What happens to Claude Code limits after August 31, 2026?

Anthropic's support page states that after August 31, 2026 weekly usage limits in Claude Code return to their standard levels. The 50% increase is described as a promotion, not a permanent change to the plans. Teams that budget agent work by the week should plan for the lower ceiling from September onward unless Anthropic extends the promotion again.

Does the promotion change Claude Code's five-hour usage limit?

No. The Claude Code promotion raises the weekly usage limit only. Anthropic's support page says the separate five-hour usage limit is unaffected, so a burst of heavy work can still hit the shorter window at the same point it always did. The extra 50% only shows up in how much total work fits inside a week.

Can Claude Free users get the higher Claude Code weekly limits?

No. Anthropic limits the promotion to Pro, Max and Team plans plus legacy seat-based Enterprise. Free plans and consumption-based Enterprise seats are excluded. A Free-plan user who wants the raised weekly ceiling in Claude Code has to move to a paid plan, and even then the increase only runs until August 31, 2026.

Where do the higher Claude Code weekly limits apply?

The increase follows the account rather than one client, so it applies across every Claude Code surface: the command-line interface, the IDE extensions, the desktop app and the web. A developer switching between the terminal and an editor extension draws on the same raised weekly pool instead of a separate allowance per surface.

Anthropic · 2026-08-18 · major

Claude Code keeps 50% higher weekly limits — extended through August 31

Anthropic extended its Claude Code promotion again: weekly usage limits stay 50% higher through August 31, 2026. The boost covers Pro, Max, Team and legacy seat-based Enterprise plans across the CLI, IDE extensions, desktop and web.

Anthropic support page describing the Claude Code weekly limits promotion

Claude Code's 50% weekly limit boost, first added in May, now runs through August 31, 2026.

Quick facts

Increase	50% higher weekly limits
Plans	Pro, Max, Team, legacy seat-based Enterprise
Not included	Free plans, consumption-based Enterprise seats
Surfaces	CLI, IDE extensions, desktop, web
Started	May 13, 2026
Now ends	August 31, 2026
5-hour limit	Unchanged

What is it?

Anthropic pushed the end date of the Claude Code weekly limits promotion out to August 31, 2026. Weekly usage limits stay 50% above their standard levels for Pro, Max, Team and legacy seat-based Enterprise plans. Free plans and consumption-based Enterprise seats are not part of it.

How does it work?

The raised ceiling touches the weekly usage window only; the separate five-hour limit in Claude Code is untouched. The extra headroom follows the account across every surface — the CLI, IDE extensions, the desktop app and the web — rather than giving each client its own pool. When the promotion ends, weekly limits drop back to standard levels with no other change to the plans.

Why does it matter?

Weekly limits are the ceiling that stops long agent runs, so an extra 50% often decides whether a heavy week of work finishes or stalls midway. The promotion has been running since May 13, 2026, and the new date buys developers who had planned around an earlier cutoff more time before they have to re-budget. The support page is explicit that this is temporary, so it is headroom to use, not a limit to design around.

Who is it for?

Claude Code users on Pro, Max and Team plans

Frequently asked questions

What happens to Claude Code limits after August 31, 2026?: Anthropic's support page states that after August 31, 2026 weekly usage limits in Claude Code return to their standard levels. The 50% increase is described as a promotion, not a permanent change to the plans. Teams that budget agent work by the week should plan for the lower ceiling from September onward unless Anthropic extends the promotion again.
Does the promotion change Claude Code's five-hour usage limit?: No. The Claude Code promotion raises the weekly usage limit only. Anthropic's support page says the separate five-hour usage limit is unaffected, so a burst of heavy work can still hit the shorter window at the same point it always did. The extra 50% only shows up in how much total work fits inside a week.
Can Claude Free users get the higher Claude Code weekly limits?: No. Anthropic limits the promotion to Pro, Max and Team plans plus legacy seat-based Enterprise. Free plans and consumption-based Enterprise seats are excluded. A Free-plan user who wants the raised weekly ceiling in Claude Code has to move to a paid plan, and even then the increase only runs until August 31, 2026.
Where do the higher Claude Code weekly limits apply?: The increase follows the account rather than one client, so it applies across every Claude Code surface: the command-line interface, the IDE extensions, the desktop app and the web. A developer switching between the terminal and an editor extension draws on the same raised weekly pool instead of a separate allowance per surface.