> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.equip.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How Credits Work

> How Equip's subscription credits work: plan allowances, top-ups, and pricing.

<Tip>
  Every Equip team is on a subscription plan (**Standard**, **Premium**, or **Elite**), each with its own monthly credit allowance. 1 credit = \$1 (or ₹95), the ATS is free on every plan, and credits never expire while your subscription is active. Need more than your plan includes? **Top up** any time at the same rate, with volume discounts on larger top-ups.
</Tip>

Every Equip team has a single shared **credit balance**. All team members see and spend from the same balance, and new teams start with **10 free credits at signup**, no card required, so you can assess real candidates before subscribing.

Every plan includes a monthly (or annual) credit allowance and a recruiter-seat limit.

## Subscribing to a Plan

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Billing page">
    Go to **Account > Billing** to see your team's subscription, credits remaining, and seats remaining.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a plan">
    New teams see a **Free Trial** tag next to "Subscription." Click **Choose a Plan** to open the [Pricing page](https://equip.co/pricing/).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select a plan and subscribe">
    Pick the plan and billing cycle you want, then click **Subscribe**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete payment">
    You're redirected to the **checkout page** to complete payment. Your plan, credits, and seat limit activate immediately after.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  The Billing page also shows **Credits Remaining**, **Seats**, and **Next Payment** at a glance, plus a **Paid Invoices** section. Once subscribed, a **Top-up Credits** button appears next to **Choose a Plan** for buying extra credits beyond your plan's allowance.
</Note>

## Credit Pricing

One credit costs **\$1** (USD) or **₹95** (INR). Your team's country determines the currency: teams in India are billed in Rupees, everyone else in US Dollars.

Different actions consume different amounts of credits:

| Action                                          | Credits                         |
| ----------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| **Assessment**                                  | 1 credit per candidate per test |
| **One-way AI Interview** (up to 20 questions)   | 1 credit per candidate          |
| **One-way AI Interview** (21 to 40 questions)   | 2 credits per candidate         |
| **Conversational AI Interview (Quick)**         | 2 credits per candidate         |
| **Conversational AI Interview (Comprehensive)** | 3 credits per candidate         |
| **Job Fit Score re-ranking**                    | 0.5 credits per candidate       |
| **Bulk CV import**                              | 0.01 credits per CV             |

The **ATS** itself, including job posts, the candidate pipeline, and your careers page, is completely free. Credits never expire, so anything in your balance stays available until you use it.

<Note>
  Exactly when a credit is deducted matters: for assessments, the first credit is deducted at invitation and later credits when the candidate starts each test. See [Credit Deduction Policy](/credit-deduction-policy) for the full rules and a worked example.
</Note>

## Volume Discounts

Topping up beyond your plan's allowance earns automatic discounts on larger purchases. There are no coupon codes to enter, the discount is automatically applied when you pay.

| Credits in one top-up | Discount |
| --------------------- | -------- |
| 500 or more           | 5%       |
| 1,000 or more         | 10%      |
| 2,000 or more         | 15%      |

## Topping Up Credits

Any team member can top up credits from the **Billing** page in the dashboard.

<Warning>
  Topping up requires an **active subscription**. If you're still on the free trial and click **Buy More**, you'll see "Credit top-ups need an active subscription" with a prompt to choose a plan first, no purchase form appears until you subscribe.
</Warning>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click Buy More">
    Click **Buy More** next to your credit balance in the sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the number of credits">
    Type how many credits you want. The minimum purchase is **10 credits** and the self-serve maximum is **5,000 credits** per purchase.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the cost">
    The page shows the cost before discount, the applicable discount, and the net cost. Teams in India can optionally enter a 15-character **GSTIN** so it appears on the invoice, and 18% GST is added to the discounted amount.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pay">
    Teams in India pay through a Razorpay payment link and can use UPI, NEFT, or credit and debit cards. All other teams pay through Stripe Checkout with Visa, Mastercard, or American Express; bank transfers are available for some countries.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Your credit balance updates automatically as soon as the payment succeeds. The invoice is emailed to the **Team Admin**, and anyone on the team can view billing history; see [Invoices](/invoices) for details.

<Note>
  Every deduction and purchase is recorded in the **Credit Usage** ledger under Account > Credit Usage, where you can also export the history as a CSV.
</Note>

## Low and Negative Balances

Equip lets your balance go slightly negative so an active hiring round is not interrupted midway, but there are limits:

| Balance   | What happens                                      |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Below 0   | Your team cannot see any candidate results        |
| Below -25 | Candidates can no longer attempt your assessments |

This also means the maximum number of candidates you can invite at any point is your current credit balance plus 25.

<Warning>
  A negative balance directly affects candidates: once it drops below negative 25, invited candidates are blocked from attempting. Top up before large invitation batches to protect the candidate experience.
</Warning>

To help you stay ahead, Equip emails the Team Admin a low-balance alert when the balance drops past **20 credits** and again past **5 credits**.

## Related Resources

* [Credit Deduction Policy](/credit-deduction-policy) - Exactly when each credit is deducted during an assessment
* [Reclaim Credits](/reclaim-credits) - Recover credits from invitations that were never used
* [Invoices](/invoices) - View and download invoices and receipts for your purchases