---
title: "insufficient_balance — not enough LMC"
url: https://lumean.app/en/developers/docs/errors/insufficient-balance
locale: en
description: "A domain refusal of order creation: `{\"success\": false, \"message\": \"…\", \"reason\": \"insufficient_balance\"}`. The order was not created and no funds were reserved."
generated: 2026-10-17
---

# insufficient_balance — not enough LMC

- HTTP: `402`

- `reason`: `insufficient_balance`

- `Retry-After` header: no

## What happened

A domain refusal of order creation: `{"success": false, "message": "…", "reason": "insufficient_balance"}`. The order was not created and no funds were reserved.

## Why

Charges are made in advance: the cost of the order is held on the balance at the moment of creation, not upon actual generation. That is why the shortfall shows up immediately, not "afterwards": the available LMC is less than what must be held for this order.

## What to do

Top up the balance. This cannot be done with an API key: the public API does not process payments — top-ups, transfers, and subscription purchases are available only in the dashboard. An alternative without topping up is to reduce the size of the order: split the text into parts and order them as you top up.

## Next request

After topping up — the same `POST /orders` unchanged. `GET /usage` (consumption against limits) and `GET /subscriptions` (remaining quota) help you check that you have enough to cover the charges.

## Related

- [insufficient_allowance — the neighboring 402 code](https://lumean.app/en/developers/docs/errors/insufficient-allowance)
- [Guide: LMC, quotas, and PAYG](https://lumean.app/en/developers/docs/guide/billing)
- [GET /usage](https://lumean.app/en/developers/docs/api/get-usage)
- [Top up your wallet](https://lumean.app/en/wallet)
- [Plans](https://lumean.app/en/shop)

---

- This page in the browser: https://lumean.app/en/developers/docs/errors/insufficient-balance
- Full machine-readable reference: https://api.lumean.app/docs/llm.md