# Claude API credits in Max and Team: how much and what to spend them on
> Max 5x gets $100, Max 20x gets $200 in Claude API credits per month, Team gets up to $500. How to claim them in Console and which agents to spend them on.
Source: https://ailoot.ai/blog/en/claude-max-team-monthly-api-credits/
Canonical: https://ailoot.ai/blog/en/claude-max-team-monthly-api-credits/
Language: en
Publisher: Ailoot (https://ailoot.ai/)
Translation: guide-062
Revision: sha256-233fb7a9a5d3442c663fa3e3052d5026ab65e49e5552023d4ae3b755d466a3de
Claude Max and Team subscribers now receive monthly Claude API credits: \$100 on Max 5x and \$200 on Max 20x, while Team gets \$20 per Standard seat and \$100 per Premium seat, up to \$500 in total. You can spend them on your own agents through the API and Agent SDK; they do not cover Claude Code in the terminal. In the estimate given here, the API is 20 times more expensive than a subscription, so the subscription remains the main way to work, while the credits are for things you cannot run through it.
No payment card is needed: you link one organization in Claude Console through your subscription settings, and the credits are deposited there.
Key takeaway
Max 5x receives \$100 in Claude API credits per month, Max 20x gets \$200, and Team gets \$20 per Standard seat and \$100 per Premium seat, with a combined cap of \$500. The credits cover the API, Playground, Managed Agents, and Agent SDK. They do not cover interactive Claude Code. Claim them at claude.ai through Billing \> API credits \> Link organization.
## How many API credits do Claude Max and Team receive?
| Plan | Monthly credits |
|----------------------|-----------------|
| Max 5x | \$100 |
| Max 20x | \$200 |
| Team, Standard seat | \$20 |
| Team, Premium seat | \$100 |
On Team, the credits from all seats go into one balance, capped at \$500 per month. For example, 3 Standard seats and 2 Premium seats give you \$260. Free, [Pro](https://ailoot.ai/blog/en/which-claude-plan/), and Enterprise are not included in the program.
What they cover:
- Claude API: Messages and Message Batches;
- Playground in Console;
- Claude Managed Agents;
- Claude Agent SDK.
What they do not cover:
- Claude Code in the terminal, IDE, desktop app, or web;
- extra usage beyond subscription limits in Claude, Claude Code, and Cowork;
- Claude through Bedrock, Vertex AI, and Foundry.
How many requests you can make with \$100 depends on the model. [A separate article](https://ailoot.ai/blog/en/api-token-usage-calculation/) explains how to calculate the budget.
Ailoot reference documentation: [ailoot.ai/docs/](https://ailoot.ai/docs/).
If you are building your own projects with AI agents, compare the connection method and budget in advance.
## How to claim the credits and what changes in your workflow
1. Check your permissions. On Max, you only need to be a subscriber; on Team, you need to be the Primary Owner or an Owner. In Console, you must have the Owner, Admin, or Billing role.
2. Open claude.ai \> Settings \> Billing. On Team, the path is different: Organization settings \> Billing.
3. Find the API credits section and click “Link organization.”
4. Select an organization in Claude Console or create a new one.
5. Accept the Supplemental Credit Terms.
Keep 3 things in mind before linking. You can link only one organization, and you cannot change it yourself—only support can do that—so choose the one where your agents will run. Credits refresh each billing period (monthly on an annual plan), do not roll over, and are spent before purchased credits. They are also shared by everyone who has an API key for that organization.
The key point for anyone running Claude Code from their own programs: `claude -p` and Agent SDK spend these credits only when launched with an API key from the linked organization. Signing in through a subscription, GitHub Action, the IDE extension, and the desktop app do not count. To try it, create a key in the linked organization and run your agent with it.
When setting up Hermes Agent, it helps to keep the installation instructions, a “which model for which task” table, and details of the subscriptions you use close at hand. The model table will help you choose a model for an agent using the credits.
Upgrade from Max 5x to 20x, and prorated credits arrive immediately. Cancel your subscription, and the credits already issued remain available until the end of their validity period.
## My view: the subscription remains the foundation; credits are for your own agents
The example here uses 3 Claude subscriptions at 200 dollars each, with agents running through the subscriptions. A subscription costing 200 dollars gives you roughly 4–6 thousand dollars' worth of resources if you use up all the monthly limits.
In the estimate given here, writing an article through the API would cost more than having a person write it—close to 100 dollars. So these credits will not replace a subscription, and there is no need to move to the API just to use them.
Credits have a place where subscriptions do not work: your own agent built with Agent SDK, overnight batch processing through Message Batches, or checking a prompt in Playground. Choose the model to suit the task: use inexpensive models for inexpensive operations, and more capable models for complex tasks.
An agent can send a request to the API, try again, then again and again, get caught in a loop, and burn through all your credits. So the first thing you must do is set a spending ceiling: a limit on the number of requests and on the amount spent. [A separate article](https://ailoot.ai/blog/en/ai-agent-burned-budget-claude-code/) covers other rules to set so your agent does not burn through the budget.
Free credits themselves act as this kind of ceiling. When they run out, requests stop until the next allocation, and nothing is charged to your subscription. Usage continues only if you have purchased credits or enabled auto-reload. Do not enable auto-reload until you understand how much your agent consumes. On Team, spending by project and person is capped using workspace spend limits in Console.
Which agent would you put \$100–200 in monthly API credits toward? You can continue exploring Ailoot at [ailoot.ai](https://ailoot.ai/).
### Frequently asked questions
Why can’t I see the credits in Billing?
New subscribers become eligible after 7 days on the plan, and the rollout takes several days.
Are these the same Agent SDK credits announced in June?
No, this is a different program. The credits from the June Agent SDK announcement are not available.
### Sources
- [Anthropic: Monthly API credits for Max and Team plans](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/17154008-monthly-api-credits-for-max-and-team-plans) — plan amounts, the Team cap, what is and is not covered, how to link an organization, roles, and the rules for issuing and expiring credits
## Questions about Claude API credits in Max and Team: how much and what to spend them on
### Will linking the credits pay for my interactive Claude Code subscription usage?
No. The credits cover API-based work in the linked Console organization. Interactive Claude Code through a subscription and extra subscription usage are excluded; API-key launches use the organization’s API balance.
### What should I check before linking an organization?
Choose the Console organization where the API agents will run and confirm your billing permissions. Only one organization can be linked, credits are shared by its API keys, and changing the link requires support; check purchased credits and auto-reload before treating free credits as a spending boundary.
## Ailoot · The company and its project portfolio
Ailoot combines established operating experience, a large client base, stable service and ongoing KPI control.
The company and its project portfolio: millions of customers; monthly sales in the billions.
Ailoot brings that operating experience to API access for AI features in customer products, agents, applications and automations.