Billing/Account question

Question

Hello,

A previous employee set us up on this and we are trying to figure out what it is for. How do we figure out why we have this program and are being billed for it?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Dear @Judi Todd,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I apologize for any inconvenience you may encounter when using our services/ products. To help you with the issue, we need more specific information from you:

Could you please clarify what the issue is (e.g. a subscription is charged, an unknown program is installed, etc.)?

In the meantime, kindly try these following steps:

View what you are actually paying for

• Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center > Billing > Bills & payments
• Select an invoice and download the PDF to see the detailed line items (product names, quantities/licenses, service period, taxes/credits). View or download your invoice in the Microsoft 365 admin center | Microsoft Learn
• If you do not see invoices, use the date range filter or change billing account if your org has more than one.

Identify the subscription(s) that match the invoice

Review your active subscriptions in Microsoft 365 admin center:

• Go to Billing > Your products to see what plans are active and their status.
• This shows which program(s) you have (e.g., Microsoft 365 Business, add-ons, trials converted to paid, etc.) View your Office 365 business subscription - Microsoft Support

Check who is receiving billing emails

• In Microsoft 365 admin center > Billing notifications
• Review/update who receives billing notices and invoice attachments. This is frequently where you will see the old employee’s address listed.

As a moderator, I do not have the tools to investigate your specific account directly, as this is a support forum between users. Moderators and collaborators, including external Microsoft employees, may not directly intervene in the functionality of Microsoft products or access internal systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported problems, requests, or ideas. However, I will do my best to guide you as clearly as possible.

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

To understand what the Microsoft 365 program is and why the organization is being billed, follow these steps:

1. Identify the billing account type
   • Go to the Microsoft 365 admin center and open the Billing accounts page (see Billing accounts in the documentation).
   • Determine whether the organization has a Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) or Microsoft Online Subscription Agreement (MOSA) billing account. This affects how invoices and subscriptions are organized.
2. Review billing accounts and subscriptions
   • In the Microsoft 365 admin center, use the Billing accounts view to see all business billing accounts associated with the organization.
   • For the relevant billing account:
     • Review the billing profile (for MCA) or orders (for MOSA).
     • List all subscriptions (for example, Microsoft 365 Business, Office apps, add-ons) associated with that billing account.
3. Check invoices and billing details
   • In the Microsoft 365 admin center, open Billing → Bills & payments (or equivalent) for the identified billing account.
   • View the online invoices and, if needed, download the PDF invoice.
   • On the invoice, review:
     • Product or subscription names.
     • Service period (charge dates) and billing period.
     • Quantities (for example, number of seats/licenses).
     • Total amount and amount due.
   • This shows exactly which Microsoft 365 products and services are generating the charges.
4. Understand what data is in billing vs. Cost Management (if Azure is involved)
   • If the organization also uses Azure under the same billing account, be aware that the Billing experience shows all billed charges, taxes, and credits, while Cost Management focuses on usage-based costs and may not include all items (such as some support charges).
   • Use the Billing experience to see the full picture of what is being billed and why.
5. Manage or cancel subscriptions if no longer needed
   • Once the subscriptions causing the charges are identified, use the billing account in the Microsoft 365 admin center to:
     • Cancel or not renew subscriptions that are no longer needed.
     • Adjust quantities (for example, reduce license counts) to match current staff.
     • Update billing profiles, payment methods, and billing contacts so current staff can manage billing going forward.
6. If charges are still unclear
   • If there are charges that still cannot be matched to known subscriptions or services after reviewing billing accounts and invoices, use the guidance for investigating unrecognized charges:
     • Review invoices and order history associated with the organization’s Microsoft account(s).
     • If necessary, create a support request with Microsoft so billing support can help identify the subscription and its purpose.

These steps will show which Microsoft 365 or related services were set up by the previous employee, what each subscription is for, and why the organization is being billed.

---

References:

• Understand your Microsoft business billing account
• Understand your invoice for your Microsoft MCA billing account
• What is Microsoft Billing?
• How to investigate a billing charge from Microsoft