Before your team software renews

How the check works

Start with the total on your invoice for every team and workspace on it. A monthly invoice counts twelve times towards the 12-month figure; a yearly invoice counts once and is also divided by twelve, so a monthly and a yearly plan can sit side by side. When you pay is kept apart from this figure.

Licence counts are never multiplied by a price. If fewer people used the tool last month than the invoice bills, the check turns the gap into questions about the contract minimum and the date a lower count can start. For a smaller plan or another tool, it subtracts that option's 12-month figure from yours and adds the hours to move files, permissions and templates, valued at an hourly rate you choose, plus any one-off fees.

What you see first follows a fixed order: unclear or mismatched amounts, a notice date already behind you, the comparison, the licence gap, and last a notice deadline you do not know yet. Nothing is scored, and keeping your current plan is not presented as the answer just because you left step 3 empty.

A worked example

What to check before team software renews

Paid against active licences

Export the user list from the admin console and set it against the licences on the invoice. Look for people who left, shared accounts and users who have not signed in for a month. Ask how guests and admins are counted before you remove anyone.

Contract minimums

Some team plans are sold with a minimum number of licences or a minimum spend per term. If you already pay for the minimum, removing users changes nothing on the bill. Ask for the minimum in writing, per plan.

When a reduction applies

A lower licence count may apply only from the next term. Ask when a reduction takes effect and by which date you must request it, so the renewal does not carry the old number into another year.

Plan choice

A smaller plan can cost less but may drop single sign-on, audit logs, admin roles or storage. List what the team uses today, then ask for a quote for the smaller plan with those features written into it.

Yearly or monthly billing

A yearly invoice can cost less per month but commits you for the whole term. The check shows both as a 12-month equivalent, so you compare like with like, and keeps the payment rhythm separate.

Office software with extra questions

Pick one of these in step 1 to see its questions next to your figures. For these products the check works with your own invoice total only; no list price is shown.

Questions about the check

Why are unused licences not counted as a saving?

Because the bill may not go down. A contract minimum, a tier or seats included in the plan can keep the total the same when you remove users. The check shows the gap as a question for your supplier and leaves the saving to their answer.

Should I enter the price per user?

No. Enter the total on your invoice, including add-ons and every team on it. The check never multiplies a price by your number of users.

Can I compare a smaller plan from the same supplier?

Yes. Choose Find a better-fitting plan and enter the quote for the smaller plan in step 3. A plan change can have small switching costs, but enter the hours for moving settings and permissions if there are any.

What if our contract runs for more than a year?

The check compares monthly and yearly totals only. Ask your supplier for the yearly total of the same plan, and note when the current term ends.

What goes into the calendar file?

One all-day event on the date you pick, with a title you can change. No amounts, names or contract details. Whether your calendar alerts you depends on its own settings.