We are a non profit organization but we were charged 996$ We believe this charge resulted from unreasonable usage of DDoS Protection services. By default, this protection is free

Question

We are a non profit organization but we were charged 996$ We believe this charge resulted from unreasonable usage of DDoS Protection services. By default, this protection is free

Mickael 0

I’m writing regarding an unexpected charge of $996 that appeared on our (non-profit) account. We believe this charge resulted from unreasonable usage of DDoS Protection services. By default, this protection is free, and we do not currently require or use this feature we had it turned off at the time the charges occurred.

is there a way we get it refunded since it show we are not eligible for refund as a non-profit, these charges are a significant burden, and we did not intend to incur them. Could you please help us

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Siva shunmugam Nadessin 10,905 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-09T16:47:33.74+00:00
Hello Mickael,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Q&A portal.

I totally understand how concerning it can be to see unexpected charges on an account, especially for a non-profit organization. Here’s some info that might help you address the $996 DDoS Protection charge.

Free DDoS Protection: Generally, DDoS Protection comes with a cost, particularly when it is enabled. If you believe you had it turned off, you might want to double-check your service settings in the Azure portal to ensure DDoS was indeed disabled during this billing period. Charges can sometimes occur if you have exceeded some limits or if certain configurations require additional protection plans.

Analyzing Charges: I recommend checking your billing details in the Azure portal to identify what led to these charges. You can:

Go to the Azure portal and select Cost Management + Billing.

Use Cost Analysis to drill down into specific services that incurred charges, including any unexpected DDoS Protection usage.

Refund Process: For refunds, organizations often need to reach out to Azure Support directly. While you mentioned that it shows you are ineligible for a refund, it would be worth contacting Azure Support to ask for assistance, especially from the perspective of being a non-profit where charges can be more impactful. You can create a support request here.

Tips to Avoid Future Charges:

Monitor resource usage regularly.

Familiarize yourself with the pricing tiers of services you use—some features may not be included in the free tier and can lead to unexpected costs.

Consider consolidating your protected resources to minimize the number of IPs needing protection, which can reduce costs.

Here are some follow-up questions that might help clarify the situation further:

Could you check and confirm that DDoS Protection was indeed turned off during the period you were charged?

Have you reviewed the invoice in the Azure portal, or checked your usage details for the periods with charges?

Do you have other Azure services running that may have contributed to exceeding free tier limits that could explain the charges?

I hope this info helps clarify things and leads you toward a resolution! If you need any more assistance, feel free to ask!

References:

Avoid charges with your Azure free account

Analyze unexpected charges

DDoS Price Comparison and Optimization

Creating a Support Request

1 answer

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Answer 1

To address unexpected charges related to DDoS Protection services, you may want to follow the refund process outlined by Microsoft for unused support incidents. Although the context does not specify the exact steps for DDoS Protection charges, it does mention that you can request a refund for unused Support for Business support incidents. Here are the general steps you can take:

Sign in with the account that purchased the support plan.
Go to the Refund tab in the primary navigation bar.
Select the plan you want refunded.
Select Process a refund.

Since you are a non-profit organization, it might be beneficial to reach out to Microsoft support directly to explain your situation regarding the DDoS Protection charges and seek assistance. They may have specific provisions for non-profits that could help you in this case.

References:

Requesting a refund for unused Support for Business support incidents