Billing 2FA

In this guide, we detail how to set up a budget in your AWS account to manage your spending effectively. Establishing a budget not only helps you avoid unexpected charges but also triggers email alerts when your spending nears or exceeds defined limits. This way, you can proactively adjust your AWS services and avoid incurring undesired costs.

Navigating to the Billing Dashboard

To begin, log in to your AWS console. Locate your account name in the top right corner and select it to access the billing dashboard. This dashboard is your central hub for reviewing payment methods, past invoices, previous monthly payments, and real-time estimates of your current month’s spend. In a new AWS account, the dashboard might initially appear empty; however, as you begin using AWS resources, various fields, columns, and charts will populate with your financial data.

Setting Up a Budget

Follow these steps to create a budget:

1. In the billing dashboard, navigate to the budget section.
2. Click on Create a budget.

When creating a budget, you will be prompted to select a template that best fits your needs. AWS offers built-in templates, such as:

• Zero Spend Budget: This template monitors your free tier usage and triggers an alert immediately if your spending exceeds $0.
• Monthly Cost Budget: This budget helps you manage a specific monthly dollar amount (for example, $100 per month). An alert will be triggered once your cost exceeds this specified threshold.

Enter a descriptive name for your budget (e.g., "Monthly Budget $10") and provide the email address where you would like to receive notifications. AWS sends alerts at milestones such as 85% and 100% of your budget, and also if the forecasted spend is expected to reach 100% of your budget. This proactive alert mechanism is key to preventing overages.

After entering the necessary details, click Create Budget to finalize the process. Your newly created budget is now visible in the billing console, and you can revisit or modify its settings at any time by selecting Edit.

You can review your budget details at any time on the billing dashboard. Should you need to make any adjustments, simply click Edit and update the relevant settings.