1# ChatGPT Work: usage and cost
2
3> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://learn.chatgpt.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to the page URL.
4
5ChatGPT Work helps employees complete multi-step tasks, such as researching a
6topic, analyzing information, or creating a finished document or presentation.
7Completing these tasks can require additional reasoning, tools, and processing,
8which may consume credits. Whether that usage affects your invoice depends on
9your remaining credits, contracted rates, and workspace overage settings.
10
11Use this guide to understand how Work affects usage, plan employee adoption,
12and apply the spending controls available to your organization.
13
14## Usage and cost at a glance
15
16- For eligible credit-based agreements, Work activity draws from a shared pool
17 of workspace credits.
18- Consuming committed credits differs from incurring new invoiced
19 charges.
20- Employees can use both Chat and Work; evaluate their combined eligible usage
21 when estimating adoption.
22- Role-based estimates support planning but aren't fixed per-user prices or
23 guaranteed billing amounts.
24- User usage limits and workspace overage limits are separate controls. Alerts
25 provide notice but don't stop spending.
26- Assess a rollout using your organization's observed usage and measurable
27 workflow outcomes.
28
29## Why Work uses credits
30
31For organizations with credit-based agreements, eligible Work activity consumes
32credits from the shared workspace allocation. Other eligible ChatGPT features
33can draw from the same allocation, so Work doesn't necessarily have a separate
34balance.
35
36Consumption varies with:
37
38- The model, execution environment, and applicable reasoning or speed settings.
39- The task's complexity and any eligible tools or features used—for example,
40 preparing a quarterly business review using CRM records, documents, or messages
41 from approved apps and systems the employee is authorized to access.
42- How frequently employees run tasks.
43
44Employees don't need to stop using Chat when they start using Work. To
45understand the change in total consumption, compare the same employees'
46earlier Chat usage with their combined Chat and Work usage over a comparable
47period.
48
49Your agreement and applicable rate card determine the credits each eligible
50activity consumes. Existing subscription or seat fees are separate from an
51estimate of credits consumed.
52
53## When usage affects your bill
54
55Whether eligible Work usage results in an additional charge depends on your
56agreement, remaining credits, and applicable billing settings. Using committed
57credits reduces your available balance but doesn't, by itself, create a new
58invoice charge:
59
60- **Committed credits remain:** Eligible activity draws down the available
61 credit allocation. Using those credits doesn't, by itself, create a new charge
62 beyond your existing agreement.
63- **No credits remain and your account permits overage:** Eligible usage can
64 continue within the configured workspace overage limit and may incur charges
65 at your contracted overage rate.
66- **No credits remain and your account doesn't permit overage:** Eligible
67 features can pause until credits become available or the applicable limit
68 changes.
69
70Overage behavior depends on both account eligibility and the configured
71workspace limit. If your agreement doesn't permit overages, eligible usage
72stops when no available credits remain. If your account permits overages, an
73unset limit can allow eligible usage beyond the credit balance. Where supported,
74an overage limit of zero prevents the workspace from continuing into overage,
75while **No limit** isn't a zero-spend cap.
76
77Usage reports and dollar estimates are planning or monitoring tools, not issued
78invoices. Some displayed estimates use the contracted overage rate, which can
79differ from the rate for committed credits. Confirm actual charges against the
80invoice, billing period, and terms in your organization's agreement.
81
82## Estimate usage for a role or team
83
84A role-based estimate can help plan adoption for employees with similar
85responsibilities, such as Finance, Marketing, or Sales. Start with the
86employees and workflows your organization expects to support.
87
88To develop an estimate:
89
901. Identify the proposed user group and a comparable period of existing Chat
91 activity.
922. Estimate combined Chat and Work consumption using observed pilot usage or an
93 approved, relevant role-based benchmark.
943. Review the remaining committed credit balance. Apply the appropriate
95 contracted rates for committed credits and, separately, any overage.
964. Determine whether projected usage stays within available credits or could
97 reach your contracted overage terms.
985. Update the estimate using actual adoption, task mix, and observed
99 consumption.
100
101An approved benchmark may reflect observed enterprise-customer usage and the
102actual mix of models used. Its usefulness depends on the comparison period,
103role classification, workflow, and account assumptions. A broad role-based
104estimate doesn't establish an industry-specific or task-specific benchmark.
105
106An **annualized consumed-credit estimate** projects observed usage value across
107a year. It isn't a separate Work license price, a standard per-user charge,
108OpenAI's infrastructure cost, or a prediction that your invoice will increase
109by the same amount. Actual incremental charges depend on remaining committed
110credits, contracted pricing, permitted overages, and the billing period.
