> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://parabola.io/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Why was I charged credits for a flow run where a step failed?

> A run can still consume credits even though one of its steps failed. Here's why, and what to do if you think it's a mistake.

If a flow run consumed credits even though one of its steps failed, that's expected in most cases — it isn't a billing error.

## Why this happens

Credits are counted per **step**, not per run. A step that fails, or that has zero input and output rows, does not itself consume a credit — but every other step in that same run that completed successfully still counts normally, whether it ran before or after the failing step.

So if a five-step flow fails on step 4, steps 1–3 already ran and consumed credits before the failure happened. The run shows a credit charge even though it didn't complete end to end. See [Understanding and Managing Credit Usage in Flows](/docs/articles/understanding-and-managing-credit-usage-in-flows) for how each step type is priced.

<Note>
  The step that actually errored does not consume a credit for that run. The charge reflects the *other* steps in the run that executed successfully.
</Note>

## How to check what happened

1. Open **Run History** on the flow and expand the run in question.
2. Confirm which step failed and read the error message.
3. Everything upstream showing a completed status is what consumed credits on that run.

## If you think credits were consumed unnecessarily

* **Debugging a failing step:** re-running while you iterate on a fix consumes credits each time, same as any run. Test with a smaller sample while you sort out the failing step, then run the full dataset once it's fixed.
* **A verified Parabola platform incident caused the failure:** contact [help@parabola.io](mailto:help@parabola.io) with your flow run IDs and the affected date/time range. Refund eligibility is reviewed case by case once the incident is confirmed internally — see [Billing and pricing](/docs/product/account/billing-and-pricing#can-i-get-a-credit-refund-if-a-platform-incident-consumed-credits-unnecessarily).

## Related

* [Understanding and Managing Credit Usage in Flows](/docs/articles/understanding-and-managing-credit-usage-in-flows)
* [Billing and pricing FAQ](/docs/product/account/billing-and-pricing)
* [How do I see where my flow failed?](/docs/articles/how-do-i-see-where-my-flow-failed)