Claude Code Billing in 2026: Subscription Usage vs the Agent Credit Pool
Last verified: June 13, 2026
Claude Code has two billing models, and which one applies depends on how you run it, not just which plan you hold. When you use Claude Code interactively in the terminal or IDE on a Pro or Max plan, it draws from the same subscription usage limits as your Claude.ai chats. But starting June 15, 2026, Anthropic separates out programmatic usage: the Claude Agent SDK, the claude -p headless command, the Claude Code GitHub Actions integration, and third-party apps that authenticate through the Agent SDK will no longer count against your interactive subscription pool. Instead they draw from a new, separate monthly Agent SDK credit, billed at standard API rates. This page documents both models, the exact credit amounts per plan, and the SDK package rename you may also need to handle.
The two billing models at a glance
The dividing line is interactive vs. programmatic. One number to remember: setting an ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable overrides your subscription entirely — Claude Code then authenticates with that key and bills as pay-as-you-go API usage, regardless of plan.
Usage type
How it runs
Billed against
Interactive Claude Code
Terminal or IDE, human at the keyboard
Pro/Max subscription usage limits
Claude.ai chat
Web, desktop, mobile
Pro/Max subscription usage limits
Agent SDK (Python/TypeScript)
Your own programmatic projects
Separate Agent SDK credit (from June 15, 2026)
claude -p (non-interactive)
Headless / scripted Claude Code
Separate Agent SDK credit (from June 15, 2026)
Claude Code GitHub Actions
CI/CD automation
Separate Agent SDK credit (from June 15, 2026)
Any usage with ANTHROPIC_API_KEY set
API-key auth instead of subscription
Standard API rates (pay-as-you-go)
What changes on June 15, 2026
Per Anthropic’s support documentation: “Starting June 15, 2026, Claude Agent SDK and claude -p usage no longer counts toward your Claude plan’s usage limits.” Each subscription tier instead receives a fixed monthly Agent SDK credit. When that credit runs out, additional Agent SDK usage flows to usage credits at standard API rates — but only if you have enabled usage credits. If you have not, “Agent SDK requests stop until your credit refreshes.” Unused credits do not roll over to the next billing cycle, and there is no automatic fallback to the interactive pool.
Plan
Monthly Agent SDK credit
Pro
$20
Max 5x
$100
Max 20x
$200
Team (Standard seats)
$20
Team (Premium seats)
$100
Enterprise (seat-based Premium)
$200
What stays on the interactive subscription pool, unchanged: Claude conversations on web, desktop, and mobile; and interactive Claude Code in the terminal or IDE. The change is scoped strictly to programmatic execution.
How each pool is metered and priced
Claude Code “charges by API token consumption” — the underlying meter is input/output tokens, including thinking tokens billed as output. On a subscription, that token consumption is what counts against your plan limits (interactive) or your Agent SDK credit (programmatic). The Agent SDK credit and any overflow are billed at standard API list rates; the per-model API token prices below are the verified current rates.
Pool
Meter
Price basis
Interactive (Pro/Max)
Tokens, against plan usage limits
Included in subscription
Agent SDK credit
Tokens, against monthly credit
Standard API rates
Overflow past the credit
Tokens, usage credits
Standard API rates (only if usage credits enabled)
API key (ANTHROPIC_API_KEY)
Tokens, pay-as-you-go
Standard API rates
Verified current API token prices (per million tokens) for models commonly used in Claude Code:
Model
Model ID
Input $/Mtok
Output $/Mtok
Claude Opus 4.8
claude-opus-4-8
$5.00
$25.00
Claude Sonnet 4.6
claude-sonnet-4-6
$3.00
$15.00
Claude Haiku 4.5
claude-haiku-4-5
$1.00
$5.00
Subscription plan prices
These are the published Claude plan prices the Agent SDK credits attach to. The Max 5x plan starts at $100/month; the $200 figure for Max 20x is documented as the matching Agent SDK credit amount for that tier.
Plan
Price
Free
$0
Pro
$20/month, or $17/month billed annually ($200 up front)
Max 5x
From $100/month
Team (Standard seat)
$25/seat/month, or $20/seat/month billed annually
The SDK rename: claude-code-sdk to claude-agent-sdk
Separate from billing, the SDK itself was renamed. Anthropic’s migration guide states: “The Claude Code SDK has been renamed to the Claude Agent SDK.” If you have code on the old package, you must update the package name, imports, and one Python type. The headless CLI command name is unchanged — it is still claude -p.
Aspect
Old
New
npm package (TS/JS)
@anthropic-ai/claude-code
@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk
Python package
claude-code-sdk
claude-agent-sdk
Python options type
ClaudeCodeOptions
ClaudeAgentOptions
Default system prompt
Claude Code’s preset
Minimal (opt back in via preset: "claude_code")
TypeScript
npm uninstall @anthropic-ai/claude-code npm install @anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk
Python
pip uninstall claude-code-sdk pip install claude-agent-sdk
Decision: which billing path applies to your work
If you are…
Billing path
A developer coding interactively in the terminal
Subscription usage limits (unchanged)
Running claude -p in a script or cron job
Agent SDK credit (from June 15, 2026)
Running Claude Code in GitHub Actions
Agent SDK credit (from June 15, 2026)
Building an app on the Agent SDK with subscription auth
Agent SDK credit (from June 15, 2026)
A team or service account wanting budgets + usage reports
Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY → standard API billing
Does interactive Claude Code billing change on June 15, 2026?
No. Anthropic’s documentation confirms interactive Claude Code in the terminal or IDE, and Claude conversations on web, desktop, and mobile, continue using subscription usage limits as before. Only programmatic usage — the Agent SDK, claude -p, GitHub Actions, and third-party Agent SDK apps — moves to the separate Agent SDK credit.
How much is the separate Agent SDK credit?
$20/month on Pro, $100 on Max 5x, $200 on Max 20x, $20 on Team Standard seats, $100 on Team Premium seats, and $200 on Enterprise seat-based Premium. The credit is billed at standard API rates, does not roll over, and refreshes monthly.
What happens when the Agent SDK credit runs out?
Additional Agent SDK usage flows to usage credits at standard API rates — but only if you have enabled usage credits. If you have not enabled them, Agent SDK requests stop until your credit refreshes. There is no automatic fallback to your interactive subscription pool.
How do I avoid the credit pool entirely?
Set an ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable. Claude Code and the Agent SDK then authenticate with that key and bill as standard pay-as-you-go API usage, separate from any subscription. This is Anthropic’s recommended path for apps, CI jobs, service accounts, and team-owned projects that need budgets and usage reporting.
Was the Claude Code SDK renamed?
Yes. It is now the Claude Agent SDK. The npm package @anthropic-ai/claude-code became @anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk, the Python package claude-code-sdk became claude-agent-sdk, and the Python type ClaudeCodeOptions became ClaudeAgentOptions. The claude -p CLI command name is unchanged.
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