The short answer
- Where: Sign in to the AWS Management Console as the root user of the account (docs.aws.amazon.com).
- When it ends: Closing starts a 90-day post-closure period and can take several hours to finish across Regions and services. In that period you can sign in only to view past billing, account settings or contact AWS Support; services come back only if you reopen.
- Billed by someone else? Cancel with them instead: a partner.
- Before you go: export Content and resources in the account. What to save
- Want to keep it for less? Free plan and more. Options
Before you cancel
Export first
- Content and resources in the account: Back them up before closing the account. AWS recommends backing up any resources or data you want to keep. The closure page doesn't list export tools or formats. After termination, AWS gives you your content back only if all amounts due are paid docs.aws.amazon.com aws.amazon.com
What happens to your data
Content and resources stay in the account for the 90-day post-closure period, then AWS deletes them (CloudTrail trails excepted)
What you lose
- Access to the account and its services, unless you reopen it within the 90 days
- Content and resources once the post-closure period ends (CloudTrail trails excepted)
Cancel, by who bills you
Pick the route for whoever charges you: the name on your card statement or receipt tells you.
Closing the whole account
- Sign in to the AWS Management Console as the root user of the account
- In the upper-right corner, choose your account name or number, then choose AccountYou should see:
the Account page
- On the Account page, choose Close accountYou should see:
a closure dialog box that shows your account ID
- Type your account ID, then choose Close account to start the closure
- Confirm it worked
- An email to the root user's email address confirming the closure
- Access ends
- Closing starts a 90-day post-closure period and can take several hours to finish across Regions and services. In that period you can sign in only to view past billing, account settings or contact AWS Support; services come back only if you reopen
- Fees
- You remain responsible for all outstanding fees and charges for services used before closing, plus unpaid invoices. The bill arrives the following month. Reserved Instances and Savings Plans keep invoicing until they expire
Member account in AWS Organizations
- Open the AWS Organizations console
- On the AWS accounts page, choose the name of the member account you want to close
- Choose Close next to the account name at the top of the pageYou should see:
the account closure guidance
- Read the guidance, enter the member account ID, then choose Close account
- Confirm it worked
- An email to the member account's root user email address confirming the closure
- Access ends
- The same 90-day post-closure period as any closed account; closing can take several hours to finish
- Fees
- Usage before closing, unpaid invoices, and Reserved Instances and Savings Plans until they expire are still billed
Accounts in the new AWS Settings experience
- Open AWS Settings. If a project is paused for exceeding a spend limit, turn off its spend limit first
- For each project: in the main navigation pane, choose the project, then for Close project choose Close project and confirm
- When all projects are closed, choose Project in the main navigation pane
- For Actions, choose Close management account, then confirm and choose Close management account
- Access ends
- Team members lose access to a project and its resources when it closes. Closing starts a 90-day post-closure period in which you can reopen
- Fees
- You remain responsible for usage before the project closes. The bill arrives the following month
Savings Plans and Reserved Instances
- To return a Savings Plan: in the Billing and Cost Management console, under Savings Plans choose Inventory, then choose the planYou should see:
the Savings Plan details page
- Choose Return Savings Plan (it shows only when the plan is eligible: hourly commitment of $100 or less, bought in the last 7 days and in the same calendar month), then choose Confirm returnYou should see:
the Return Savings Plan dialog box
- To sell a Standard Reserved Instance: register as a seller in the Reserved Instance Marketplace. It must have been active at least 30 days and have at least one month left; Convertible ones can't be sold
- In the Amazon EC2 console, choose Reserved Instances, select the ones to sell, choose Actions, then Sell Reserved Instances, set the price and choose List Reserved InstanceYou should see:
the Configure Your Reserved Instance Listing page
- Confirm it worked
- Savings Plan returns: the refund shows on your bill within 24 hours. The Reserved Instance page doesn't name a confirmation
- Access ends
