Explanation
Why the waste happens and who it affects.
These charges often arise from delays in upgrade cycles, uncertainty about workload compatibility, or overlooked legacy clusters. If the workload does not require the older version, continuing to run the cluster in this state results in unnecessary cost and technical risk.
Billing model
The pricing dimensions that drive this cost.
EKS charges a fixed hourly rate per cluster for the control plane. In addition, AWS imposes an additional hourly Extended Support charge per cluster for any control plane running a Kubernetes version beyond the standard support period. This fee is charged in addition to the standard cluster fee, and continues until the cluster is upgraded to a supported version.
How to detect
5 checks to find it in your estate.
- Identify clusters running Kubernetes versions that have reached end of standard support
- Confirm whether the cluster is incurring Extended Support charges
- Review upgrade history and backlog to understand why the version was not updated
- Assess any upgrade blockers, such as incompatible workloads or dependency constraints
- Engage with platform teams to determine if the version can be upgraded safely
How to fix
How to remove the waste.
Upgrade the EKS control plane and associated node groups to a supported Kubernetes version. Follow AWS best practices for staged upgrades, workload compatibility testing, and version planning. Incorporate version lifecycle checks into your infrastructure review process to avoid future support charges.
Documentation
Vendor references for pricing and configuration.