# Control Seat Costs with Restricted Access in GitLab Make seat usage more predictable. - **Source:** [GitLab](https://brifing.si/source/76101668-80db-4240-8676-e968d2b72546) - **Published:** 2026-07-06 - **Topic:** [Software & Engineering](https://brifing.si/c/engineering) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/fb09eeb1-29fc-49ad-a52e-a5934ed1d81d ## What is Restricted Access? GitLab's restricted access feature prevents new billable users from being added when all licensed seats are in use. This helps organizations avoid unexpected seat growth before renewal and keep seat usage closer to the number of seats they have purchased. ## Existing Users Are Not Affected Restricted access is forward-looking. When enabled on a group or instance, existing billable members are not retroactively affected. Current memberships remain unchanged, and administrators must address any existing overage. ## Better Integration with Identity Providers Restricted access has been improved to integrate better with identity providers. Users provisioned via SAML, SCIM, or LDAP are now assigned the Minimal Access role when seats are full, rather than being added directly to billable roles. This is a significant advantage for organizations using automated provisioning. ## Dormant Users No Longer Create Overages GitLab can automatically deactivate users who have been inactive for a configurable period. When these users sign back in, they are no longer silently reactivated as billable users. Instead, they enter a pending approval state, awaiting administrator action. ## Clearer Warnings and Notifications Restricted access now provides clearer warnings and notifications to simplify daily operations. Administrators can better understand what will happen before and after reaching the seat limit. This includes contextual warnings during LDAP sync, SAML group links, and SCIM provisioning. ## Get Started with Restricted Access Restricted access is available on GitLab.com and Self-Managed. On GitLab.com, group Owners can enable it under Settings > General > Permissions and group features > Seat control > Restricted access. On Self-Managed, administrators can enable it under Admin Settings > General > New user account restrictions > Seat control > Restricted access. ## Sources covering this story - https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-restricted-access-improvements/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._