- Savings Plans: covered usage is charged at On-Demand rates after the return, and a return can't be reverted. Reserved Instances: after the sale, continued use is charged at the On-Demand price from the time of sale
- Refunds
- Returned Savings Plans get a 100% refund of upfront charges. Savings Plans can't be returned after the calendar month of purchase ends
- Fees
- AWS charges a service fee of 12 percent of the upfront price of each Standard Reserved Instance sold
Paid AWS Support plan
- Open the Manage Support Plans page
- For Business Support+, choose Review downgrade in the Basic Support plan section
- For Enterprise Support, reach out to your Technical Account Manager (TAM) to downgrade
- Fees
- Each paid sign-up carries a minimum of one month of support, and AWS says to wait at least 30 days from the subscription start date to cancel
Billed through AWS Marketplace
- Open the AWS Marketplace console, open the Delivery method list and choose the product type (for example SaaS or Amazon Machine Image), then choose the subscription
- Under Agreement, open the Actions list and choose Cancel subscriptionYou should see:
the Cancel subscription dialog box
- Enter confirm, then choose Yes, cancel subscription
- For software running on instances, terminate all instances of it: billing continues until you do
- To stop a SaaS contract from renewing, go to its Product detail page, choose Continue, choose the Modify renewal tab, then choose Cancel renewal
- Access ends
- Cancelling stops future charges. Pay-as-you-go usage already incurred is still billed
- Refunds
- Refunds aren't automatic. For a public contract cancelled within 48 hours, contact AWS Customer Service to request a full refund; for private offers and later cancellations, contact the seller of record
Questions people ask
Can I get a refund if I cancel Amazon Web Services?
Savings Plans and Reserved Instances: Returned Savings Plans get a 100% refund of upfront charges. Savings Plans can't be returned after the calendar month of purchase ends. Billed through AWS Marketplace: Refunds aren't automatic. For a public contract cancelled within 48 hours, contact AWS Customer Service to request a full refund; for private offers and later cancellations, contact the seller of record.
Source: aws.amazon.com docs.aws.amazon.com docs.aws.amazon.com docs.aws.amazon.com docs.aws.amazon.com
If I cancel Amazon Web Services, when does my access end?
Closing the whole account: Closing starts a 90-day post-closure period and can take several hours to finish across Regions and services. In that period you can sign in only to view past billing, account settings or contact AWS Support; services come back only if you reopen. Member account in AWS Organizations: The same 90-day post-closure period as any closed account; closing can take several hours to finish. Accounts in the new AWS Settings experience: Team members lose access to a project and its resources when it closes. Closing starts a 90-day post-closure period in which you can reopen.
Source: docs.aws.amazon.com docs.aws.amazon.com docs.aws.amazon.com docs.aws.amazon.com
How do I cancel Amazon Web Services if I pay through a partner?
Billed through AWS Marketplace: Open the AWS Marketplace console, open the Delivery method list and choose the product type (for example SaaS or Amazon Machine Image), then choose the subscription. Under Agreement, open the Actions list and choose Cancel subscription. Enter confirm, then choose Yes, cancel subscription. For software running on instances, terminate all instances of it: billing continues until you do. To stop a SaaS contract from renewing, go to its Product detail page, choose Continue, choose the Modify renewal tab, then choose Cancel renewal.
Source: docs.aws.amazon.com docs.aws.amazon.com docs.aws.amazon.com
Is there a fee to cancel Amazon Web Services?
Closing the whole account: You remain responsible for all outstanding fees and charges for services used before closing, plus unpaid invoices. The bill arrives the following month. Reserved Instances and Savings Plans keep invoicing until they expire. Member account in AWS Organizations: Usage before closing, unpaid invoices, and Reserved Instances and Savings Plans until they expire are still billed. Accounts in the new AWS Settings experience: You remain responsible for usage before the project closes. The bill arrives the following month.
Source: docs.aws.amazon.com docs.aws.amazon.com docs.aws.amazon.com docs.aws.amazon.com
What happens to my data when I cancel Amazon Web Services?
Content and resources stay in the account for the 90-day post-closure period, then AWS deletes them (CloudTrail trails excepted).
Keep it for less
Before cancelling, check whether one of these does the job. Offers change and differ by account.
