# Getting set up with Billing
Use this section to get started with the Amazon Billing and Cost Management console. Prerequisites include signing up for Amazon, setting up IAM users, and reviewing your Amazon bills.
**Topics**
+ [Learn more about Billing features](#billing-gs-features)
+ [What do I do next?](#what-next)
+ [Setting up your tax information](manage-account-payment.md)
+ [Customizing your Billing preferences](billing-pref.md)
+ [Customizing your Amazon payment preferences](manage-payment-method.md)
+ [Setting up your India billing](manage-account-payment-aispl.md)
+ [Finding the seller of record](finding-the-seller-of-record.md)
+ [Reviewing your monthly billing best practices](monthly-billing-checklist.md)
## Step 1: (Prerequisite) Sign up for Amazon and create an IAM user
If you're new to Amazon, create an Amazon account. For more information, see [Getting Started with Amazon](https://www.amazonaws.cn/getting-started/).
### Sign up for an Amazon Web Services account
If you do not have an Amazon Web Services account, use the following procedure to create one.
**To sign up for Amazon Web Services**
1. Open [http://www.amazonaws.cn/](http://www.amazonaws.cn/) and choose **Sign Up**.
1. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Amazon sends you a confirmation email after the sign-up process is complete. At any time, you can view your current account activity and manage your account by going to [http://www.amazonaws.cn/](http://www.amazonaws.cn/) and choosing **My Account**.
### Secure IAM users
After you sign up for an Amazon Web Services account, safeguard your administrative user by turning on multi-factor authentication (MFA). For instructions, see [Enable a virtual MFA device for an IAM user (console)](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_credentials_mfa_enable_virtual.html#enable-virt-mfa-for-iam-user) in the *IAM User Guide*.
To give other users access to your Amazon Web Services account resources, create IAM users. To secure your IAM users, turn on MFA and only give the IAM users the permissions needed to perform their tasks.
For more information about creating and securing IAM users, see the following topics in the *IAM User Guide*:
+ [Creating an IAM user in your Amazon Web Services account](https://docs.amazonaws.cn//IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_users_create.html)
+ [Access management for Amazon resources](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access.html)
+ [Example IAM identity-based policies](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_examples.html)
### Activating IAM access to the Amazon Billing and Cost Management console
By default, IAM roles within an Amazon Web Services account can't access the Billing and Cost Management console. This is true even if the IAM user or role has IAM policies that grant access to specific Billing features. The root user can allow IAM users and roles access to Billing and Cost Management console by using the **Activate IAM access** setting.
**To provide access to the Billing and Cost Management console**
1. Sign in to the **Account** page in the Billing and Cost Management console at [https://console.amazonaws.cn/billing/home?\$1/account](https://console.amazonaws.cn/billing/home?#/account).
1. Under **IAM user and role access to Billing information**, choose **Edit**.
1. Select **Activate IAM access**.
1. Choose **Update**.
For more information about this feature, see [Activating access to the Billing and Cost Management console](control-access-billing.md#ControllingAccessWebsite-Activate).
## Step 2: Review your bills and usage
Use features in the Billing and Cost Management console to view your current Amazon charges and Amazon usage.
**To open the Billing and Cost Management console and view your usage and charges**
1. Sign into the Amazon Web Services Management Console and open the Billing and Cost Management console at [https://console.amazonaws.cn/costmanagement/](https://console.amazonaws.cn/costmanagement/).
1. Choose **Bills** to see details about your current charges.
1. Choose **Payments** to see your historical payment transactions.
1. Choose **Amazon Cost and Usage Reports** to see reports that break down your costs.
For more information about setting up and using Amazon Cost and Usage Reports, see the [Amazon Cost and Usage Reports User Guide](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/cur/latest/userguide/what-is-cur.html).
## Step 3: Download or print your bill
Amazon Billing closes the billing period at midnight on the last day of each month and calculates your bill. Most bills are ready for you to download by the seventh accounting day of the month.
