How do I claim the monthly API credits included with Claude Max or Team?
Claude Max 5x gets $100/month, Max 20x $200 and Team up to $500 in API credits. How to claim, what they cover (not Claude Code), and when they expire.
Since Oct 7, 2026, Claude Max and Team plans include monthly Claude API credits. Max 5x gets $100, Max 20x $200, and Team up to $500 pooled. Claim them on claude.ai: Settings > Billing (Max) or Organization settings > Billing (Team), then link a Claude Console organization. They cover the Claude API, Managed Agents, the Agent SDK and Playground — not Claude Code. Unused credits expire at the end of each billing cycle and don't roll over. Checked against Anthropic's credits doc on 2026-10-08.
How much you get
| Plan | Monthly credit |
|---|---|
| Max 5x | $100 USD |
| Max 20x | $200 USD |
| Team, Standard seat | $20 USD per seat |
| Team, Premium seat | $100 USD per seat |
| Discounted Team (Nonprofit, Scientists) | Same as Team |
On Team, credits for all seats are pooled into one monthly balance, capped at $500. The amount for each month is based on seats at the start of that billing month. Anthropic's example: three Standard seats and two Premium seats = $260; adding another Premium seat raises the next month to $360.
Who's eligible, and which roles you need
Eligible: Max 5x, Max 20x and Team (including discounted Team), with the plan active and in good standing. New subscribers can claim after 7 days on an eligible plan. Plans bought through Claude for iOS or Android are eligible — claim on claude.ai in a web browser.
Not eligible: Free, Pro and Enterprise.
| Where | Required role |
|---|---|
| Claude plan | Max: the subscriber · Team: Primary Owner or Owner |
| Claude Console organization | Owner, Admin or Billing |
No Console organization yet? Create one at platform.claude.com first, or during the claim flow.
Claim the credits in 3 steps
-
Open billing settings. On claude.ai, go to Settings > Billing on a Max plan, or Organization settings > Billing on a Team plan.
-
Link a Console organization. In the API credits section, choose the Console organization that should receive the credits, then accept the program terms by linking.
-
Start building. Credits appear in the Console under Settings > Billing → Promotional credits. Create an API key and make a first request.
Each plan links to one Console organization, and each organization can receive credits from one plan. You can't change the linked organization yourself — contact support. Pick the org you'll actually build in. No payment method is required on Claude Platform.
If you don't see the API credits section, you're either not eligible, or the feature hasn't reached your account yet. Anthropic said on Oct 7 that the credits would roll out to Max and Team subscribers "this week." Contact support if you think you should have them.
What the credits cover (and what they don't)
| Covered | Not covered |
|---|---|
| Claude API | Claude Code |
| Claude Managed Agents | Extra usage in the Claude apps |
| Claude Agent SDK | Claude Platform on AWS, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, Microsoft Foundry |
| Playground |
These credits don't pay for Claude Code sessions — for that, see Claude Code pricing. They also don't change your usage limits in Claude or Claude Code (Claude usage limits).
The credits doc doesn't list per-model restrictions. Anthropic's Oct 7 Haiku 5.5 announcement says the credits "can be used on any of our models."
Expiry, rollover and spend limits
- Credits arrive each billing cycle, shortly after plan payment. On annual plans they arrive monthly.
- Included credits are spent first, then purchased credits. Auto-reload looks only at the purchased balance.
- Unused credits expire at the end of each billing cycle (or monthly for annual plans) and don't roll over.
- Every API key and workspace in the linked org shares the same balance. Cap a project with a workspace spend limit.
- Usage paid with credits counts toward the org's monthly spend cap. Spend caps reset on the 1st of the calendar month; credits refresh on your billing cycle.
- Linked orgs move up to at least the Start tier. Credits over $200/month move the org to at least the Build tier. Claiming credits doesn't otherwise raise your usage tier.
When the credits run out
If the org has purchased credits, requests continue on those. With nothing left, API requests stop until the next monthly credit. Usage is never charged to your Claude plan. Sales-invoiced orgs are billed as usual beyond the credits.
API error (verbatim from the doc):
Your credit balance is too low to access the Anthropic API. Please go to Plans & Billing to upgrade or purchase credits.
Claude Code, when an org holds only these credits (verbatim):
Credit balance too low · Add funds: https://platform.claude.com/settings/billing
If your plan changes
| Change | What happens |
|---|---|
| Cancel, downgrade to an ineligible plan, or refund | New credits stop when the plan ends. Credits you already have stay usable until they expire. |
| Max 5x → Max 20x | Prorated credits right away, then $200 each cycle. On Google Play, the $200 arrives by the next renewal at the latest. |
| Max → Team | The Max link ends. A Team owner claims after the Team plan has been active 7 days. |
| Add or remove Team seats | New seats count from the next billing month; removed seats stay until renewal. The pool stays capped at $500. |
Stretch the credits
- Pick a model that fits each task (Claude pricing).
- Use prompt caching for repeated context.
- Use the Message Batches API for work that doesn't need an immediate response — it costs 50% less.
- Track spend on the Console Cost page.
FAQ
How much API credit do Max and Team include?
Max 5x: $100. Max 20x: $200. Team: $20 per Standard seat and $100 per Premium seat, pooled and capped at $500.
Do the credits roll over?
No. They expire at the end of each billing cycle (or monthly for annual plans).
Can I use them for Claude Code?
No. The coverage table lists Claude Code as not covered. Claude Code shows "Credit balance too low" when the org only has these credits.
Why don't I see the API credits section?
You're not on an eligible plan, you're still inside the 7-day wait, the plan isn't in good standing, or the rollout hasn't reached you yet. Contact support if you think you should be eligible.
Can I change which Console org receives the credits?
Not yourself. Contact support. Link the org you plan to build in from the start.
Sources (accessed 2026-10-08, ~08:13 CEST)
- API credits for Max and Team plans — amounts, eligibility, claim steps, coverage, expiry, errors, plan changes
- Claude Platform release notes (Oct 7, 2026) — launch date for the credits program
- Anthropic: Claude Haiku 5.5 (Oct 7, 2026) — rollout wording and "any of our models" (context only)
Related: Claude plans and pricing · Claude Code pricing · Claude usage limits · Prompt caching