Back to feed
News Story
少数派
1 sources

DeepSeek: Adjusted Workdays to Be Billed at Off-Peak Rates

DeepSeek released an API peak/off-peak time notice stating that weekends adjusted for work and all Chinese statutory holidays will be billed at off-peak rates. The notice aligns with the previously issued 2026 holiday schedule from the General Office of the State Council, detailing billing rules for Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays and adjusted workdays. DeepSeek had implemented its peak/off-peak pricing mechanism on August 17 and, starting August 23 at 00:00, adjusted API billing so that all day Saturday and Sunday are charged at off-peak rates.

SynthePulse Insight · AI deep reading

DeepSeek Counts Makeup Workdays as Off-Peak Hours: A Realignment of Billing Rules and the Calendar

Version 1 · 1 source

DeepSeek has released an API peak/off-peak time notice, unifying weekends that are makeup workdays and full days of Chinese statutory holidays under off-peak billing. This adjustment continues its peak/off-peak pricing approach since August, but specific prices and effective details remain to be confirmed.

  • DeepSeek released an API peak/off-peak time notice: weekends that are makeup workdays and full days of Chinese statutory holidays are all billed at off-peak rates.
  • The notice cites the "Notice of the General Office of the State Council on the Arrangement of Some Holidays in 2026," under which the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday runs from September 25 to 27, the National Day holiday runs from October 1 to 7 with adjusted time off, and September 20 and October 10 are workdays.
  • DeepSeek's peak/off-peak pricing mechanism was officially implemented on August 17, and starting at 00:00 on August 23, the API billing rules were adjusted: all day Saturday and Sunday no longer distinguish between peak and off-peak periods, and call fees are uniformly charged at off-peak period prices.
  • This notice also includes "weekends that are makeup workdays" as off-peak periods, meaning the billing calendar is further aligned with statutory workday/rest day arrangements.
  • The source is a paraphrase by SSPAI, which did not provide specific rate figures or the original official announcement text, so pricing details remain information to be confirmed.
Open section navigationA Realignment of Billing Rules and the Calendar

A Realignment of Billing Rules and the Calendar

DeepSeek has released an API peak/off-peak time notice, clarifying that weekends that are makeup workdays and full days of Chinese statutory holidays are all billed at off-peak rates. The core change in this rule is that peak/off-peak periods, originally divided by natural weeks, have begun to align with the statutory holidays and adjusted time-off arrangements issued by the General Office of the State Council.

According to the previously issued "Notice of the General Office of the State Council on the Arrangement of Some Holidays in 2026," in 2026 the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday runs from September 25 (Friday) to 27 (Sunday), a total of 3 days; the National Day holiday runs from October 1 (Thursday) to 7 (Wednesday) with adjusted time off, a total of 7 days; and September 20 (Sunday) and October 10 (Saturday) are workdays. DeepSeek's new notice means that days such as September 20 and October 10, which are "weekend workdays," will also be billed at off-peak rates.

The Existing Context of Peak/Off-Peak Pricing

This adjustment is not an isolated event. DeepSeek officially implemented its peak/off-peak pricing mechanism on August 17, and then starting at 00:00 on August 23 adjusted its API billing rules: all day Saturday and Sunday no longer distinguish between peak and off-peak periods, and call fees are uniformly charged at off-peak period prices.

From the timeline, DeepSeek adjusted its billing approach twice within about one month: first placing weekends as a whole into the off-peak category, and then further including makeup workdays and statutory holidays as off-peak periods. This shows a continuing tendency to move the billing calendar closer to actual rest days.

What It Means for API Callers

For API callers, the rule change directly affects cost expectations. If makeup workdays are billed at off-peak rates, then workdays that might otherwise be classified as peak will enjoy off-peak prices on specific dates.

However, the source did not provide specific rate figures, nor did it explain the price gap between peak and off-peak. Therefore, the actual savings ratio cannot be calculated from the available information; it can only be confirmed that the classification rules for billing periods have changed.

Information Boundaries and Items to Be Confirmed

The above content comes from a paraphrase by SSPAI and is a secondhand source. The original text of DeepSeek's official announcement, the specific effective date, and whether it covers all API products are not made clear in the source.

In addition, the source does not state whether the notice's publication time and effective time are the same, nor does it provide an official link. Therefore, the parts concerning pricing details and scope of implementation should be regarded as information to be confirmed, rather than verified facts.

Credibility boundary

The information in this article mainly comes from SSPAI's paraphrase of DeepSeek's API peak/off-peak time notice, which is a secondhand source. The holiday arrangement portion cites a notice from the General Office of the State Council and has relatively high credibility; however, the specific rates, effective time, and scope of application of DeepSeek's billing rules lack support from the original official text, and the related details should be regarded as to be confirmed.

Insight takeaway

DeepSeek's inclusion of makeup workdays and statutory holidays in off-peak billing is another step in aligning its peak/off-peak pricing mechanism with the actual calendar. The direction of the rule is clear, but pricing details and scope of implementation still need official information for confirmation.

Sources for this version

  1. DeepSeek 发布：调休上班日按空闲时段计费少数派

Primary report

少数派

Primary source