits or exhaustion behavior.
- Check GitHub’s live documentation before updating IDE or extension guidance. GitHub warns that older clients can show incorrect pricing or usage, outdated terminology, or miss alerts; the cited source does not establish a current minimum version.
For organizational and enterprise accounts, GitHub’s billing overview says credits may be pooled at the billing-entity level. The cited pages do not establish current detailed allocation rules or controls for organizations, so an individual Pro allowance should not be assumed to describe a team’s pooled budget.
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