> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ascienth.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Billing > Understand how Ascienth charges for servers, floating IPs, and snapshots. Ascienth uses a straightforward usage-based billing model: you only pay for the resources you actually use. Servers are billed by the hour from the moment they are created until the moment they are deleted, with no long-term commitments or upfront costs required. This page explains how charges accumulate, what resources are billable, and how to keep track of your spending. ## How Billing Works Every server on Ascienth accrues charges on an hourly basis. The clock starts the instant your server is provisioned and stops when you permanently delete it. Powering off or shutting down a server does **not** stop billing since the underlying infrastructure (CPU allocation, RAM, and SSD storage) remains reserved for your account until the server is deleted. Each server plan has a fixed hourly rate derived from its resource configuration (vCPUs, RAM, and storage). You can always view the per-hour cost of a plan on the server creation page before you commit. When you create a resource, the first hour is always billed, rounded up to the nearest whole cent. Shutting down a server stops it from running but does not release its resources. To stop being charged for a server, you must delete it from the dashboard. ## Monthly Billing Cap Ascienth applies a **monthly cap** to each server. The maximum you will ever be charged for a single server in a given calendar month is the server's monthly rate. If a server runs for the full month, the charge will never exceed this cap, even in months with 31 days. We base our billing on 672 hours per month. Thus, if you have a \$8 per month server, it will be \$8/672 = \~\$0.0119. We round to 4 decimal places. ## What Is Billed Ascienth bills for the following resource types: **Servers** Each server is billed at its plan's hourly rate for every hour (or partial hour) it exists. Charges appear as individual line items on your invoice, broken down per server. **Floating IPs** Floating IPs are billed hourly regardless of whether they are attached to a running server. If you reserve a floating IP but do not assign it, charges still apply. To stop being billed for a floating IP, release it from your account. **Snapshots** Snapshots are billed on a per-GB-month basis (\$0.005/GB). The charge is calculated from the **allocated** storage of virtual machine and prorated to the hour. Snapshots retained for a full calendar month are billed at the full per-GB-month rate. Regularly audit your snapshots under **Storage → Snapshots** and delete any you no longer need. Snapshot storage costs can accumulate quietly over time, especially for large servers. ## Billing Cycle Ascienth operates on a monthly billing cycle. On the **1st of each month**, an invoice is automatically generated covering all resource usage from the previous calendar month. Your default payment method is charged at that time. You can view a real-time running total of charges accrued in the current billing period at any time by taking a look at the **Draft** invoice, there is no need to wait for the monthly invoice. ## Credits and Promotions Ascienth occasionally issues account credits as part of promotional offers, referral programs, or goodwill adjustments. Credits are applied automatically to your next invoice before your payment method is charged. If a credit fully covers the invoice amount, no charge is made to your card. Credits are non-transferable, have no cash value, and expire if your account is closed. Promotional credits may carry additional terms, such as an expiry date or restriction to specific resource types. ## Related Pages * [Invoices](/docs/billing/invoices) — How to view, download, and understand your monthly invoices. * [Payment Methods](/docs/billing/payment-methods) — How to add, update, and manage your payment methods.