FOCUS 1.3 is the version of the FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification ratified on December 4, 2025, and it is the latest release. It makes three changes. A new supplemental Contract Commitment dataset isolates contract terms such as start and end dates and remaining units from the cost and usage rows, the first time FOCUS extends to an adjacent dataset. New split cost allocation columns let providers expose how they split costs across workloads, so practitioners see the methodology, not just the result. And data recency and completeness metadata require providers to timestamp datasets and flag completeness, so you know whether a dataset is fresh and whole. Verify which FOCUS version each provider currently emits before building on a specific column. Across 500+ environments, trustworthy, normalized billing data is the foundation of a 31% average bill reduction.
FOCUS 1.3 is the most recent version of the FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification, the open standard that normalizes cloud and technology billing into one schema. Where earlier releases focused on the cost and usage rows, 1.3 is notable for reaching beyond them into commitments, allocation methodology, and data trust. This explainer covers what FOCUS 1.3 is and exactly what it changed. It is part of our complete guide to cloud cost visibility and tooling, the cluster this article links up to.
What is FOCUS 1.3?
FOCUS 1.3 is the version of the FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification that the FOCUS Steering Committee ratified on December 4, 2025. Per the FinOps Foundation's introduction to FOCUS 1.3, it adds contract commitments, split cost allocation, and dimensions for recency and completeness. FOCUS, published at focus.finops.org, gives billing data a common schema so every provider reports cost, usage, accounts, and services the same way; 1.3 keeps that core stable while extending the standard into datasets and metadata that sit around the billing rows.
What changed in FOCUS 1.3?
FOCUS 1.3 made three substantive changes. The first is a new, supplemental Contract Commitment dataset that isolates contract terms, such as start and end dates, remaining units, and descriptions, from the cost and usage rows. This is the first time FOCUS extends its language to an adjacent dataset, and it gives practitioners a structured way to understand their commitments rather than inferring them from billing. The second is split cost allocation: new allocation-specific columns let data generators expose how they split costs across workloads, so practitioners can see the methodology behind an allocation, not just the output. The third is data recency and completeness: providers must now timestamp datasets with last-updated metadata and flag whether a dataset is complete, so consumers know whether the data they are reading is fresh and whole.
FOCUS 1.3 changes at a glance
| Change | What it adds | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Contract Commitment dataset | Separate dataset for contract terms and remaining units | Track commitment coverage, expiry, and burndown directly |
| Split cost allocation | Columns exposing how costs are split across workloads | See the allocation method, not just the result |
| Recency & completeness | Last-updated timestamps and completeness flags | Know whether a dataset is fresh and complete before trusting it |
Verdict: FOCUS 1.3 is about trust and structure. 1.2 broadened what spend FOCUS covers; 1.3 added the metadata and adjacent datasets that make the data dependable enough to automate against.
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FOCUS 1.3 builds on 1.2 rather than replacing its direction. As we cover in what FOCUS 1.2 changed for SaaS and PaaS, the sibling guide to this one, 1.2 extended the cost and usage schema to SaaS and PaaS with invoice, multi-currency, and virtual currency columns; 1.3 then added the Contract Commitment dataset, split allocation columns, and recency and completeness metadata. The Foundation also advanced conformance work alongside the spec, releasing the FOCUS Validator 2.0 so data generators and practitioners can check how conformant their FOCUS data is. To adopt 1.3, enable your provider's FOCUS export, confirm the version it emits against the provider's documentation since support advances over time, then land and union the data as in how to build a multicloud cost dashboard with FOCUS and BigQuery. The normalized, validated data is the See stage of our See, Cut, Lock, Run method, and a FinOps implementation is what turns it into a lower bill.
The Multicloud Visibility and FOCUS Guide maps the full FOCUS column model, including the 1.3 commitment and allocation additions, to a working data model and validation checks.
Common questions about FOCUS 1.3
What is FOCUS 1.3?
FOCUS 1.3 is the version of the FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification ratified by the FOCUS Steering Committee on December 4, 2025. It introduces a supplemental Contract Commitment dataset, new split cost allocation columns, and data recency and completeness metadata. It is the first FOCUS release to extend the specification language to an adjacent dataset rather than only the cost and usage rows.
What changed between FOCUS 1.2 and 1.3?
FOCUS 1.2 extended the cost and usage schema to SaaS and PaaS billing with invoice, multi-currency, and virtual currency columns. FOCUS 1.3 went further by adding a separate Contract Commitment dataset for contract terms, columns that expose how providers split costs across workloads, and metadata that timestamps datasets and flags completeness. In short, 1.2 broadened what spend FOCUS covers, and 1.3 added structure around commitments, allocation methodology, and data trust.
Why does the Contract Commitment dataset matter?
It matters because it isolates contract terms such as start and end dates and remaining units from the cost and usage rows, giving practitioners a structured way to understand their commitments instead of inferring them from billing. That makes commitment coverage, expiry, and burndown easier to track and report, which is central to managing reservations and savings plans well.
Written by Morten Andersen and reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, applying our See, Cut, Lock, Run method. Independent and vendor neutral.
Cloud pricing and service behavior change frequently. Verify the specifics in this guide against the providers’ own current documentation and the FinOps Foundation: FinOps Foundation Framework ↗ and FOCUS billing specification ↗. This article also reflects Cloud Cost Room’s hands-on, vendor-neutral engagement experience.