Understanding your hosting bill

Q: Where do I find my hosting invoices?

Log in to your hosting account. On Flywheel, open Billing from the user menu in the top corner; receipts are in each subscription's billing history. On WP Engine, go to Billing > Invoice in the User Portal. On Kinsta, go to Company settings > Invoices in MyKinsta.

Hosting invoices can sometimes look confusing, especially if you're seeing line items you don't recognize. This guide walks through what common charges mean and what to look for.

The base plan charge

This is the core cost of your hosting subscription. It covers:

Server space for your website's files and database
Your plan's included features (backups, SSL, CDN, staging, support)
Set limits on monthly visits (or bandwidth) and storage

The plan fee is charged monthly or annually, depending on your billing cycle.

Common additional line items

Line item	What it means
Overage charges	Your site went over one of your plan's limits (visits or storage, and on some hosts bandwidth) and you're billed for the extra usage. Which limits carry a charge varies by host: some get in touch about a bigger plan instead. Overages can appear monthly even on an annual plan.
Additional site	An extra WordPress installation added to your account beyond the base plan's site limit.
Hourly backups (Kinsta)	An add-on for more frequent than daily backups (every 6 hours or every hour).
External backups (Kinsta)	Backups sent to your own cloud storage (Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage).
Global Edge Security (WP Engine)	A paid add-on with a managed firewall, advanced DDoS protection and a Cloudflare CDN. WP Engine's standard Advanced Network, which also includes a CDN, is free.
Premium support	A higher level of support, if your host sells one as an extra.
Domain	If your host also registered your domain, it may appear here. More often this is a separate bill from your domain registrar.

Annual vs monthly billing

If you're on annual billing, you'll see one larger charge per year rather than twelve smaller monthly ones. Some clients find this easier to budget; others prefer monthly for flexibility.

Billing cycle	Charged	Typical saving
Monthly	Each month	None
Annual	Once per year	Varies by host and plan; check the host's pricing page for the current discount

What's not on your hosting bill

Your hosting bill covers the server only. These are separate:

Domain namePurchased from your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.)
EmailIf you use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, that's a separate subscription
Premium plugins or themesPaid WordPress software licensed separately
Chykalophia's feesOur design, development, and care plan fees are invoiced separately

See hosting vs email: why they're separate and domain vs hosting vs email.

If Chykalophia manages hosting for you

In some arrangements, we manage the hosting account on your behalf and pass the cost through to you as a line item on our invoice. In others, you own the account directly and pay the host.

See who pays for hosting? for how this is handled for your project.

What to do if you see an unexpected charge

Check your hosting dashboard for usage stats. Overage charges come from going over one of your plan's limits, such as visits or storage.

Compare with previous invoices. If a new line item appeared, check whether a new feature was added or a plan changed.

Contact your hosting provider if you don't recognize a charge. They can explain every line item on the invoice.

Contact us if you'd like help interpreting your bill or discussing whether a plan upgrade makes sense.

Common questions

Why did my hosting bill increase?

Common reasons: a plan renewal at a higher rate, an overage charge, an added site, or a promotional rate expiring. Check your current plan against last month's invoice.

Can I get a lower bill by downgrading my plan?

Possibly, but be careful. Downgrading may reduce your visit limit and cause overages if your traffic exceeds the lower plan's cap. Talk to us first.

Where do I find my hosting invoices?

Log in to your hosting account. On Flywheel, open Billing from the user menu in the top corner; receipts are in each subscription's billing history. On WP Engine, go to Billing > Invoice in the User Portal. On Kinsta, go to Company settings > Invoices in MyKinsta.