# When your balance runs low or hits $0

_Billing · 3 min read · Updated 2026-10-21 · https://lanachat.ai/guides/low-or-empty-balance/_

Your balance pays for two things: licences, and LanaChat's share of each sale as it happens. When it runs out, Lana stops working until you top up. LanaChat warns you well before that, in three places.

## The warnings

- **The balance pill**, at the bottom of the sidebar next to your name, shows your balance in whole dollars. It turns **red below $50**. Click it to go straight to [Top up](https://lanachat.ai/guides/top-up-your-balance/).
- **The Overview of Billing** shows how long your balance lasts: "Covers ~15 days at this month's pace". When that drops **under 7 days**, an amber banner appears: "Your balance covers ~N days. Top up to keep the AI replying.", with a **Top up** button.
- **Buying licences** with too little balance tells you exactly what is missing: "Not enough balance: $X missing. Top up". **Renewing** an expired licence says "Not enough balance. Top up first."

![A low balance: the banner on the Overview and the red pill in the sidebar](https://lanachat.ai/guides/img/low-or-empty-balance/low.png)
## What happens at $0

When the balance reaches $0:

- **Lana pauses** on every account of the workspace. She stops replying to fans and stops sending offers.
- **The CRM becomes read-only.** Your team can still open and read every conversation, but the Console does not let anyone work in it until the balance is back.
- The Overview shows a red banner, **AI paused, CRM read-only**, and the balance card says "AI paused until you top up."

![The balance at $0: AI paused, CRM read-only](https://lanachat.ai/guides/img/low-or-empty-balance/empty.png)
Nothing is deleted: your creators, conversations, scripts and media stay exactly where they are.

## Start again

1. Press **Top up** on the red banner (or in Billing, **Top up** tab).
2. Send a deposit of at least $25. See [Top up your balance](https://lanachat.ai/guides/top-up-your-balance/).
3. Once the deposit is **Confirmed**, the balance is credited and Lana turns back on by herself.

![Buying licences with too little balance says how much is missing](https://lanachat.ai/guides/img/low-or-empty-balance/not-enough.png)
> Tip: Keep at least a week of commission on the balance. The Overview's "Covers ~N days" line is the easiest way to judge it: it uses this month's real pace of sales.

> Note: Licences on auto-renew are also paid from the balance when your stock is empty ($19 per renewal). Keep enough for them too. See [Licence expiry and auto-renew](https://lanachat.ai/guides/licence-expiry-and-auto-renew/).

## Questions

### Do fans notice when Lana pauses?

They simply stop getting replies from Lana. Nothing is sent to them about your balance.

### Does a $0 balance cancel my licences?

No. Licences in stock never expire, and running licences keep counting their days. Top up, and everything starts again where it stopped.

## Related

- [Top up your balance](https://lanachat.ai/guides/top-up-your-balance/)
- [Licence expiry and auto-renew](https://lanachat.ai/guides/licence-expiry-and-auto-renew/)
- [LanaChat's share of your sales](https://lanachat.ai/guides/commission-on-sales/)