# Period-based pauses (/en/businesses/shop/memberships/pauses/period-based)

A period-based pause skips one or more whole billing periods of a recurring membership. The member pays nothing and has no benefits during them. Use it when the agreement is "one month free" or "skip the next two months". Schedule it with **Pause upcoming periods** on the **Pauses** tab under **Manage member**. For exact dates or a pause where payments continue, use a [date-based pause](/businesses/shop/memberships/pauses/date-based).

## Choosing the periods [#choosing-the-periods]

**Billing periods to skip** is how many whole periods are free. **Start with period on or after** picks the first skipped period, the first one that starts on or after the date. When periods start on 1 August, 31 August and 30 September, choosing 10 August skips the period from 31 August. Leave it empty to skip the next one.

A skipped renewal creates no charge and grants no credits or session cards, and the next renewal moves on by one billing period.

## Fixed contracts [#fixed-contracts]

On a fixed contract, **Contract duration effect** decides how the skipped periods count:

| Choice                                       | The member pays | Effect on the contract                                          |
| -------------------------------------------- | --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Count paused periods toward the contract** | Nothing         | Each skipped period counts as served. The contract ends on time |
| **Extend the contract**                      | Nothing         | Skipped periods are added back. The contract ends later         |

With five periods left and two skipped, counting leaves three, and extending leaves five to pay after the pause.

## Minimum commitments [#minimum-commitments]

On a minimum commitment the choice is **Minimum commitment effect**, with **Count paused periods toward the minimum commitment** and **Extend the minimum commitment**.

| Moment                      | Commitment left, counting | Commitment left, extending |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| Before the pause            | 4                         | 4                          |
| After two skipped periods   | 2                         | 4                          |
| After the next paid renewal | 1                         | 3                          |

On an open-ended membership, or once the commitment is served, the skipped periods are simply free.

## Ending a pause early [#ending-a-pause-early]

A pause that hasn't started can be deleted. An active pause can be ended while it still has periods to skip: benefits return, skipped periods stay free, and the next renewal is charged normally. When the member cancels, the pause ends and the notice period is charged.