---
title: "Estimate costs from hypothetical usage"
method: POST
path: "/v1/cost-estimate/hypothetical"
tags: ["Charges"]
---

# Estimate costs from hypothetical usage

`POST /v1/cost-estimate/hypothetical`

Estimate costs from hypothetical usage without creating charges.

Takes a list of usage items (type + quantity) and calculates what they would
cost based on your pricing plans. Useful for "what-if" scenarios, budget
planning, or previewing costs before usage occurs.

**Use cases:**
- Pre-execution cost preview for AI agents
- Budget planning with different pricing scenarios
- Customer-facing cost calculators
- Comparing pricing strategies side by side

## Request body

- object
  - `items` object[], required — Hypothetical usage items to estimate
    - `usageType` string, required — Usage type (must match a pricing plan for accurate estimates)
    - `quantity` number, required — Hypothetical quantity
    - `unitPriceOverride` string — Override unit price for this item (USDC)
  - `defaultUnitPrice` string — Default unit price (USDC) for usage types without a pricing plan
  - `customPricing` object — Custom pricing overrides: usageType → unitPrice. Takes precedence over DB pricing plans.

## Response `200`

Cost estimate with line item breakdown

- object — Cost estimate with line item breakdown
  - `businessId` string
  - `lineItems` object[]
    - `usageType` string
    - `quantity` string
    - `unitPrice` string
    - `estimatedCostUsdc` string
    - `hasPricingPlan` boolean
  - `subtotalUsdc` string
  - `estimatedTotalUsdc` string
  - `currency` 'USDC'
  - `isEstimate` true
  - `generatedAt` string, date-time
  - `notes` string[]

## Other responses

- `400` — Invalid request parameters
- `401` — Missing or invalid API key
- `429` — Rate limit exceeded

---

[API](https://skmtc.net/usedrip/apis/drip-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.net/usedrip/apis/drip-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc-service-staging.skmtc.workers.dev/v1/apis/usedrip/drip-api/revisions/2cb1567969ca/schema)