Why is Billing Access Important for AWS IAM Users?

Why is Billing Access Important for IAM Users?

By default, only the AWS root user has access to billing information. However, for better security and access control, it's best to grant IAM users permissions to view and manage billing details. This allows developers, DevOps, or finance teams to monitor costs and optimize usage without exposing root account credentials.

In this guide, we'll walk through the steps to grant an IAM user access to AWS Billing and Cost Management.

Best Practice: Avoid Using the Root User

The AWS root user has unrestricted access to all AWS resources, making it a security risk if compromised. Best practices recommend creating IAM users with least privilege access instead of using the root user for everyday tasks, including billing management.

Why Use IAM Users?

IAM users allow organizations to manage AWS accounts securely by providing role-based access. This approach ensures:

• Better security by limiting exposure of root credentials.
• Granular control by assigning permissions based on roles.
• Audit and monitoring through AWS CloudTrail logging.

Why Add Billing Access for an IAM User?

If an IAM user needs to track AWS costs, analyze usage, or manage budgets, they must be granted explicit billing permissions. Without access, they will be unable to:

• View cost and usage reports.
• Set up budget alerts to prevent unexpected charges.
• Optimize spending by monitoring services.

Why Is This Important?

Many AWS services run in the background, and without proper monitoring, they can generate unexpected charges. Enabling billing access for IAM users helps in:

• Preventing cost overruns by tracking expenses in real-time.
• Enabling proactive budgeting with alerts and notifications. -** Enhancing accountability** by allowing responsible teams to monitor expenditures.

Why This Post?
I initially forgot to enable billing access for my IAM user, and as a result, some AWS services kept running in the background without my knowledge. This led to unexpected additional costs. By enabling billing access and setting up alerts, I could have eliminated these unnecessary charges. This post serves as a guide to help others avoid similar mistakes.

Prerequisites

Before granting billing access to an IAM user, ensure the following steps are completed

• You need aws root user account
• You need aws IAM user account

- Note:

In the screenshots, Ramkumar @ Account-ID represents the IAM user.
Ram is the root user of the AWS account.

Goal:

The IAM user Ramkumar requires explicit billing access to view cost reports and manage billing settings.

Steps to Grant Billing Access to an IAM User

- Step 1: Enable IAM User Access to Billing
By default, AWS restricts billing access to the root user. To allow IAM users to access billing information:

1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console as the root user.
2. Navigate to Billing Dashboard (Search for Billing in the AWS Console).
3. In the left sidebar, click on Billing Preferences.
4. Scroll down and find the IAM user and role access to billing information option.
5. Check the box Activate IAM Access.
6. Click Update Preferences.

- Step 2: Attach Billing Policy to an IAM User
After enabling IAM billing access, you must grant permission to a specific IAM user.

1. Go to the IAM Dashboard (Search for IAM in the AWS Console).
2. Click on Users from the left menu.
3. Select the IAM user who needs billing access.
4. Click on the Permissions tab.
5. Click Add Permissions > Attach Policies.
6. Select the appropriate policy and click Next.
7. Click Add Permissions to apply the changes.

Step 3: Verify Access

To confirm that the IAM user has billing access:

1. Sign in to the AWS Console using the IAM user account.
2. Navigate to the Billing Dashboard.
3. If the user can view cost reports, invoices, and budgets, the permissions were successfully applied.

Use Cases

1. IAM User Without Any Access

• If an IAM user has no permissions attached, they will be denied access to the AWS Billing Dashboard and other AWS services.
• The error message "You do not have permission to access billing information" will be displayed.

2. IAM User With Administrator Permissions

• An IAM user with AdministratorAccess policy can access billing details only if the root user has enabled IAM access to billing.
• Without this setting, even administrators cannot view billing data.

3. IAM User With Billing Access Inline Policy

• If an IAM user has a custom inline policy granting billing access, they can view billing data without full administrative privileges.
• Example policy: Granting access to only billing-related actions for better security.

4. Root User Disabled Billing for IAM

• If the root user disables IAM access to billing, no IAM user (including administrators) will be able to access billing details.
• Only the root user will have visibility and control over billing information.

5. Root User Enabled Billing for IAM

• When the root user enables IAM user access to billing, IAM users with appropriate permissions can view billing details.
• This is a necessary step for IAM-controlled billing management.

5.1 IAM User Administrator Permission

5.1 IAM User With Inline billing policy

Policy Content

{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "aws-portal:ViewBilling",
                "aws-portal:ViewAccount",
                "aws-portal:ViewUsage",
                "aws-portal:ViewPaymentMethods",
                "budgets:ViewBudget",
                "ce:GetCostAndUsage",
                "ce:GetCostForecast",
                "ce:GetReservationUtilization",
                "ce:GetSavingsPlansUtilization",
                "ce:GetSavingsPlansUtilizationDetails"
            ],
            "Resource": "*"
        }
    ]

Conclusion

Granting IAM users access to AWS Billing ensures better cost monitoring and control without compromising security. By following these steps, you can safely delegate billing access while keeping root credentials secure.

Do you have any questions or need more AWS tips? Drop a comment below! 🚀