Directory charges on my account

I had the same problem. Charges starting December 24, 2023. Here's the response I got from support:

Hello there,

Thank you for your patience while we reviewed your case. I received an update from the service team.

On December 1st 2023, AWS completed the removal of Amazon WorkDocs site(s) without any active End Users registered on the Active Directory. Without a WorkDocs site, the AWS Directory Service directory(ies) no longer qualified for free usage under the free tier plan hence you were billed in December 2023, January 2024 and February 2024 as per public documentation. 

Below you can find the a copy of the email that was sent by AWS with the notification of the changes:
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Email Subject

[ACTION REQUIRED] Changes to your Amazon WorkDocs site(s) and associated AWS Directory Service directory(ies)
Email Body

Starting on November 29, 2023, we will be deleting your Amazon WorkDocs site(s) because it has no active End Users. Additionally, without a WorkDocs site, your current AWS Directory Service directory(ies) will no longer qualify for free usage and we will begin charging you for the AWS Directory Service directory(ies) in your AWS account. The following FAQ's are outlined to assist with understanding on why you will start being charged and to learn how to avoid paying additional charges if you no longer require your AWS Directory Service directory(ies).

Why am I receiving this email?
As of October 31, 2023, you have no End Users marked "Active" within the Amazon WorkDocs Administrator Dashboard for more than 30 days. We provided the directories for use with Amazon WorkDocs at no additional cost but in order to qualify for free directory usage, you must have an Amazon WorkDocs site. Because your Amazon WorkDocs site is being deleted for lack of active End Users, you no longer qualify for free directory usage and on November 29, 2023, we will begin billing you for the associated AWS Directory Service directory(ies).

Why does my AWS account have a directory?
The directory may have been created automatically to facilitate your use of the Amazon WorkDocs site, or you may have created the directory separately.

What action should I take?
To avoid the deletion of your Amazon WorkDocs site(s) or additional AWS Directory Service charges to your account, please see the following two options:

    If you would like to keep your Amazon WorkDocs site, please activate End Users for your site and have them start using the Amazon WorkDocs service. Additionally, in order to avoid AWS Directory Service-related charges, make sure to activate the appropriate number of Amazon WorkDocs users (1 active user for a small Simple AD or AD Connector and 100 active users for a large Simple AD or AD Connector) in order to qualify for free directory usage. Please refer to WorkDocs Users documentation [1] on how to invite and managing Amazon WorkDocs users.

    You can delete your un-used Amazon WorkDocs site. Please refer to the "Deleting a site" section in the Amazon WorkDocs Administration Guide [2] for instructions on how to delete your unused Amazon WorkDocs site. As part of the process to delete an Amazon WorkDocs site, you can choose to delete your user AWS Directory Service directory(ies).

Note: If you remove the Amazon WorksDocs site and do not delete the associated AWS Directory Service directory(ies), your account will start to incur AWS Directory Service charges. For additional information about deleting directories from the AWS Directory Service console, see Delete Your Directory in AWS documentation [3].

What happens if I decide not to delete the AWS Directory Service directory(ies) or activate Amazon WorkDocs users?
If you want to keep your AWS Directory Service directory(ies), simply take no action. As long as your account is active, AWS will NOT delete any associated AWS Directory(ies) that you do not delete in your account.

How much will it cost me if I keep my AWS Directory Service directory(ies)?
If you keep your associated AWS Directory Service directory(ies), we will convert the AWS Directory Service directory(ies) to standard pay-as-you-go rates starting on November 29, 2023. For more information, see AWS Directory Service Pricing [4].

For a list of impacted Directories in the {{region}} Region, please see the 'Affected resources' tab in your AWS Personal Health Dashboard.

For additional information about viewing your directories, see View Directory Information in AWS Documentation [5].

If you have any questions, please contact AWS Support [6]

[1] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/workdocs/latest/adminguide/users.html 
[2] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/workdocs/latest/adminguide/delete_site.html 
[3] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/directoryservice/latest/admin-guide/ms_ad_delete.html 
[4] https://aws.amazon.com/directoryservice/other-directories-pricing/ 
[5] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/directoryservice/latest/admin-guide/ms_ad_view_directory_info.html 
[6] https://aws.amazon.com/support 
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If you would like to stop these charges, you can do so by deleting your directory with the following steps:

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/directoryservice/latest/admin-guide/simple_ad_delete.html 

I believe this information is helpful, but if you have further questions please let us know and we will be happy to assist. 


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Best regards,
[redacted]
Amazon Web Services