Github action error. The job was not started because your account is locked due to a billing issue.

[akopitsa]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Other

Discussion Details

I can not run my Github action
It's failing with the error "The job was not started because your account is locked due to a billing issue."
I checked:

Repo is public
Runner is ubuntu-latest
There was incorrect payment information but I removed it.
I am planning to use Github free plan

I created a ticket with the GitHub Support Team a month ago, but unfortunately, I have not received any response yet.
Could you please advise me on my next steps?

[RamiruWanigathunga]

Hey Andrey Kopitsa, this error usually means the account itself is still locked, even if the repo is public and you’re on the free plan. I’d suggest double checking your billing settings (try this url : https://github.com/settings/billing?utm_source=copilot.com) to see if there’s any leftover invoice or payment issue. If everything looks clear, the only way forward is GitHub Support - I’d open a new ticket and reference the old one since it’s been a month. In the meantime, you could fork the repo to another account that isn’t locked if you need Actions running right away.

[akopitsa]

Thanks
I will try to open a new one, as you suggested.

btw
There are no outstanding payments on my account, as you can see in the screenshot. Other issues are also not visible.

[Dasmat13]

This billing lock is straightforward to resolve. Here is exactly what to do:

Immediate Fix

Step 1: Check your payment method

Go to Settings → Billing and plans → Payment information

Look for:

• Expired credit/debit card
• Failed payment (red warning banner)
• Spending limit reached

Step 2: Update or retry payment

If your card expired or the charge failed:

1. Go to Settings → Billing and plans
2. Click "Add payment method" or update your existing one
3. GitHub will automatically retry the failed charge within a few minutes

Step 3: Check your spending limit

If you hit a spending limit:

1. Go to Settings → Billing and plans → Spending limits
2. Increase the limit for Actions minutes

Step 4: Verify email

A locked account sometimes means your primary email is unverified. Go to Settings → Emails and resend the verification if needed.

After fixing billing

Once the payment method is updated and the charge succeeds:

• The account lock is removed automatically within minutes
• Re-run your failed workflow from the Actions tab (click "Re-run all jobs")

If you're on a free plan

Free plan accounts get 2,000 Actions minutes/month for private repos (public repos are unlimited). If you exceeded this:

• Wait for the monthly reset, or
• Go to Settings → Billing → Add a payment method to enable paid minutes

Check github.com/settings/billing for the full status.