Summary
On August 28, 2026, GitHub announced Copilot policy and billing changes: new Business and Enterprise signups reopen September 1, and from October 1 all new Business/Enterprise seat assignments require upfront per-seat payment before access (prices unchanged, no prorated refunds on revocation). No earlier than September 28, Copilot Chat on github.com and mobile merges with the Copilot cloud agent into one experience with chat retention extended from 28 days to account lifetime, and the default code-review effort shifts from 'Lite' to 'Balanced'.
What changed
GitHub is changing Copilot Business/Enterprise to require upfront per-seat payment (from Oct 1), reopening signups (Sep 1), merging Copilot Chat with the cloud agent into one experience with account-lifetime chat retention (no earlier than Sep 28), and switching default code-review effort to 'Balanced'.
Why it matters
The billing shift to pay-before-access and the retention change reshape how enterprises procure and govern Copilot at scale, while folding Chat into the cloud agent signals GitHub consolidating on an agent-first Copilot. Admins must act before the September 28 deadline to preserve current settings.
Evidence excerpt
All new Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise seat assignments will require payment for each seat before users gain Copilot access ... Copilot Chat and Copilot cloud agent merge into one experience ... Chat data retention extends from 28 days to account lifetime.