Slack's fair billing policy

Most enterprise software pricing is designed to charge you per user, regardless of how many people on your team are actively using it. At Slack, we believe that you should only be billed for what you use.

The short version

• Our fair billing policy applies to Slack subscriptions and add-ons purchased via the Slack website and paid for by credit card or self-service bank transfer. This includes the Slack AI add-on.
• When you purchase a paid subscription for your workspace, you’ll be billed for all active members. 
• Any changes to the number of active members in your workspace will be reflected in your next billing statement. If someone that you’ve already paid for becomes inactive, we’ll add a prorated credit to your account for the unused time and this will be reflected on your next billing statement.
• If all members become inactive, you'll be billed for a minimum of one member, unless you decide to downgrade to the free version of Slack.

How you're billed for members

On paid subscriptions, you’re billed for all the members of your workspace that are actively using Slack. Certain types of members are paid, while others are free.

Paid

• Workspace owners
• Workspace admins
• Full members
• Multi-channel guests

Free

• Single-channel guests
• Bots

Note: When an invited member accepts their invitation to join your workspace, they'll be billed as an active member starting that day.

Adding new members during your billing period

If you’re on a paid subscription and add new members partway through the billing period, we’ll only charge for the time used. We’ll keep track of this for you, and bill you accordingly. 

• If you pay monthly by credit card, we'll calculate the pro rata cost and bill you the following month for any new members added. 
• If you pay annually by credit card, we'll calculate the pro rata cost for the rest of the year, and bill you at the end of the month for any new members added. 
• If you pay annually by bank transfer and your workspace grows beyond the members that you’ve already paid for, we’ll send you an invoice once per calendar quarter to settle any outstanding balances.

Example

Your workspace is on the Pro subscription and you're paying monthly, $8.75 USD per member. Ten days into your billing period, you add a new member. There are 20 days remaining in your monthly billing period.

How you’re billed

To calculate the pro rata cost for adding a new member, we’d divide the cost per member by the number of days in the month, then multiply by the remaining number of days in the month: ($8.75 ÷ 30 days) x (20 days) = $5.83

Note that billing calculations for Slack add-ons (e.g. Slack AI) are handled the same way.

How inactive and deactivated members affect billing

Paid members are only billable if they’re actively using Slack. Slack will automatically detect if members become inactive, and if that happens, we'll add prorated credits* to your Slack account. Those credits will be applied towards future payments, such as new members being added to your workspace or your next renewal date.

Example

Your workspace is on the Pro subscription and you're paying monthly, $8.75 per member. Fifteen days into your billing period, a member is deactivated. There are 15 days remaining in your monthly billing period.

How you’re credited

To calculate your pro rata credit amount, we’d divide the cost per member by the number of days in the month, then multiply by the remaining number of days in the month: ($8.75 ÷ 30 days) x (15 days) = $4.38

Note that credit calculations for Slack add-ons (e.g. Slack AI) are handled the same way.

Inactive vs active member accounts

In the table below, we've outlined how members are determined to be active or inactive in Slack, and the resulting billing action. 

Account activity	Status	Billing action
A member hasn't used Slack in over 28 days	Inactive	Credits will be deposited to your Slack account for the unused portion of the billing period
An inactive member starts using Slack again	Active	We'll automatically detect the change and charge the pro rata cost for the days remaining in the billing period
A member is deactivated by a workspace owner or admin	Inactive	Credits will be deposited to your Slack account the next day for the unused portion of the billing period
A deactivated member is reactivated by a workspace owner or admin	Active	We’ll automatically detect the change and charge the pro rata cost for the days remaining in the billing period

*Credits have no currency or exchange value, are non-transferable and non-refundable, and will expire following the termination of your paid Slack subscription.

When you'll see credit card charges

You'll see the first credit card charge from Slack on the day that you purchase a paid subscription. Here are some other times that you'll see charges:

• On your monthly renewal date if you pay monthly.
• On your annual renewal date if you pay annually.
• On the last day of the month if you pay annually and there’s an outstanding balance for adding new members.