- Free plan Always-free AWS services stay free within monthly usage limits on both the Free and Paid plans aws.amazon.com
- Cheaper plan Move a paid Support plan down to Basic Support (Business Support+ from the Manage Support Plans page; Enterprise through your Technical Account Manager) docs.aws.amazon.com
For AI agents
- The person signs in and handles any two-factor code; an agent should never ask for a password.
- Only the root user can close a standalone or management account. The AWS CLI and SDKs don't support closing it, so use the console
- Reserved Instances and Savings Plans keep invoicing after closing until they expire, unless a Savings Plan is returned or a Reserved Instance sold first
- Closing doesn't cancel AWS Marketplace subscriptions or stop running Marketplace software. Cancel them and terminate the instances first
- CloudTrail trails you created can keep running and delivering events after closing unless you delete them first
- For a management account, first close every member account
- If the root email uses a domain registered through Route 53 in this account, transfer the domain or change the root email before closing
- A Free plan account isn't charged unless it converts to a Paid plan, and it closes on its own 6 months after opening or when its credits run out
- To remove a card, open Payment preferences and choose Delete on it. Another valid default payment method must remain
Get this plan as data: get_exit_plan on the Stackcut MCP (stackcut.io/mcp), or /exits/aws.json. After using a guide, send structured report_guide_feedback for matching or changed steps, missing billing routes or human handoffs; keep unknown language and market omitted. Confirm with the person before the final click, and report the outcome with report_action_outcome, using the exact packet_revision and route_id returned by the plan.
Or give your agent the stackcut-leave skill (a zip): it exports first, walks the steps, stops when the page doesn't match, and leaves the final click to the person.
Delete your account (separate from cancelling)
Cancelling stops the payments; deleting removes the account and its data. Delete-account page (rated medium).
Link from JustDeleteMe (MIT).
Sources
- Closing an AWS account
On the navigation bar in the upper-right corner, choose your account name or number, and then choose Account.
(where to start closing the account) - Closing an AWS account
Type your account ID (displayed at the top of the closure dialog box) to confirm that you have read and understand the account closure process.
(the account ID step) - Closing an AWS account
Within a few minutes, you should receive an email confirmation that your account has been closed.
(how to confirm the closure) - Closing an AWS account
You remain responsible for all outstanding fees and charges for the services consumed before account closure.
(usage billed up to closure) - Closing an AWS account
You will receive an AWS bill the following month after closing your account.
(how the final bill arrives) - Closing an AWS account
You don't need to delete resources in your AWS account before closing it.
(closing does not require deleting resources first) - Closing an AWS account
AWS Marketplace subscriptions aren't automatically canceled on account closure.
(Marketplace subscriptions keep running after closing) - Closing an AWS account
AWS will also delete content and resources in your account (except for CloudTrail trails).
(what is deleted after the post-closure period) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
You can't close an account while signed in as an IAM user or role.
(only the root user can close the account) - Closing an AWS account
On the Account page, choose the Close account button.
(the Close account step) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
Verify that there are no active member accounts remaining in your organization.
(management account precondition) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
If you have any subscriptions, first terminate all instances of your software in the subscriptions.
(terminate instances before cancelling a Marketplace subscription) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
go to the Manage subscriptions page of the AWS Marketplace console and cancel your subscriptions
(where to cancel Marketplace subscriptions) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
do not close this account until you complete one of the following actions
(the Route 53 domain precondition) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
you can reopen it within 90 days from the day you closed the account
(the reopen window) - Closing an AWS account
During the post-closure period, you can access your content and AWS services only by reopening your account.
(access after closing) - Closing an AWS account
The post-closure period is 90 days.
(the length of the post-closure period) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
You will continue receiving invoices for Reserved Instances and Savings Plans after closing your account until they expire.
(commitments keep invoicing after closing) - Savings Plans FAQ
Any Savings Plans that has an hourly commitment of $100 or less, purchased in the past 7 days and in the same calendar month can be returned.
(which Savings Plans can be returned) - Savings Plans FAQ
Once you return your Savings Plans you will receive a 100% refund for any upfront charges made towards the Savings Plans
(the refund on return) - Savings Plans FAQ
Any usage that was covered by the plan will be charged at On-Demand rates
(usage after the return) - Selling Reserved Instances
Before you can sell your unused reservations, you must register as a seller in the Reserved Instance Marketplace.
