> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dodopayments.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Cart Value Limit

> Understand the maximum cart value a customer can pay in one live checkout, how Dodo Payments enforces it, and how to request a higher limit.

The cart value limit is the highest cart value a customer can pay in one live mode checkout. Dodo Payments compares the cart value before tax with your business's limit. It refuses any product price, checkout, add-on, or renewal that goes above the limit. You can see your limit, and request a higher one, in **Settings → Pricing**.

![Cart value limit row in Pricing settings, showing the current limit and a Request increase button](https://mintcdn.com/dodopayments/SFgZRVwKwWVJiW4d/images/cart-value-limit/pricing-settings.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=SFgZRVwKwWVJiW4d\&q=85\&s=f15cf43d5490978c85330b4796d79728)

## How the Limit Works

A cart value limit may apply to your business. Dodo Payments sets a default limit. The risk team can set a higher limit for a business after it reviews a request.

The limit follows these rules:

* **Live mode only.** The limit applies to live mode payments. Test mode is not limited. See [Test Mode](#test-mode).
* **Before tax.** Tax never counts toward the limit. The amount the customer pays can be higher than the limit by the tax amount.
* **In USD.** The limit is a USD amount. Dodo Payments converts a cart in another currency to USD before it compares the cart with the limit.
* **Per checkout.** The limit applies to the cart of one checkout, not to the total of all your sales.
* **Up to the limit.** A cart equal to the limit is allowed. A cart above the limit is refused.

### What Counts Toward the Limit

The cart value is the subtotal of the checkout before tax. This table lists what is in it.

| Item | Counts toward the limit |
| :- | :- |
| Product price × quantity, for every product in the cart | Yes |
| [Add-ons](https://docs.dodopayments.com/features/addons.md) × quantity | Yes |
| The amount a customer enters for a [Pay What You Want](https://docs.dodopayments.com/features/pay-what-you-want.md) product | Yes |
| Discounts | Yes, as a reduction. The limit is compared with the subtotal after discounts |
| Tax | No |

Dodo Payments compares the prices you set, before [Adaptive Currency](https://docs.dodopayments.com/features/adaptive-currency.md) conversion and [Charm Pricing](https://docs.dodopayments.com/features/charm-pricing.md) rounding.

For example, a business with a limit of 10,000 USD can sell a 4,000 USD product with a quantity of 2. The cart value is 8,000 USD. A quantity of 3 makes the cart value 12,000 USD, so Dodo Payments refuses the checkout. The tax on top of the 8,000 USD does not count.

## Finding Your Limit

To see the limit that applies to your business, go to **Settings → Pricing** and find the **Cart value limit** row. It shows your limit in USD.

The limit shown is your business's own limit if the risk team set one. Otherwise, it is the default limit.

## Requesting a Higher Limit

To sell a product, plan, or cart above your limit, request a higher limit. Your business can have one open request at a time.

**1. Open the Request Form**

Go to **Settings → Pricing**. In the **Cart value limit** row, click **Request increase**.

You can also open the form from a product. When a product price is above your limit, click **Request a higher limit** under the price field.

**2. Enter the New Limit**

In **New maximum cart value**, enter the limit you need in USD. The amount must be above your current limit.

**3. Explain Why You Need It**

In **Why do you need a higher limit?**, describe what you sell and why a customer pays more than your current limit in one checkout. The reason can be up to 2,000 characters.

**4. Attach Supporting Documents**

Optionally, upload files that help the risk team review your request. For example, a paid invoice or emails with your customer. You can upload up to 5 files in PDF, PNG, or JPG format, up to 10 MB each.

![Request higher maximum cart value form with the new maximum cart value, the reason, and the supporting documents upload area](https://mintcdn.com/dodopayments/SFgZRVwKwWVJiW4d/images/cart-value-limit/request-increase-form.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=SFgZRVwKwWVJiW4d\&q=85\&s=c89f9879a20dd3efc86272352e334479)

**5. Submit the Request**

Click **Submit request**.

> [!TIP]
>
> The **Cart value limit** row shows an **Under review** badge with the amount you requested. **Request increase** is unavailable until the risk team reviews the request.

![Cart value limit row with an Under review badge and the requested amount](https://mintcdn.com/dodopayments/SFgZRVwKwWVJiW4d/images/cart-value-limit/request-under-review.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=SFgZRVwKwWVJiW4d\&q=85\&s=7ddcdb47b032a7fcab2c7b71576d32db)

### After the Review

Dodo Payments sends you an email when the risk team reviews your request.

| Result | What happens |
| :- | :- |
| **Approved** | Your limit changes to the approved amount and applies to new checkouts right away. You do not need to do anything. |
| **Denied** | Your current limit stays in place. You can submit a new request later from **Settings → Pricing**. |

## Products Priced Above the Limit

In live mode, you cannot create or update a product, an add-on, or a localized price with a price above your limit. This applies to the dashboard and the API. For a [Pay What You Want](https://docs.dodopayments.com/features/pay-what-you-want.md) product, the check uses the **Minimum Price**.

In the dashboard, the price field shows **The price is more than the cart value limit of this business.** and the product is not saved. Click **Request a higher limit** to open the request form.

A single product can be priced up to the limit. A product priced at your limit can be sold, but the customer cannot add more units or paid add-ons to that checkout.

> [!WARNING]
>
> Existing products and subscriptions are not changed when a limit applies to them. If their cart value is above your limit, their checkouts and renewals are refused. Request a higher limit before you sell them.