**To download or print your bill**
1. Sign into the Amazon Web Services Management Console and open the Billing and Cost Management console at [https://console.amazonaws.cn/costmanagement/](https://console.amazonaws.cn/costmanagement/).
1. On the navigation pane, choose **Bills**.
1. For **Date**, choose the month of the bill you want to work with.
1. Choose **Download CSV** to download a comma-separated variable file or choose **Print**.
### Adding or updating alternate contacts
Alternate contacts allows Amazon to contact another person about issues with your account, even if you're unavailable. The alternate contact doesn't have to be a specific person. You could instead add an email distribution list if you have a team that manages billing, operations and security related issues.
**Examples for alternate contacts**
Amazon will reach out to each contact type in the following scenarios:
+ **Billing** – When your monthly invoice is available, or your payment method needs to be updated. If you enabled **Receive PDF Invoice By Email** in your **Billing preferences**, your alternate billing contact also receives the PDF invoices. Notifications can be from Amazon Web Services service teams.
+ **Operations** – When your service is, or will be, temporarily unavailable in one of more Amazon Web Services Regions. Your contacts will also receive any notification related to operations. Notifications can be from Amazon Web Services service teams
+ **Security** – When you have notifications from the Amazon Security, Amazon Trust and Safety, or Amazon Web Services service teams. These notifications might include security issues or potential abusive or fraudulent activities on your Amazon Web Services account. Notifications can be from Amazon Web Services service teams concerning security related topics associated with your Amazon Web Services account usage. Don't include sensitive information in the subject line or full name fields since this might be used in email communications to you.
For more information about managing your alternate account contacts, see [Alternate account contacts](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/accounts/latest/reference/manage-acct-update-contact-alternate.html) in the *Amazon Account Management* Reference Guide.
## Learn more about Billing features
Understand the features available to you in the Billing and Cost Management console.
+ **Amazon Free Tier**: [Trying services using Amazon Web Services China Region Free Tier (before July 15, 2025)](billing-free-tier.md)
+ **Payments**: [Managing your Amazon payments](manage-payments.md)
+ **Viewing your bills**: [Understanding your bill](getting-viewing-bill.md)
+ **Amazon Cost Categories**: [Organizing costs using Amazon Cost Categories](manage-cost-categories.md)
+ **Cost Allocation Tags**: [Organizing and tracking costs using Amazon cost allocation tags](cost-alloc-tags.md)
+ **Amazon Purchase Orders**: [Managing your purchase orders](manage-purchaseorders.md)
+ **Amazon Cost and Usage Reports**: [Using Amazon Cost and Usage Reports](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/cur/latest/userguide/what-is-cur.html)
+ **Using Amazon CloudTrail**: [Logging Billing and Cost Management API calls with Amazon CloudTrail](logging-using-cloudtrail.md)
+ **Consolidated billing**: [Consolidating billing for Amazon Organizations](consolidated-billing.md)
## What do I do next?
Now that you can view and pay your Amazon bill, you're ready to use the features available to you. The rest of this guide helps you navigate your journey using the console.
### Optimize your spending using Amazon Cost Management features
Use the Amazon Cost Management features to budget and forecast costs so you can optimize your Amazon spends and reduce your overall Amazon bill. Combine and use the Billing and Cost Management console resources to manage your payments, while using Amazon Cost Management features to optimize your future costs.
For more information about Amazon Cost Management features, see the [Amazon Cost Management User Guide](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/cost-management/latest/userguide/what-is-costmanagement.html).
### Using the Billing and Cost Management API
Use the [Amazon Billing and Cost Management API Reference](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/aws-cost-management/latest/APIReference/Welcome.html) to programmatically use some Amazon Cost Management features.
### Learn more
You can find more information about Billing features including presentations, virtual workshops, and blog posts on the marketing page [Cloud Financial Management with Amazon](https://www.amazonaws.cn/aws-cost-management/).
You can find virtual workshops by choosing the **Services** dropdown list and selecting your feature.
### Get help
If you have questions about any Billing features, there are many resources available for you. To learn more, see [Getting help with your bills and payments](billing-get-answers.md).