(the seller registration step) - Selling Reserved Instances
After the sale, you've given up the capacity reservation and the discounted recurring fees.
(what ends when a Reserved Instance is sold) - Selling Reserved Instances
as long as they have been active in your account for at least 30 days
(the 30-day eligibility rule for sales) - AWS Free Tier
30+ AWS services are always free within monthly usage limits on both the Free and Paid plans.
(the always-free services) - AWS Customer Agreement
we will allow you to retrieve Your Content from the Services only if you have paid all amounts due under this Agreement.
(content retrieval after termination) - AWS Customer Agreement
You may terminate this Agreement for any reason by providing us notice and closing your account
(the customer may end the agreement by closing the account) - Removing a payment method
Ensure that your account has another valid payment method set as the default.
(a default payment method must remain to remove a card) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
Closing your account will serve as your notice of termination of the AWS Customer Agreement for this account.
(closing ends the customer agreement) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
trails created by users can continue to exist and deliver events even after an AWS account is closed
(CloudTrail trails keep running after closing) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
You can sign in and access a closed AWS account during the post-closure period only to view past billing information, access account settings, or contact AWS Support.
(what you can do after closing) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
Account closure may not occur immediately across all Regions and services and can take several hours to complete.
(closing can take several hours) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
Choose Close next to the account name at the top of the page.
(the member account Close step) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
Enter the member account ID, and then choose Close account to initiate the account closure process.
(the member account confirm step) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
You will receive an email confirming the account closure to the root user's email address.
(the confirmation email) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
This option is only available when an AWS organization is in All features mode.
(Organizations console closing needs All features mode) - Close your organization in AWS Settings
To make sure you are no longer charged for any AWS resources you consume, you must close your projects and close the management account for your organization
(what stops charges in AWS Settings) - Close your organization in AWS Settings
You must close all projects before you can close your management account.
(projects close first) - Close your organization in AWS Settings
For Actions, choose Close management account.
(the Close management account step) - Close your organization in AWS Settings
We're currently releasing our new experience to a limited number of customers. You might not be able to access this experience yet.
(the AWS Settings experience is limited) - Close a project in AWS Settings
You cannot close your project if it is paused due to exceeding a spend limit.
(spend-limit pause blocks closing) - Close a project in AWS Settings
For Close project, choose Close project.
(the Close project step) - Close a project in AWS Settings
You will receive an AWS bill the following month after closing your project.
(final bill after closing a project) - Close a project in AWS Settings
All team members will automatically lose access to this project and all the resources inside of it.
(team access ends when a project closes) - Returning a purchased Savings Plan
Choose Return Savings Plan.
(the Return Savings Plan step) - Returning a purchased Savings Plan
In the Return Savings Plan dialog box, choose Confirm return.
(the confirm return step) - Returning a purchased Savings Plan
these refunds will be reflected in your bill within 24 hours of the return
(when the Savings Plan refund shows) - Returning a purchased Savings Plan
Only root users or IAM users with the savingsplans:returnSavingsPlan permission can return a Savings Plan in their account.
(who can return a Savings Plan) - Returning a purchased Savings Plan
In the navigation pane, under Savings Plans, choose Inventory.
(where Savings Plans are listed) - Selling Reserved Instances
Only the AWS account root user can register an account as a seller.
(who can register as a seller) - Selling Reserved Instances
AWS charges a service fee of 12 percent of the total upfront price of each Standard Reserved Instance you sell in the Reserved Instance Marketplace.
(the seller fee) - Selling Reserved Instances
Amazon EC2 Convertible Reserved Instances can't be sold in the Reserved Instance Marketplace.
(Convertible Reserved Instances can't be sold) - Selling Reserved Instances
If you continue to use your instance, AWS charges you the On-Demand price starting from the time that your Reserved Instance was sold.
(On-Demand pricing after a sale) - Selling Reserved Instances
Select the Reserved Instances to list, and choose Actions, Sell Reserved Instances.
