Billing models: licenses vs AI wallet
Reseller billing has two separate layers. Workspace seats (licenses) and AI wallet credits are controlled differently. You can mix manual license billing with Stripe-powered AI top-ups for clients.
Two layers at a glance
Workspace seats / licenses: who can use the product. Controlled by each workspace billing model (Self-Billing or Stripe Connect).
AI wallet: prepaid balance for AI features (chat, SOP generation, embeddings, etc.). Controlled at the organization level via Stripe Connect.
Self-Billing workspaces (license pool)
You purchase licenses from Elevale and assign them to client workspaces.
You invoice clients directly using your own contracts and payment terms.
Workspaces show a Self-Billing badge in the
.
Each active workspace needs at least one assigned license before clients can access the product.
See
for pool management details.
Org-level Stripe Connect (AI wallet top-ups)
Connect your Stripe account under
(Stripe Connect OAuth).
Once connected, clients on your workspaces can add a card and
Top Up Wallet
for AI usage. Payments go to your Stripe account.
Clients can also enable auto-top-up when a payment method is saved.
This does
not
change how workspace seat licenses are billed if workspaces remain on Self-Billing.
Hybrid setup (recommended for manual billing agencies)
Many resellers keep Self-Billing on every client workspace for seats, while connecting Stripe only so clients can self-serve AI wallet top-ups.
Do connect Stripe in Payment Processing for AI wallet card payments.
Do keep client workspaces on Self-Billing for license pool management.
Do not switch a workspace to Stripe Connect (Automated) unless you want automated subscription billing for seats too. That changes license and invite billing, not just AI.
After Connect is enabled, clients see
Top Up Wallet
instead of
Request credits
on
.
Without Stripe Connect (manual AI credits)
If your organization has not connected Stripe, clients see
Request credits
on the AI Wallet tab.
They submit an amount and optional reference. You receive an in-app notification.
Approve after confirming offline payment. Credits are added to the client wallet immediately.
You can also add credits ad hoc from the workspace card
AI credits
button in
.
Only one pending request is allowed per workspace at a time.
First client invite (one license, seat handoff)
When you create a Self-Billing workspace, you (the agency admin) initially hold the single assigned license as owner.
Invite your client as a normal user (not agency_admin). While you are the only member, a second invite is allowed even if no spare licenses appear in the pool. This is the provisional handoff.
When the client
accepts
the invitation, ownership transfers to them, your seat is removed, and the workspace stays at one billable user.
A second client user requires an additional license in the pool.
The manual
AI credits
button remains available for ad hoc top-ups at any time.
Agency AI wallet (your wholesale balance)
Separately from client wallets, your organization has an
agency AI wallet
used for wholesale AI costs when serving reseller clients.
Top up the agency wallet from
so AI features stay available across client workspaces.
If the agency wallet is empty but a client still has balance, clients may see an agency assistance message rather than a personal wallet empty error.
Quick checklist
Manual client invoicing for seats → Self-Billing workspaces + license pool.
Client card top-ups for AI → Connect Stripe at org level; keep workspaces on Self-Billing.
Fully manual AI too → skip Connect; use Request credits / AI credits buttons.
Automated seat subscriptions → switch individual workspace to Stripe Connect (Automated).