Concepts
Hetzner monthly billing caps
Why costs on some resources drop to zero late in the month, and why they start again on the 1st.
Last updated: 2026-06-01
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When Hetzner charges for a resource, it uses an hourly rate. But it also sets a monthly price for each resource type. If the total hourly charges for a resource reach that monthly price before the end of the month, Hetzner stops charging for it until the next month begins.
CloudTally reflects this exactly. You may see costs for a resource drop to zero mid-month — usually around day 25 to 28 — while the resource keeps running. That is not a bug. It is the cap working as intended.
How the cap works
Every Hetzner resource has two prices: an hourly rate and a monthly price. The monthly price equals what you would pay if the resource ran for a full 30 days.
Hetzner charges hourly as time passes. Once the accumulated hourly charges reach the monthly cap, no further charges are added for that resource in the current calendar month. On the first of the next month, the counter resets and hourly charging resumes.
See the Hetzner Cloud billing FAQ for the official description of this behaviour.
[Screenshot: Cost Explorer in monthly view. Daily costs for a server run flat, then drop to €0 around day 25–28, then resume on the 1st. The cap date and reset date are annotated.]
What you will see in CloudTally
When a resource hits its cap, the Cost Explorer shows its daily cost going to €0. At the same time, the resource count does not change — the resource is still in your inventory and still running.
This combination tells you a cap is in effect, not a deletion:
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Cost drops to €0, resource count unchanged | Cap reached — billing paused |
| Cost drops to €0, resource count also drops | Resource was deleted |
[Screenshot: Inspect drawer for a single resource. The hourly cost timeline goes to €0 while the resource status stays active — showing "still running" alongside zero cost.]
Which resource types are affected
Servers and Primary IPs hit caps most often. They run continuously and accumulate hourly charges quickly against a fixed monthly cap.
Floating IPs and Volumes use flat monthly pricing with no hourly accumulation, so they are less likely to show this pattern.
Why costs resume on the 1st
The cap is tracked per resource, per calendar month. On the 1st of a new month, the accumulated total resets and hourly charging starts again. This is why costs can step up at the start of a month even when you have not added any resources.
When to investigate further
If the drop timing seems earlier than expected, or you are not sure whether it is a cap or a deletion, check directly:
- Open Cost Explorer and set the range to the current month.
- Find the resource type showing the drop and click through to the per-resource view.
- Open the Inspect drawer for a specific resource. The cost timeline shows exactly when hourly charges reached the cap.
If the resource count also dropped, a resource was removed. Use Investigate a cost spike to trace what changed.