Over your HubSpot marketing contacts limit: how to check usage and set contacts as non-marketing

If you go over your marketing contacts tier by even one contact, HubSpot moves you up to the next tier automatically, and you're billed for that tier until your subscription renews. As of October 2026, tiers only go down at renewal (HubSpot's marketing contacts billing article). An upgrade that has already happened stays until then. Setting contacts as non-marketing now keeps you from jumping another tier and gets your count down before you ask for a smaller one.

Start on the Marketing Contacts page in Account & Billing. It shows your current count, your tier, the next update date and any maximum you've set. Then find out what is making contacts marketing. Every contact has a Marketing contact status source type property that names the tool that last set its status, such as a workflow or a form.

Why you went over your marketing contacts tier

A form or workflow marks everyone as marketing

HubSpot forms set contacts as marketing by default, and that includes existing non-marketing contacts who submit one. A workflow with the Set marketing contact status action does the same for every contact that reaches it, so one welcome workflow can add thousands of contacts to your count. Check the source type on a sample of your marketing contacts. The article on why contacts become marketing contacts lists every setting to look at.

Contacts you never market to are still marketing

Customers you only email one-to-one, unsubscribed contacts and bounced contacts all count if they're set as marketing. Non-marketing contacts can still get one-to-one sales emails, sequences, transactional emails and customer feedback surveys. They can't get marketing emails or be added to ads audiences (marketing contacts overview).

An import or integration added a batch

A single-object import with the marketing contacts option ticked, or a connected app with its marketing contacts toggle switched on, can add a large group in one go. The app toggles are in your account settings under Integrations, then Marketing Contacts. Only contacts an app creates after its toggle is on are set as marketing.

Your changes haven't taken effect yet

When you set a marketing contact as non-marketing, the change waits for the next update date. On a monthly subscription that's your renewal date each month. On a yearly subscription it's the first day of each month. Until then the contact still counts, and its Marketing contact until next update property shows the change is scheduled.

How to get back under your tier

1. Check where you stand. In Account & Billing, open Marketing Contacts. Note the current count, the tier, the next update date and the chart of marketing contacts over time.
2. Fix the source before the cleanup. Create a contacts view filtered to Marketing contact status is Marketing contact, add the source type and source name columns, and sort. Turn off the form setting, workflow action or app toggle that's adding them, or new contacts will fill the space you free up.
3. Use Clean up contacts. On the Marketing Contacts page, click Clean up contacts. Unsubscribed and bounced contacts are shown by default. Add segments or property filters for other groups, such as customers you only email one-to-one. Click Continue, check the date the change takes effect, then click Schedule changes (set contacts as non-marketing).
4. Or set them from the contacts index page. Select the contacts, open the More menu and choose Set as non-marketing contacts.
5. Automate the rule. On a Professional or Enterprise plan, a workflow with Set marketing contact status set to non-marketing keeps a group out of your count as contacts join it, for example people who unsubscribe from all email.
6. Set a maximum. Under Maximum Marketing Contacts on the same page, click Set maximum. Once the maximum is reached, contacts from imports and automated features are set as non-marketing. Super Admins and users with the Modify Billing permission can set it.
7. Ask for a smaller tier at renewal. Send the request at least five business days before your renewal date. Professional and Enterprise accounts go through their HubSpot Contract Manager, and Starter accounts through an email support ticket.

How to keep it from happening again

HubSpot notifies your billing contacts within 24 to 48 hours when usage reaches 75%, 90% and 98% of the tier, and when you go over. Make sure those emails reach someone who will act on them. You can also build a dashboard from HubSpot's default Marketing Contacts dashboard in Reporting. Once a month, check which source type added the most marketing contacts, and give the Marketing contacts access permission only to the people who should be changing status. My HubSpot audit checklist includes marketing contacts in its review.

From client work

In an audit for Conference Badge, marketing contacts had reached 9,159 on a 7,000 tier. The cause was one welcome workflow that marked every app signup as marketing. I fixed the workflow and scheduled more than 7,800 signups to non-marketing, which puts them back under the tier from 1 November 2026.

If you'd like a second pair of eyes on which contacts should stay marketing, I can audit your portal and set it up with you.

Questions

Does deleting contacts lower my HubSpot bill?

Not before renewal. Deleting a marketing contact frees space under your tier, but it doesn't lower a tier you've already moved up to.

When do non-marketing changes take effect?

On the next update date. That's your renewal date each month on a monthly plan, or the first of each month on a yearly plan.

Can I stop the automatic upgrade?

Once you go over, the upgrade happens. A maximum is how you stop imports and automated features from taking you over in the first place.

Does this apply to every HubSpot pricing model?

No. HubSpot's Product and Services Catalog says customers on its flexible seats-and-credits pricing don't pay separately for marketing contacts, because they count within the subscription's record capacity. This article covers the marketing contacts tier on Marketing Hub Starter, Professional and Enterprise.