name: GOV.UK Notify FinOps
description: Financial operations guidance for managing GOV.UK Notify costs and usage across government services.
url: https://www.notifications.service.gov.uk/pricing

cost_model:
  emails:
    description: Emails are free with no volume cap.
    price_per_unit: 0
    currency: GBP
    unit: email
    notes: No monthly fee, no setup cost, no procurement required.

  sms:
    description: Text messages have an annual free allowance by organisation type; overage charged at 2.4p each.
    currency: GBP
    overage_price_per_unit: 0.024
    unit: text message
    vat_applicable: true
    free_allowances:
      - org_type: Central government
        annual_free_messages: 20000
        allowance_renewal: April 1 each year
      - org_type: Local authorities
        annual_free_messages: 10000
        allowance_renewal: April 1 each year
      - org_type: State-funded schools
        annual_free_messages: 5000
        allowance_renewal: April 1 each year
      - org_type: Other organisations
        annual_free_messages: 5000
        allowance_renewal: April 1 each year
      - org_type: GP surgeries
        annual_free_messages: 0
        notes: No free allowance; all messages charged at 2.4p.
    cost_factors:
      - factor: Message length
        notes: Messages over 160 characters are charged as multiple segments (up to 306 chars = 2 messages, etc.)
      - factor: Special characters
        notes: Characters []{}^\\|~€ count double, reducing effective character limit
      - factor: Accented characters (certain)
        notes: Some accented letters reduce character limit to 70 per segment
      - factor: International destination
        notes: International rate multipliers vary by country (1x to 12x base rate)

  letters:
    description: Letters priced by postage class and number of sheets; includes print, paper, and postage.
    currency: GBP
    vat_applicable: true
    postage_classes:
      - class: Economy
        sheets:
          1: 0.64
          2: 0.69
          3: 0.73
          4: 0.78
          5: 0.82
        delivery_time: 3-6 working days
      - class: Second Class
        sheets:
          1: 0.73
          2: 0.77
          3: 0.82
          4: 0.87
          5: 0.91
      - class: First Class
        sheets:
          1: 1.56
          2: 1.61
          3: 1.66
          4: 1.71
          5: 1.76
      - class: International
        sheets:
          1: 1.80
          2: 1.84
          3: 1.88
          4: 1.92
          5: 1.96

optimization_guidance:
  - tip: Prefer email over SMS
    description: Emails are always free; use SMS only when email cannot reach the citizen.
  - tip: Keep SMS under 160 characters
    description: Avoid overage charges by keeping messages within one standard 160-character segment.
  - tip: Avoid special characters in SMS
    description: Characters such as []{}^\\|~€ halve the effective character count per segment.
  - tip: Choose Economy postage for non-urgent letters
    description: Economy mail can save up to 9p per letter versus second class with no change in content.
  - tip: Monitor free allowance consumption
    description: Track annual SMS usage; allowances reset on 1 April and high-volume senders may lose eligibility.
  - tip: Use test API keys for development
    description: Test keys do not consume free allowances or incur costs, allowing safe load testing.
  - tip: Batch via spreadsheet for one-off campaigns
    description: Non-API spreadsheet uploads avoid integration overhead for irregular bulk sends.

billing_contacts:
  - name: GOV.UK Notify Support
    url: https://www.notifications.service.gov.uk/support
    notes: Contact for billing questions, invoicing, or procurement enquiries.