Hi @Ganeshkumarharikrishnan,

I have the step-by-step instructions for you.

As I mentioned before, GitHub has temporarily paused new self-serve sign-ups for Copilot Business for organizations on GitHub Free and Team plans. This means you will not see an option to subscribe directly in your settings if you are on one of those plans. However, there is a direct workaround to get you set up immediately.

Here is the process for a business:

The Fastest Way to Subscribe to Copilot Business

Since you are an organization and need immediate access, the correct path is to create a dedicated enterprise account specifically for Copilot Business. This is the supported workflow for organizations that do not need GitHub Enterprise.

Here is how to do it, based on GitHub's official documentation:

1. Start here: You need to create an enterprise account. The way to do this is to start a trial of GitHub Enterprise Cloud.

2. IMPORTANT during setup: When you are creating the trial, do not create any organizations during the setup.

   • Why? Adding users to an organization would assign them GitHub Enterprise licenses (which you don't need or want to pay for). To keep your setup limited to just Copilot Business, you must add users directly to the enterprise.

3. Onboard your users: Once the enterprise is set up, you can invite your team members directly as users within the enterprise.

4. Enable and Assign Copilot: As an enterprise owner, you can then go to the "Billing and licensing" section to enable Copilot for the enterprise and assign your team their Copilot Business licenses.

This is the official workaround GitHub provides for organizations that need Copilot Business immediately. After your trial, you can convert to a paid enterprise account to continue using the licenses. You can find the full, detailed guide here: Setting up a dedicated enterprise for GitHub Copilot Business.

I hope this gives you a clear and immediate path forward.

@Ganeshkumarharikrishnan Thank you for your thoughtful clarification. You are absolutely right to make that distinction, and I appreciate you pointing it out.

To confirm your understanding: Yes, for managing Copilot Business in this way, GitHub provides a dedicated workflow that does not require paying for GitHub Enterprise licenses for your users. This is a very common point of confusion, so your question is spot on.

✅ The Correct Understanding

You do not need to pay for full GitHub Enterprise Cloud licenses for your users. The enterprise account you create is strictly a management container for Copilot Business. Your users will only be billed the $19/user/month for their Copilot Business licenses, not the additional cost of GitHub Enterprise Cloud.

The process is:

1. Use an Enterprise Cloud Trial: You start a trial of GitHub Enterprise Cloud specifically to create the enterprise account. This is the only way to get the enterprise management framework.
2. Avoid Creating Organizations: Do not create any organizations within the trial. This is the critical step to avoid being charged for Enterprise Cloud seats. Adding users to an organization would assign them a GitHub Enterprise license.
3. Add Users Directly: Instead, you add your team members directly to the enterprise as users. This keeps your setup limited to Copilot Business licenses.
4. Enable and Assign Copilot: Once the trial is active, an enterprise owner enables Copilot and assigns Copilot Business licenses to those users.

💸 Cost Clarification

• You will pay for: The $19/user/month Copilot Business licenses paid for your team members.
• You will NOT pay for: The cost of GitHub Enterprise Cloud licenses for your users because you are not creating any organizations or assigning Enterprise seats. The trial will expire, and you will then simply convert to a paid enterprise account that only bills for the Copilot Business licenses you have assigned.

✅ In Short

You have the correct understanding. The dedicated enterprise account is purely a management layer for Copilot Business, not a requirement for full GitHub Enterprise licenses. This workflow exists precisely to offer a path for teams who need Copilot Business without the Enterprise suite.

You can follow the official step-by-step guide here: Setting up a dedicated enterprise for GitHub Copilot Business.