Data sheet
Auditing seat usage: a reference method
A reference for comparing paid software seats with seats actually in use: where the data lives, how to classify accounts and what to do with each group.
filed · The Seat Count editors
Parts of this guide
A seat audit answers one question: how many of the licenses you pay for are being used by someone who should have them. It takes an afternoon for a single tool once you know where the data is. Run it before a renewal, after a round of layoffs or hiring, and whenever the bill rises without an obvious reason.
What you need
- The number of seats on the current order form, and what counts as a seat under the contract.
- A list of user accounts from the tool’s admin console, with a last-login or last-activity date where the tool provides one.
- A current list of employees and contractors from HR or your identity system.
- The notice deadline for the next renewal, so you know how much time you have.
If the tool has no export, copy the user list into a spreadsheet by hand. For small teams that is fine.
Where the data lives
| Source | What it tells you | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Admin console user list | Who has an account, their role, often a last-active date | Last-active may count any API or background activity, not a person using the product |
| Single sign-on logs | Who authenticated to the tool and when | Only covers users who log in through SSO; local accounts do not appear |
| Billing page or invoice | The number of seats you are charged for | May lag behind the console; compare both |
| HR or directory list | Who still works for you | Contractors and shared mailboxes are often missing |
| Vendor usage report | Activity by feature or by user | Definitions of “active” differ between vendors |
When two sources disagree, note the difference. A gap between the console and the invoice is a finding on its own.
Classify every account
Put each account in one group.
| Group | How to spot it | Usual action |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Recent, meaningful use by a current person | Keep |
| Light | Logs in rarely or uses one narrow feature | Ask if a cheaper plan or a shared seat would work |
| Dormant | No activity in your chosen window, person still employed | Ask the person or their manager; remove if not needed |
| Orphaned | Belongs to someone who has left or changed role | Remove or reassign; check how offboarding missed it |
| Service | Used by an integration or shared by a team | Confirm the owner, check whether the contract bills it as a seat |
| Unknown | You cannot tell whose it is | Ask in the team channel; flag a deadline |
Choose the activity window before you look at the data. Ninety days works for most tools. For software used seasonally, such as year-end finance tools, use a window that covers a full cycle.
Reading the result
Add up the groups and compare them with the seats you pay for.
- Active plus Light is the number to plan around.
- Dormant plus Orphaned is the number you can probably act on first.
- Service and Unknown need an owner before they can be counted either way.
- Seats paid minus accounts in the console are seats bought and never assigned. Some contracts let you remove these at renewal only.
Turn the unused count into money with the seat cost calculator. The result is an annual figure at your own price per seat, which is more useful in a budget meeting than a percentage.
Check the contract before you cut
Removing accounts in the console does not always lower the bill. Read the seats and usage section for:
- whether seats can be reduced mid-term or only at renewal
- whether there is a minimum seat count or a minimum spend
- whether a discount depends on the current count
- whether freed seats can be reassigned in the meantime
The contract checklist has these under “Seats and usage”.
Keep the habit
- Set a recurring reminder, twice a year for most tools and more often for fast-growing teams.
- Tie offboarding to a checklist that includes removing accounts from paid tools.
- Record the date and the numbers each time, so the next audit shows a trend.
- Name an owner for each paid tool. Without one, nobody notices the drift.
Access hygiene helps security as well as cost, since an account nobody uses is also a login nobody watches. More on the admin side is in the admin and security topic.