A seat is a license your organization purchases to unlock the full suite of Deel IT features for a specific worker (e.g., worker self-service requests, Device Lifecycle Management, MDM, and Endpoint Protection).
Seats can be assigned to a worker or kept available for later use.
This article explains how Deel IT seating works and how to manage, purchase, and assign seats effectively.
In this article
Here’s what you’ll find in this article:
- Managing and Understanding Seats
- Purchasing Seats (Self-serve)
- Seat statuses
- Assigning Seats to a worker (Upgrade)
- Common workflows
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
You can track, purchase, and assign seats directly in Deel IT settings, no additional approval flow is needed.
For a detailed overview of the Per Seat plan and its features, please see our article on Deel IT pricing plans.
Managing and Understanding Seats
You can view and manage your seats in Organization Settings → Deel IT Settings.
The Overview and Seats tabs help you monitor usage and availability.
Accessing Seat Management
On the Overview tab, you’ll see:
A summary of Assigned vs Available seats
The Add seats button
A quick link to the detailed Seats list
Click View to open the Seats tab for a more detailed list of workers with or without seats.
Seat Count Overview
On the Seats tab, tiles display:
Total paid seats and renewal date
Pending seats (reserved for configuring policy rules)
Assigned seats
Available seats
Click More info to see renewal dates and contract details.
Purchasing Seats (Self-serve)
Once you understand your current seat allocation, you can purchase additional seats at any time.
You can buy seats from either the Overview or Seats tab in Deel IT Settings.
Click Add seats.
Choose the number of seats you want to buy.
Review the price breakdown (total, per seat, term).
Confirm your purchase; no approval flow is required.
Purchased seats appear as available until assigned. You’ll also see the renewal date for paid seats in the tiles and under More info.
Seat statuses
Each seat can have one of the following statuses:
| State | What it means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Available | Purchased but not yet assigned to any worker | Keep on hand to upgrade workers quickly (e.g., new hires); assign when needed |
| Assigned (not in use) | Seat attached to a worker, but no paid feature used yet | You can reassign it to another worker or downgrade the worker to the Default IT Policy |
| Assigned and in use | Worker has used any paid feature (e.g., pre-config, MDM) | Seat stays with the worker until they’re terminated and all equipment is managed (returned, stored, or transferred) |
Default vs Paid Policies
Workers on the default policy do not consume a seat
Paid policies require a seat
Moving a worker to a paid policy automatically assigns a seat to them
Learn more about policies in our article on Creating IT policies in Deel IT.
Assigning Seats to a Worker (Upgrade)
Once seats are available, you can assign them to workers who need access to paid IT features.
Go to the Seats tab.
Under Default policy, find the list of workers without a seat.
Click the Ellipsis (three dots) menu next to the worker’s name and select Upgrade worker.
Choose a Paid policy and confirm.
If no seats are available, you’ll be prompted to purchase one prorated automatically.
Common workflows
Here are a few examples of how admins typically manage seats during the worker lifecycle:
- Give a new hire full access: Keep available seats; on start, upgrade the worker to a paid policy
- Scale up quickly: Use Add seats to purchase in bulk; assign as teams grow
- Fix a mistaken upgrade: If the seat is not in use, move the worker back to the default or reassign the seat
- End of employment: When a worker is offboarded and all associated equipment has been managed, the seat is released and returns to the available state
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
[ACCORDION] Do all workers need a seat?
No, workers can remain on the Default IT Policy. Admins can still place orders on their behalf.
[ACCORDION] Can I transfer/reassign devices without a seat?
No, device logistics like transfer and reassign are paid features. Both the worker releasing the device and the worker receiving it must be assigned a paid seat.
[ACCORDION] Can I buy seats in advance?
Yes, keeping a buffer of available seats helps you upgrade new hires immediately.
[ACCORDION] Will I see pricing before buying?
Yes, the Add seats flow shows a price breakdown before you confirm.