# Source: https://getlago.com/docs/guide/billable-metrics/recurring-vs-metered.md

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

# Recurring vs metered

## Recurring billable metrics[](#recurring "Direct link to heading")

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard">
    When you set `recurring: true` or choose the "recurring" option in the user interface, the billing aggregation for your billable metric
    will persist across billing periods. This means that the accumulated result will carry over and be used to charge the customer in
    subsequent periods.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="API">
    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash Seats example {14} theme={"dark"}
      LAGO_URL="https://api.getlago.com"
      API_KEY="__YOUR_API_KEY__"

      curl --location --request POST "$LAGO_URL/api/v1/billable_metrics" \
        --header "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" \
        --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        --data-raw '{
          "billable_metric": {
            "name": "Seats",
            "code": "seats",
            "description": "Active seats added",
            "aggregation_type": "unique_count_agg",
            "field_name": "seat_id",
            "recurring": true
          }
        }'
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Metered billable metrics[](#metered "Direct link to heading")

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard">
    Conversely, if you set `recurring: false` or select the "metered" option in the user interface, the billing aggregation for your billable
    metric will reset to zero at the end of each billing period. This ensures that the customer's charges reflect only the usage within
    that specific period.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="API">
    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash Storage example {14} theme={"dark"}
      LAGO_URL="https://api.getlago.com"
      API_KEY="__YOUR_API_KEY__"

      curl --location --request POST "$LAGO_URL/api/v1/billable_metrics" \
        --header "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" \
        --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        --data-raw '{
          "billable_metric": {
            "name": "Storage",
            "code": "storage",
            "description": "Number of GB used",
            "aggregation_type": "sum_agg",
            "field_name": "gb",
            "recurring": false
          }
        }'
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>