ERROR CODES / ENGLISH
DeepSeek 402 Insufficient Balance: top up the account
What the DeepSeek 402 balance error means, how to top up, check free-quota expiry, and decide whether the account or the request is at fault.
Reviewed 2026-11-13 · ERROR CODES / 402 · Chinese detail: 完整中文页
What it means
The DeepSeek account balance is used up. Free quota has an expiry date, so an account that worked earlier can start returning 402 once that quota lapses.
{"error":{"message":"Insufficient Balance","type":"invalid_request_error"}}The status is 402. It is not a rate limit and it is not an authentication failure: the request was understood, but there is no balance to pay for it.
Common causes
| Share | Cause |
|---|---|
| 40% | Configuration problem (key, base URL, variable name) |
| 30% | Provider status (rate limiting, overload, outage) |
| 20% | Request content (parameters, structure, length) |
| 10% | Network path (DNS, proxy, certificate) |
The balance itself is the first thing to check. The other rows explain why the same message can appear when the account still looks funded; if you have confirmed a positive balance, treat the remaining causes as suspects in that order.
How to confirm
Log in to the DeepSeek platform and check the remaining balance and the status of any free quota. Confirm that the key and base URL in your client point at the same account you are inspecting. Then retry a request that previously succeeded. If the balance is zero, or the free quota has expired, the message is accurate.
Fix
- Top up the account at platform.deepseek.com.
- Check whether the free quota has expired.
- Retry with the same request after the balance updates.
If it still fails
| Symptom | Responsible party |
|---|---|
| Still failing after changing the request content | Configuration or provider |
| Switching site or network fixes it | That side |
| Only triggered under specific conditions | Your request |
A 402 is not a 429 and not a 401. If the status changes after a top-up, the balance was the cause. If it does not, work through the configuration and provider rows above before assuming the payment failed.
General guidance, not a statement about any specific provider. For measured data, see the relay directory and method.