(the listing step) - Canceling your AWS Marketplace subscription
For subscriptions with pay-as-you-go (usage-based) pricing, whether from a public or private offer, you can cancel directly from the AWS Marketplace console at any time.
(pay-as-you-go subscriptions cancel in the console) - Canceling your AWS Marketplace subscription
For public offers with contract (upfront) pricing, self-service cancellation isn't available in the console. To cancel within 48 hours of purchase, contact AWS Customer Service.
(public contracts go through AWS Customer Service) - Canceling your AWS Marketplace subscription
For all other cases (public contracts more than 48 hours after purchase, and private contracts), the seller initiates the cancellation request.
(the seller starts other contract cancellations) - Canceling your AWS Marketplace subscription
Canceling stops future charges from being generated.
(what cancelling stops) - Canceling your AWS Marketplace subscription
It doesn't automatically refund charges on invoices that have already been issued, and refunds aren't automatic
(refunds aren't automatic) - Canceling your AWS Marketplace subscription
Under Agreement, open the Actions list and choose Cancel subscription.
(the Cancel subscription step) - Canceling your AWS Marketplace subscription
In the Cancel subscription dialog box, enter confirm, then choose Yes, cancel subscription.
(the confirm step) - Canceling your AWS Marketplace subscription
Choose the Modify renewal tab, then choose Cancel renewal.
(turning off a SaaS contract renewal) - Canceling your AWS Marketplace subscription
You must terminate all instances to stop billing for the subscription.
(instances keep billing until terminated) - Canceling your AWS Marketplace subscription
contact the seller of record to request a refund
(refunds for private offers and later cancellations) - Changing AWS Support plans
To downgrade your Enterprise Support plan, reach out to your Technical Account Manager (TAM).
(Enterprise Support downgrades) - Changing AWS Support plans
To downgrade your Business Support+ plan, on the Manage Support Plans page, choose Review downgrade in the Basic Support plan section.
(Business Support+ downgrade step) - Changing AWS Support plans
To change your support plan, you must have AWS Identity and Access Management(IAM) permissions.
(who can change a support plan) - AWS Support FAQs
You need to wait for a minimum of 30 days since the subscription start date to cancel a subscription.
(the 30-day wait to cancel Support) - AWS Support FAQs
You are obligated to pay for a minimum of one month of support each time you register to receive the service.
(the one-month Support minimum) - AWS Free Tier
The account closes on its own 6 months after you open it or when your credits run out, whichever comes first.
(Free plan accounts close on their own) - AWS Free Tier
You won't be charged unless you convert to a Paid plan.
(Free plan accounts aren't charged) - Canceling your AWS Marketplace subscription
contact AWS Customer Service to request a full refund
(full refund within 48 hours) - Canceling your AWS Marketplace subscription
You then approve or deny the request in the AWS Marketplace console.
(approving a seller's cancellation) - Returning a purchased Savings Plan
Once the calendar month ends (UTC time), these purchased Savings Plans can no longer be returned.
(the return deadline) - Selling Reserved Instances
There must be at least one month remaining in the term of the Standard Reserved Instance.
(the remaining-term rule) - Canceling your AWS Marketplace subscription
Open the Delivery method list and choose SaaS.
(choosing the delivery method) - Closing an AWS account (Account Management Reference Guide)
if you signed up for AWS using Sign up for AWS (advanced) or if you activated advanced features for your account
(which accounts the closing steps cover)
Not confirmed yet
- AWS Marketplace's cancellation page doesn't describe a confirmation message or email after cancelling
- When a Support plan downgrade takes effect, and whether the last month is prorated, isn't stated on AWS's Support plan pages
- AWS's closure pages don't say when usage charges stop as individual resources are stopped or deleted; that would be on each service's pricing page
- AWS's account closure pages don't mention refunds for usage charges
- AWS's page for the new AWS Settings experience doesn't say which role can close projects or the management account
Independent re-check, 2026-10-08
A second reviewer re-read the official pages and corrected what was wrong or missing. The JSON lists what changed.
Checked against official help pages, 2026-10-08. Cancel flows change: if this one did, tell us at support@stackcut.io. Stackcut Exits is open data (CC BY 4.0).
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