Seats

A seat is a place for one member in your organisation. This page explains who takes a seat, how adding and removing people changes your seat count and bill, and what happens when a plan has no seats left.

What counts as a seat#

Every member of the organisation takes one seat, admins included. Two exceptions:

• Suspended members don't take a seat. Suspending someone frees their seat, and unsuspending them takes it back. See Suspending members.
• Members who have asked to delete their account still take a seat until the deletion is final, because they can change their mind and reactivate their account during the grace window.

On a flat plan, pending invitations also count towards the seat limit while they're open, so you can't send more invitations than you have seats. An invitation stops counting when it's accepted, revoked or expires. On a per-seat plan, invitations don't count; the seat is added when the person joins.

Seats on flat plans#

A flat plan includes a fixed number of seats. The price doesn't change with the number of members, but you can't go over the number of seats. The pricing page shows how many seats each flat plan includes.

The Members page shows how many seats are in use, for example "N of M seats used". When every seat is taken:

• the invite form is disabled and its button reads Upgrade plan, which takes you to the Billing page;
• the page explains "Every seat on your plan is taken." with a link to upgrade.

To add more people, free a seat (remove a member or revoke a pending invitation) or move to a per-seat plan. See Upgrading.

Seats on per-seat plans#

On a per-seat plan you're billed for each seat, and there's no fixed cap: inviting someone simply adds a seat when they join. The Billing page shows the number of seats you're billed for, such as "5 seats, billed per seat — inviting a member adds one." If you're billed for more seats than you have members, for example while a removal is waiting for the next period, it reads "… inviting a member fills a spare seat before adding one."

Minimum seats#

A per-seat plan can have a minimum number of seats. You're billed for at least that many, even with fewer members, and new members fill those spare seats first at no extra charge. The Billing page tells you when this applies: "N seats, billed per seat (the plan minimum) — inviting a member adds one once all N are in use." The pricing page shows each plan's minimum.

The minimum always applies: your seat count never drops below it, whether members leave or are suspended.

Adding members#

On a per-seat plan, a seat is added the moment someone takes one:

• an invited person accepts their invitation;
• someone joins through a verified domain (see Verified domains);
• an admin unsuspends a member.

The extra seat applies immediately and is charged pro rata: you pay for it from that day to the end of the current billing period, then at the full rate from the next period. Your renewal date doesn't change. In the Billing history on the Billing page, the period is split at that day, and the shorter part is marked Prorated.

If a seat is still free under the plan minimum, nothing extra is charged.

Removing members#

On a per-seat plan, removing a member, or a member leaving, lowers the seat count at your next renewal, not straight away. You've already been billed for the current period, so you keep that seat until the period ends, and nothing is refunded mid-period. Suspending a member works the same way.

While a decrease is waiting, the Billing page shows both numbers, for example "6 seats, 5 from next period."

If someone joins before the renewal, the scheduled decrease is adjusted to match. At renewal Folioso also makes sure you're never billed for fewer seats than you have members, or than the plan minimum.

On a flat plan, removing a member frees their seat immediately, and the price doesn't change.

When there are no free seats#

Some actions need a free seat and are refused on a flat plan that's full:

• Sending an invitation. See Seats on flat plans above.
• Accepting an invitation. If the plan filled up after the invitation was sent, the invitee sees "We couldn't add you to organisation: it has no free seats. Ask an admin there to free a seat, then open the invitation link again."
• Unsuspending a member. The member stays suspended until a seat is free.

A flat plan can occasionally end up with more members than seats, for example when someone reactivates their account during the deletion grace window. The Billing page then warns that the organisation has more members than seats and asks you to upgrade or remove a member.

Moving between plans#

When you change plan, your seats follow the new plan's rules:

• Moving to a per-seat plan bills one seat per member, never below the plan's minimum.
• Moving to a paid flat plan while you have more members than it includes is refused, with a message asking you to choose a seat-based plan. Remove or suspend members first, or pick a per-seat plan.
• Returning to Free is allowed with any number of members, but members beyond the seat limit are suspended when the move lands. See What happens to members over the seat limit.