Adjust Billable Users in Google Workspace

Learn how to control which users are counted for billing in Google Workspace using Include groups.

Written By Matt Sywulak

Last updated 18 days ago

In Google Workspace environments, INKY uses an Include group to control which users count toward your bill. This group is created automatically during INKY installation.

How It Works

During installation, INKY creates a Google Group (typically named something like "INKY Protected Users" or similar) that controls which users are protected and billed. Only members of this group receive INKY protection and count toward your bill.

To adjust your billable users, simply add or remove members from this group.

Managing Your INKY Group

Find Your INKY Group

  1. Go to the Google Admin Console

  2. Navigate to Directory → Groups

  3. Search for your INKY group (check your installation documentation for the exact name)

Add Users to Protection

  1. Open your INKY group

  2. Click Members

  3. Click Add members

  4. Add the users you want INKY to protect

  5. Click Add

Remove Users from Protection

  1. Open your INKY group

  2. Click Members

  3. Select the users you want to remove

  4. Click Remove members

Important Notes

  • Timing: Changes to group membership are recorded overnight. Make changes at least one day before billing snapshots.

  • No Exclude option: Google Workspace only supports Include groups. To exclude specific users, simply remove them from the INKY group.

  • Nested groups: Members of nested groups (groups within groups) are typically included, but verify this behavior in your environment.

  • Shared drives: Shared drive accounts don't have mailboxes and aren't counted.

  • All Email: If you check the All Email settings you will be billed for all users.

Phased Rollout Strategy

Managing the INKY group is ideal for phased deployments:

  1. Phase 1: Add IT department to the group (test internally)

  2. Phase 2: Add additional departments as you expand

  3. Phase 3: Add remaining users for full deployment

This approach lets you control costs while gradually rolling out INKY protection.

Verify Your Configuration

After making changes, verify the user count in the INKY Dashboard:

  1. Wait until the next day for changes to take effect

  2. Go to Dashboard → Overview

  3. Check the Protected Users count

  4. Compare against your Google Group membership count

Related: Understanding INKY Billing