How are Amazon EC2 instance-hours billed?

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I want to know how I am billed for my Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instances.

Resolution

Your Amazon EC2 usage is calculated by either the hour or the second based on the size of the instance, operating system, and the AWS Region where the instances are launched. Pricing is per instance-hour consumed for each instance, from the time an instance is launched until it's terminated or stopped.

  • Each partial instance-hour consumed is billed per-second for instances launched in Linux, Windows, or Windows with SQL Enterprise, SQL Standard, or SQL Web instances.
  • Each partial instance-hour is billed as a full hour for all other instance types.

When reviewing your Amazon EC2 usage, consider the following:

  • If your instance is billed by the hour, then you're billed for a minimum of one hour each time a new instance is started—that is, when the instance enters the running state.
  • If your instance is billed by the second, then you're billed for a minimum of 60 seconds each time a new instance is started—that is, when the instance enters the running state.
  • An instance stays in the running state while being rebooted.
  • If your instance is stopped and started, the AWS accounting mechanism charges more units in the hour that the instance is stopped and started. You're then billed fewer units in the hour the instance is terminated so that your overall billing remains unaffected.
  • Instances that are in any other state aren't billed.

For more information on instance pricing based on purchase options, see Amazon EC2 pricing.

If you purchase an Amazon EC2 Reserved Instance, then the terms of your Reserved Instance contract can modify the way that you're billed. For more information, see What is an Amazon EC2 Reserved Instance?

If you signed up for Savings Plans, then see Savings Plans FAQ.


Related information

Amazon EC2 FAQs

Why am I charged for Amazon EC2 when all my instances were terminated?

How are charges for Amazon EBS volumes calculated on my bill?

AWS OFFICIAL
AWS OFFICIALUpdated 2 years ago