Understand usage and overages

Each plan includes a monthly pool of call minutes and SMS segments. Overages are billed at a per-unit rate at the end of the month. You can set soft caps and email alerts to avoid surprises.

Updated January 15, 20262 min read

Every FrontDesk plan includes a monthly pool of:

Inbound voice minutes (the AI answering, talking with callers, and transferring)
Outbound SMS segments (confirmations, reminders, missed-call follow-ups)
AI conversations (browser-based assistant chats — Setup Assistant, etc.)

Anything you use beyond the pool is billed at the overage rate.

Where to see usage

Settings → Billing → Usage shows:

Current period — minutes used vs. included, with a progress bar
Daily breakdown — last 30 days of usage
Accrued overage — what you'd owe right now if billing closed today
Forecast — projected end-of-period usage based on current pace

Plan limits & overage rates

Plan	Included minutes	Included SMS	Overage minute	Overage SMS
Starter	500	500	$0.10	$0.02
Professional	2,000	2,000	$0.07	$0.015
Enterprise	Custom	Custom	Negotiated	Negotiated

Phone number rental ($2/local, $3/toll-free) is separate from the usage pool.

Setting up alerts

To avoid surprise invoices:

Settings → Billing → Usage caps.
Toggle Email alerts at: 50%, 80%, 100%.
(Optional) toggle Stop service at: 110%, 125%, 150% of plan.

We recommend leaving "Stop service" off in production. Dropped calls cost far more than a small overage. Instead, set alerts so you can upgrade proactively.

When to upgrade vs. eat the overage

Situation	Action
You're 5–10% over once or twice a quarter	Eat the overage — it's cheaper than upgrading
You're over by 20%+ every month	Upgrade — the higher tier has a lower per-unit rate that pays for itself
You're under your plan two months in a row	Consider downgrading — see Upgrade or downgrade your plan

Reading your invoice

Your monthly invoice includes:

Subscription — flat fee for your plan
Phone number rental — $X × N numbers
Voice overage — minutes over plan × overage rate
SMS overage — segments over plan × overage rate
A2P 10DLC fees (if applicable) — pass-through carrier fees
Applicable taxes

PDF invoices are emailed and also available under Settings → Billing → Invoices.

What's next

Frequently asked questions

How are minutes counted?

Per call, rounded up to the next whole minute. A 1-second call counts as 1 minute. Voicemail-only calls (caller hangs up without speaking) are not billed.

What's an SMS segment?

Carriers split SMS into 160-character segments (or 70 characters if the message contains emoji or other Unicode). A 200-character text counts as 2 segments.

Can I set a hard cap to prevent any overage?

Yes. Settings → Billing → Usage caps → toggle "Stop service at limit." We strongly recommend a high cap rather than off, so you don't accidentally drop real patient calls.

When are overages billed?

At the end of your billing period, on the same invoice as your subscription. You can preview accrued overages live on the Billing page.

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