# Unassigned Public IP address | Cloud Efficiency Hub Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/unassigned-public-ip-address In Azure, it's common for public IP addresses to be created as part of virtual machine or load balancer configurations. By: Anderson Oliveira Updated: 2026-09-28 [Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) # Unassigned Public IP Address The short version In Azure, it's common for public IP addresses to be created as part of virtual machine or load balancer configurations. [Anderson Oliveira](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anderson-c-oliveira/) FinOps Account Manager @ CloudZero Azure service [Azure Public IP](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/azure-public-ip) Category [Networking](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/service-category/networking) Reference CER-0134 Type Idle or Unused Resource ## Explanation Why the waste happens and who it affects. When those resources are deleted or reconfigured, the IP address may remain in the environment unassigned. Basic SKU public IPs were retired on September 30, 2025 (except for Cloud Services extended support), leaving Standard as the SKU for new deployments, and Standard public IPs incur ongoing hourly charges, even if the address is not in use. Unassigned Standard public IPs provide no functional value but continue to generate cost, especially in environments with high churn or inconsistent cleanup practices. ## Billing model The pricing dimensions that drive this cost. - Basic SKU: Retired on September 30, 2025; any remaining Basic IPs are unsupported and should be upgraded to Standard or deleted - Standard SKU: Billed hourly, regardless of assignment - Pricing varies by region and IP version (IPv4 vs IPv6) - Costs accrue even if the IP is not attached to any resource ## How to detect 4 checks to find it in your estate. - List all public IP addresses in the subscription - Filter for IPs with Associated To status equal to - (unassigned) - Check the SKU of each unassigned IP; Standard IPs are billed hourly whether or not they are associated - Cross-reference with recently deleted VMs or network interfaces to find residual IPs ## How to fix 4 ways to remove the waste. - Delete unassigned Standard SKU public IPs that are no longer needed - If an unassigned IP must be kept for future use, confirm the need with its owner and accept the hourly charge, since the Basic SKU is retired and is no longer a lower-cost option - Incorporate IP resource cleanup into deprovisioning workflows - Use Azure Policy or Resource Graph to flag unassigned public IPs for review ## Documentation Vendor references for pricing and configuration. - [Azure Public IP Pricing azure.microsoft.com](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/ip-addresses/) - [Public IP Address Types and SKUs learn.microsoft.com](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/public-ip-addresses/) ## Related inefficiencies [Browse the library](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) - Azure NAT Gateway CER-0319 ### [Idle Azure NAT Gateway Attached to Subnet Without Active Workloads](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/idle-azure-nat-gateway-attached-to-subnet-without-active-workloads) Azure NAT Gateways are commonly deployed to provide outbound internet connectivity for resources within virtual network subnets. Over time, the workloads that originally required this outbound access may be scaled down, migrated, or... Networking - Azure Private Link CER-0318 ### [Orphaned Private Endpoints After Target Service Deletion](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/orphaned-private-endpoints-after-target-service-deletion) Azure Private Endpoints are network interfaces that provide private connectivity from a virtual network to Azure PaaS services such as Storage Accounts, SQL Databases, or Key Vaults. When the target service behind a private endpoint is... Networking - Azure Bastion CER-0312 ### [Idle or Underutilized Azure Bastion Deployment](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/idle-or-underutilized-azure-bastion-deployment) Azure Bastion incurs continuous hourly charges from the moment it is deployed until the resource is deleted - regardless of whether any connections are actively being made. This means a Bastion host sitting idle in a development or test... Networking --- Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.