VPC charge on free tier

Question

Hello, I hope someone can help me
Yesterday I noticed that a cost started to generate in my AWS console, and it seems strange since I am supposed to be in the free tier and I have only had the account for a week, and the cost says it is per vpc for public IPv4 but I understand that the free tier includes 750 hours per month so I don't understand the reason for the charge.
I already raised a ticket with support yesterday but they still haven't responded.

And the weirdest thing is that my EC2 instances
I stopped them, even yesterday they were only running for about 1 hour or less and in the bills section yesterday they showed 44 hours and today 128 which doesn't make sense
![](/media/postImages/original/IMtFZPVSpjTxOEeZi12DLFGA)

![](/media/postImages/original/IMzKxnB25iTtCgTts41D0MFA)

Riku_Kobayashi · Answer

Hello.

You can check whether there are any remaining public IPv4 addresses in your AWS account by following the steps in the blog below.  
I think it would be a good idea to check once by following these steps.  
https://aws.amazon.com/jp/blogs/aws/new-aws-public-ipv4-address-charge-public-ip-insights/  
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/ipam/view-public-ip-insights.html

re:Post Agent · Answer

Based on the information provided, it appears you're experiencing a common issue that many AWS Free Tier users encounter. While the AWS Free Tier does include 750 hours of EC2 usage per month for certain instance types, there are some important details to consider regarding VPC and public IPv4 addresses:

1. Public IPv4 addresses: The Free Tier now includes 750 hours of free Public IPv4 addresses when launching EC2 instances. However, if you have public IPv4 addresses attached to non-EC2 resources (like NAT Gateways or Load Balancers), these may incur charges.

2. VPC itself is generally free, but certain associated resources can lead to charges.

3. The discrepancy in EC2 hours (44 hours yesterday, 128 hours today) despite stopping instances is unusual and warrants further investigation.

To address these issues:

1. Check if you have any public IPv4 addresses attached to non-EC2 resources. These could be causing the VPC-related charges.

2. Review your EC2 usage in detail to understand why the hours are increasing even when instances are stopped.

3. Use the AWS Cost Explorer to break down charges by service, usage type, and API operation. This can help identify the exact source of unexpected costs.

4. Continue to follow up on your support ticket for a more detailed explanation of your specific account's charges.

5. Consider setting up AWS Budgets with alerts to notify you if usage exceeds expected thresholds.

Remember, even on the Free Tier, it's crucial to monitor your usage carefully to avoid unexpected charges. The AWS Billing Console can provide more detailed information about your free tier usage status and any limits you may have exceeded.  
**Sources**  
[VPC charges on free tier | AWS re:Post](https://repost.aws/questions/QUpTpoaQwGT_GTTlCxmkgSQA/vpc-charges-on-free-tier)  
[why I have a got charged for a public IPv4 address of vpc in free tier | AWS re:Post](https://repost.aws/questions/QUbh-OCNV7SDa9u_rndFe3Xw/why-i-have-a-got-charged-for-a-public-ipv4-address-of-vpc-in-free-tier)  
[Charged for AWS despite using Free tier | AWS re:Post](https://repost.aws/questions/QUAzfwlMf3Qi6fMukKHh_U3w/charged-for-aws-despite-using-free-tier)  
[Abnormal Billing for the Free Resources | AWS re:Post](https://repost.aws/questions/QUb1cE7FgATVyBgDzCH0uxag/abnormal-billing-for-the-free-resources)

VPC charge on free tier

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