111
112### Illustrative Marketing planning example
113
114An observed analysis of first-time enterprise Work adopters in Marketing showed
115the following changes in annualized consumed-credit value:
116
117- **Median:** Approximately **$53 per employee per year**.
118- **90th percentile:** Approximately **$1,154 per employee per year**.
119- **Average:** Approximately **$309 per employee per year**.
120
121The median represents the midpoint of observed individual usage. The average is
122higher because a smaller number of employees consume more credits. The 90th
123percentile describes an observed higher-usage threshold, not a spending cap or
124maximum.
125
126For **100 employees** with a similar mix of usage, applying the **$309
127per-employee average** represents approximately **$30,900 annually**, or
128**$2,575 per month as a planning equivalent**.
129
130These directional estimates reflect observed enterprise-customer usage and its
131actual model mix, annualized from one week of adoption-period usage. They
132aren't guaranteed savings, fixed per-user prices, automatic bills, or
133guaranteed increases to your invoice. Actual charges depend on remaining
134committed credits, contracted rates, and permitted overages.
135
136Your account team can help interpret approved estimates against your
137organization's agreement.
138
139## Administrator controls and reporting
140
141Workspace owners and administrators can use supported settings to manage access
142and eligible credit-based usage:
143
144- **Work access:** Choose which people or groups can access Work through the
145 permissions available to your workspace.
146- **Model and speed settings:** Where available, configure the starting Work &
147 Codex model, reasoning level, speed, and Fast Mode availability in Workspace
148 settings > Models. Fast Mode can consume more credits for supported models.
149- **User usage limits:** Set supported monthly workspace defaults, group
150 limits, or individual overrides to manage each user's eligible usage.
151- **Workspace overage limit:** Control how much eligible usage can continue
152 after the shared credit allocation runs out.
153- **Usage alerts:** In Billing, configure available usage thresholds and
154 recipients where supported. Alerts notify; they don't stop spending.
155- **Credit balance and reporting:** In Billing, review remaining credits and
156 download usage reports available to your role. Where your agreement includes
157 committed credits, compare observed usage with your contracted allocation and
158 billing period to assess pacing.
159- **Invoices:** Review issued invoices and the corresponding billing period
160 when your workspace role includes invoice access.
161
162An individual user override takes precedence over group and workspace defaults.
163When a person belongs to more than one group, the highest applicable group limit
164applies. A group without a configured limit doesn't impose a zero-credit cap.
165Check the effective limit for each pilot participant.
166
167Usage limits don't add credits or determine who can access Work. A model
168default or employee guidance can influence consumption, but neither replaces an
169enforced usage limit or workspace overage setting.
170
171Control availability, reporting detail, invoice access, and billing behavior
172depend on your plan, workspace configuration, and agreement. Reports might not
173reflect activity immediately; compare the report timestamp and billing period
174before reconciling usage with an invoice. For cross-product applicability and
175current setup procedures, see
176[ChatGPT usage limits and spend controls](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/enterprise/usage-limits).
177
178## Measure usage alongside outcomes
179
180Choose a recurring workflow with a clear existing baseline, such as account
181research, meeting preparation, or finance reporting. Use the access, tools,
182and model capabilities appropriate to the work rather than assuming every task
183requires the most advanced option.
184
185During a pilot, compare the same workflow before and after you introduce Work.
186Depending on the task, your organization might measure:
187
188- Time required to complete the work.
189- Output quality, completeness, or consistency.
190- Rework, manual coordination, or error rates.
191- Whether the team completed the intended deliverable.
192
193Review these customer-measured outcomes alongside observed credit consumption
194and any actual billing impact. Usage alone doesn't establish savings, and
195projected time improvements aren't guaranteed financial returns.
196
197## Start with a controlled rollout
198
199Before expanding access:
200
2011. Confirm your agreement, remaining credits, applicable rates, and overage
202 settings.
2032. Select a limited group and a workflow your organization can evaluate.
2043. Configure supported access permissions, user limits, alerts, and the
205 workspace overage limit.
2064. Compare combined Chat and Work consumption against the group's existing
207 baseline.
2085. Review observed outcomes and any actual billing impact before expanding the
209 rollout.
210
211For broader access, data, governance, and rollout guidance, see the
212[ChatGPT Work admin FAQ](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/enterprise/work-admin-faq). For
213contract-specific pricing, credit availability, and invoicing questions,
214contact your account team.