## What Customers See at Checkout

Dodo Payments checks the cart when the checkout is created. It checks the cart again each time the customer changes a quantity, an add-on, or a Pay What You Want amount. The message does not show your limit to the customer.

| Situation | What the customer sees |
| :- | :- |
| The cart is above the limit when the checkout is created | This product is currently unavailable for purchase. Please contact the seller. |
| A Pay What You Want amount puts the cart above the limit | This amount is above the maximum allowed. Please enter a lower amount. |
| One more unit or add-on would put the cart above the limit | The control to increase the quantity is disabled, with the message **Maximum order amount reached.** |

### Subscriptions

The limit also applies to subscriptions:

* **Subscription checkout.** It follows the same rules as any other checkout.
* **Renewals.** Dodo Payments checks each renewal payment before it charges the customer. This includes a renewal that goes above the limit because of more seats or add-ons. See [Seat-Based Billing](https://docs.dodopayments.com/features/seat-based-billing.md) and [Add-ons](https://docs.dodopayments.com/features/addons.md). Usage-based meter charges do not count toward the limit.
* **Plan changes.** A plan change that goes above the limit is refused.
* **On-demand charges.** Dodo Payments checks each [on-demand charge](https://docs.dodopayments.com/api-reference/subscriptions/create-charge.md) on its own. A charge above the limit is refused with the message: The charge amount is more than the cart value limit of this business. Split it into smaller charges.

When a renewal is above the limit, Dodo Payments does not send the payment to the processor:

1. The payment is marked as failed with the error code `CART_AMOUNT_EXCEEDS_LIMIT`.
2. Dodo Payments sends the `payment.failed` webhook and the failed payment email to the customer.
3. Dodo Payments retries the payment on the usual retry schedule.

To collect the payment, request a higher limit, then retry the payment. The payment details page in the dashboard shows a **Request a higher limit** link for these payments.

## Handling the Limit in the API

When a request goes above the limit, the API returns HTTP `422` with the code `CART_AMOUNT_EXCEEDS_LIMIT`. These endpoints return it:

* [Create Product](https://docs.dodopayments.com/api-reference/products/post-products.md) and [Update Product](https://docs.dodopayments.com/api-reference/products/patch-products.md), when the price or Pay What You Want minimum price is above the limit.
* [Create Add-on](https://docs.dodopayments.com/api-reference/addons/create-addon.md) and [Update Add-on](https://docs.dodopayments.com/api-reference/addons/update-addon.md), when the price is above the limit.
* [Create Checkout Session](https://docs.dodopayments.com/api-reference/checkout-sessions/create.md) and [Preview Checkout Session](https://docs.dodopayments.com/api-reference/checkout-sessions/preview.md), when the cart is above the limit. Create Checkout Session does not create the session.
* [Create Charge](https://docs.dodopayments.com/api-reference/subscriptions/create-charge.md), when the on-demand charge is above the limit.

The product and add-on endpoints return this response:

```json theme={null}
{
  "code": "CART_AMOUNT_EXCEEDS_LIMIT",
  "message": "The price is more than the cart value limit of this business."
}
```

Branch on `code`, not on `message`. The checkout endpoints return the customer-facing messages listed in [What Customers See at Checkout](#what-customers-see-at-checkout).

### Building Your Own Quantity Controls

To disable a quantity control before the customer reaches the limit, use [Preview Checkout Session](https://docs.dodopayments.com/api-reference/checkout-sessions/preview.md). Each add-on in the response has a `max_quantity_reached` field:

| Value | Meaning |
| :- | :- |
| `true` | One more unit of this add-on puts the cart above the limit. |
| `false` | The limit does not stop one more unit of this add-on. |

The response has no matching field for product quantity. To check a product quantity, preview the cart with the new quantity. A cart above the limit returns `CART_AMOUNT_EXCEEDS_LIMIT`.

## Test Mode

The limit does not apply in test mode. You can create a test product at any price and test a checkout of any cart value. To test what customers see when a cart is above the limit, use live mode. See [Test Mode vs Live Mode](https://docs.dodopayments.com/miscellaneous/test-mode-vs-live-mode.md).

## Frequently Asked Questions

> [accordion] Why does the amount charged go above my limit?
>
> The limit compares the cart value before tax. Tax is added after the check, so the total the customer pays can be above the limit by the tax amount.

> [accordion] Does the limit apply to the total of my sales?
>
> No. The limit applies to the cart of one checkout. Dodo Payments checks each checkout on its own.

> [accordion] I sell in EUR. How is my cart compared with a USD limit?
>
> Dodo Payments converts the cart value to USD, then compares it with your limit. A cart of the same amount in EUR can be above or below the limit as exchange rates change.

> [accordion] Can I see the status of my request?
>
> Yes. While the request is open, the **Cart value limit** row in **Settings → Pricing** shows **Under review** and the amount you requested. Dodo Payments emails you the result.

## Related

> [card] [Products](https://docs.dodopayments.com/features/products.md)
>
> Create and manage the products in your catalog.

> [card] [Pay What You Want](https://docs.dodopayments.com/features/pay-what-you-want.md)
>
> Let customers choose their price above a minimum.

> [card] [Add-ons](https://docs.dodopayments.com/features/addons.md)
>
> Sell extra units and features with a subscription.

> [card] [Error Codes](https://docs.dodopayments.com/api-reference/error-codes.md)
>
> Every error code the API returns.


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