LinkedIn InMail credits depend on your plan: as of October 2026, Premium Career gives you 5 credits each month, Premium Business 15, Recruiter Lite 30, Premium All-in-One 30 and Sales Navigator Core 50. Unused credits roll over up to a cap and expire after 90 days, you get a credit back when someone responds within 90 days, and no plan has unlimited InMail.
Here's the part nobody mentions until it's too late: your credits don't follow you. Cancel Premium and the balance drops to zero. Upgrade and they don't transfer. And Premium credits can't be used inside Sales Navigator or Recruiter, which keep their own pools.
InMail credits by plan
| Plan | Credits each month | Maximum you can hold |
|---|---|---|
| Premium Career | 5 | 15 |
| Premium Business | 15 | 45 |
| Sales Navigator Core | 50 | 150 |
| Recruiter Lite | 30 | 120 |
| Premium All-in-One | 30 | Up to 90 in total |
| Hiring Pro | 5 per job | 5 per job |
No plan gives unlimited InMail, and you can't buy extra credits outside your monthly allotment. If you need more, the only route is a plan with a bigger one. Weighing up Sales Navigator? Here's what Sales Navigator costs.
When credits renew and expire
Credits renew on the first day of your billing cycle, which is based on your sign-up date. Sales Navigator is the exception: its credits renew on the first of every month, whatever your billing cycle. Unused credits expire after 90 days. If you pay for both Premium and Sales Navigator, that means two separate pools renewing on two different calendars.
So you can't stockpile forever. Premium Business, for example, tops out at 45, which is three months of unused credits. The same holds for Premium Career at 15 and Sales Navigator at 150. Premium All-in-One, at 30 credits a month up to 90 in total, also gives you three months. Recruiter Lite gives you the longest runway: it holds 120, which is four months' worth.
Here's how that plays out. Say you're on Premium Business and send all 15 credits in your first month. If six of those people accept, decline or reply within 90 days, those six credits come back to you. The other nine are spent, and next cycle you get another 15 on top of whatever came back.
How the 90-day credit refund works
You get a credit back if the person accepts, declines or responds directly within 90 days of you sending the InMail. Quick Replies count. An InMail that's still pending counts as neither, so you don't get the credit back while it sits there.
Two more rules shape how you use them. LinkedIn sends the recipient an automatic reminder within three days. And you can't send another InMail to the same member until they respond to the first, so there's no follow-up InMail to chase someone who's ignored you.
This is why I'd write fewer, sharper InMails. A message that gets a polite no still earns your credit back. One that gets ignored costs you.
The three traps that wipe out credits
- Cancelling: cancel Premium and your InMail balance goes to zero.
- Upgrading: credits aren't transferable when you upgrade, so use what you've got first.
- Switching tools: Premium InMail credits can't be used in Sales Navigator or LinkedIn Recruiter.
Hiring Pro is separate again. Its InMail uses job-based credits that arrive gradually while a promoted job is open, and they don't show in your standard balance.
Who you can message, and how much you can say
InMail lets you message a member you're not connected to. It's a Premium feature: a free Basic account can only message connections. You can't InMail someone who's opted out of InMail in their message preferences.
There's a free route too. If a member has Open Profile enabled on their Premium account, you can message them without spending a credit. In Sales Navigator and similar tools, you should get access to a lead's full profile before you send them an InMail.
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The length limits are up to 200 characters in the optional subject line and 2,000 in the body. That subject line is short, so lead with why you're writing to this person. The body allows far more than you need, and I'd use a fraction of it. If you're new to the format, start with what InMail on LinkedIn is and how it differs from a normal message.
How to check your balance and send an InMail
- Click the Me icon, then Premium features, then My Premium.
- Click See all features and open the InMail dropdown to see your credits. On mobile, tap your profile photo, then Premium features, then Show all features.
- Open the member's profile, click More, then Message.
- Write a subject line if you want one, then the body.
- Watch for a reply within 90 days to get the credit back.
Hiring Pro credits won't show in that balance, because they're job-based and tied to each promoted job.
Is it worth upgrading for more InMail?
I'd choose a plan on InMail volume only if outbound messaging is the core of how you win work, and Sales Navigator Core's 50 credits each month is the biggest monthly pool on the list. Skip upgrading for credits if you send a handful a month: Premium Career's 5 is plenty when every message is written for one person, and a reply, even a no, hands the credit back.
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Frequently asked questions
How many InMail credits do you get with Premium Business?
As of October 2026, Premium Business gives you 15 InMail credits each month, and you can hold up to 45.
Do LinkedIn InMail credits roll over?
Yes, up to your plan's cap, but unused credits expire after 90 days.
Do you get InMail credits back?
Yes, if the recipient accepts, declines or responds within 90 days. A pending InMail doesn't earn the credit back.
Can you buy extra InMail credits?
No. You can't buy credits outside your monthly allotment, and no plan has unlimited InMail.
What happens to InMail credits when you cancel Premium?
Your InMail balance goes to zero when you cancel.
