# Getting started with Amazon Cost Management
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This section provides information that you need to get started with using the Amazon Cost Management console. As a first step, you need to sign up for an Amazon account and set up IAM users.

## Sign up for an Amazon Web Services account
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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
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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)

## Attach the required IAM policy to an IAM identity
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Amazon account owners can provide permissions to specific users who need to view or manage the Billing and Cost Management data for an Amazon account. To start activating access to the Billing and Cost Management console, see [IAM tutorial: Delegate access to the billing console](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/tutorial_billing.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.

For more information about IAM policies specific to Billing and Cost Management, see [Using identity-based policies (IAM policies) for Billing and Cost Management](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/billing-permissions-ref.html).

For a list of Billing and Cost Management policy examples, see [Billing and Cost Management policy examples](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/billing-example-policies.html).