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Genie cost and budgets FAQ

This article answers common questions about Genie budgets, cost controls, usage, and how Genie cost appears in the Databricks billing system tables. To set budgets and cost controls, see Manage budgets and cost controls for Genie. To query and analyze your usage and cost, see Monitor and understand your Genie cost.

When does the free monthly usage reset?​

The free monthly usage resets on the first day of every month.

How do I give each user $30 a month?​

Create a budget scoped to Genie and set a per-user threshold of $30. The threshold applies to every user in the budget's scope, limiting each user's pay-as-you-go spend to $30 a month. Each user also keeps their free monthly usage, which the budget can't remove. To grant specific users or groups a higher limit, add a per-user or per-group override. See Create and monitor budgets.

What happens when a Genie budget is exhausted?​

When a user reaches a budget limit, what happens depends on the action the admin set for the budget:

  • Alert: An alert is sent to all the email addresses configured for the threshold that was met, and the user can keep using Genie products.
  • Block usage: The user can't use Genie products until the budget resets or an admin raises their limit. The user sees a message that their budget is exhausted.

Users always keep their free monthly usage, which a budget can't remove. To give a blocked user more paid usage, an admin can raise their limit with a per-user or per-group override.

What happens if I don't block usage in my budget?​

If you don't check Block usage for a threshold, Databricks only sends alerts when the threshold is met. Users can continue using Genie products until another threshold that blocks usage, such as a per-user override, is met.

Which budget applies when more than one budget is scoped to Genie?​

A user's effective limit is the most permissive threshold within a budget, but the most restrictive limit across budgets:

  • Within one budget: If only one budget is scoped to Genie and a user belongs to one user group with a $100 threshold and another user group with a $200 threshold, the most permissive limit applies, so the user gets $200.
  • Across budgets: If an admin creates more than one budget scoped to Genie, the most restrictive limit applies. For example, if a user's most permissive threshold is $100 in one budget and $200 in another, the user is blocked at $100.

How do I monitor Genie spend?​

Spend and usage data are available starting on July 8, 2026.

To review spending, use the following:

Why doesn't per-user spend in the budget UI reconcile with the system tables?​

The spend shown on the budget details page and in system.billing.usage can differ when compared at the same point in time. This is because the budget UI refreshes much more frequently than the system tables, which update every few hours. Given these latency differences, the figures are not expected to reconcile. Use the system tables as the source of truth for accurate usage.

Why don't I see any free usage consumed before July 20, 2026?​

Free usage visibility, under the GENIE_FREE_USAGE SKU, rolled out on July 20, 2026. Free usage consumed before that date is not backfilled.

Does free usage factor in the 25% promotional discount?​

The 25% promotional discount is applied directly to DBU metering, but only to billed usage. Free usage, which includes usage below the free allowance as well as all Genie One and Genie Agents usage until July 31, 2026, is metered at the full rate. To estimate the equivalent cost of free usage if it were billed, factor in the 25% discount for the promotional period, as shown in Estimate equivalent cost for free Genie usage. This is intended to give users the full 150 DBU per month allowance, whether or not the promotional period is active.

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