An EKS cluster left on an old version pays six times more for its control plane. Every hour.
Fourteen months after a Kubernetes version is released on EKS, standard support ends and the cluster moves to extended support: $0.60 per cluster-hour instead of $0.10, about $438 a month instead of $73. Twelve months later, AWS upgrades the control plane for you, on its schedule. We upgrade your clusters on yours, at a fixed price.
Is your cluster already paying for extended support?
Free, nothing is sent. Dates from the Amazon EKS release calendar and prices from the EKS pricing page, checked on November 3, 2026.
To find the version: aws eks describe-cluster --name my-cluster --query cluster.version, or the EKS console. List prices, before discounts and taxes.
What AWS does if you wait
From the EKS documentation on Kubernetes versions and on rollback.
End of standard support
The bill goes up
Extended support is on by default for new and existing clusters. Billing at $0.60 per hour starts without anyone opting in.
End of extended support
The control plane moves alone
AWS upgrades the control plane to the oldest supported version, gradually, with no advance notice. Node groups and add-ons stay behind until you update them.
After a forced upgrade
No way back
EKS rollback works within 7 days of an in-place upgrade. It does not apply to clusters AWS upgraded at the end of extended support.
The upgrade, at a fixed price per cluster
A known price before we start, an agreed maintenance window, and a rollback plan tested before production is touched. Prices in USD, excluding taxes.
Upgrade readiness check
Free one cluster
- Current version, target version and the hops in between
- Deprecated APIs and EKS upgrade insights reviewed
- Add-ons, Helm controllers and node groups that block the upgrade
- Written result, whether or not you hire us
Fixed-price upgrade
$3,900 per cluster
- Deprecated API scan (pluto, kubent, EKS upgrade insights) and fixes as pull requests
- Add-on upgrades: VPC CNI, CoreDNS, kube-proxy, EBS CSI driver, plus Helm-installed controllers
- Node group upgrades: managed node groups, Karpenter, Amazon Linux 2 to AL2023 when needed
- Tested rollback plan, rehearsed on staging before production
- Every minor-version hop up to a version in standard support
- Written report and the next upgrade date in your calendar
For reference: at list price, extended support adds about $4,380 per cluster per year, so the fixed price is less than one year of the surcharge on a single cluster.
How the upgrade runs
- Day 1: inventory. Read-only access. Versions, add-ons, deprecated APIs, Helm charts, operators, PodDisruptionBudgets. Everything that will break is listed before anything changes.
- Days 2 to 4: rehearsal. The full upgrade runs on staging, or on a short-lived copy built from the same Terraform. Each fix goes to your repository as a pull request.
- Day 5: production. In the agreed window. The rollback plan, EKS rollback within 7 days or a blue/green cluster, is written and tested before the first node moves.
- Day 6: report. What was done, what was fixed, your next support deadline, and a checklist to run the next upgrade yourself.
About rollback, honestly
Since July 1, 2026, EKS can roll a cluster back to the previous minor version within 7 days of an in-place upgrade. It is a real safety net, with limits: one minor version only, add-ons and managed node groups rolled back separately, no Fargate rollback, and no rollback after an automatic upgrade at the end of extended support. That is why the plan is rehearsed on staging, and why a blue/green cluster stays the fallback for multi-hop upgrades on critical clusters.
Frequently asked questions
How much does EKS extended support cost?
$0.60 per cluster per hour instead of $0.10 in standard support, according to the Amazon EKS pricing page. Over 730 hours that is about $438 a month instead of $73, or about $4,380 a year more per cluster. Worker nodes are billed separately and don't change.
When does EKS upgrade a cluster automatically?
At the end of extended support, AWS upgrades the control plane to the oldest supported version, gradually and without advance notice. Only the control plane moves; managed node groups, self-managed nodes and add-ons stay behind until you update them. For Kubernetes 1.31, extended support ends on November 26, 2026.
Can you roll back an EKS upgrade?
Since July 2026, yes, within 7 days of an in-place upgrade and by one minor version only. Add-ons and managed node groups have to be rolled back separately, Fargate nodes can't be, and clusters that AWS upgraded automatically at the end of extended support can't be rolled back at all.
Can we just turn off extended support?
Only while the cluster is still in standard support, by setting its upgrade policy to STANDARD. The cluster is then upgraded automatically when standard support ends, on a date you don't choose. Once a cluster is in extended support, the only way out is to upgrade it.
What does the $3,900 cover?
One cluster, from its current version to a version in standard support, one minor version at a time: deprecated API scan, rehearsal, add-on upgrades, node group upgrades (including Amazon Linux 2 to Amazon Linux 2023 where needed), a tested rollback plan and a written report.
Which clusters are paying extended support right now?
As of November 3, 2026, clusters on Kubernetes 1.31, 1.32 and 1.33 are in extended support, unless their upgrade policy was changed. Version 1.34 leaves standard support on December 2, 2026.
Ask for the readiness check
Written reply within one business day, with a fixed price. No sales sequence.
Sent. You will get a written reply with a fixed price within one business day.