← All free tools

EKS version support checker

Pick the Kubernetes version your EKS clusters run. See whether they are on standard or extended support, the dates that matter, and what extended support costs you.

Runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded

Find your versions with:

aws eks describe-cluster --name my-cluster \
  --query 'cluster.[version,upgradePolicy.supportType]'

EKS support calendar

VersionStandard support endsExtended support ends
1.292025-03-232026-03-23
1.302025-07-232026-07-23
1.312025-11-262026-11-26
1.322026-03-232027-03-23
1.332026-07-292027-07-29
1.342026-12-022027-12-02
1.352027-03-272028-03-27
1.362027-08-022028-08-02
1.372027-12-012028-12-01

Dates are from the Amazon EKS Kubernetes version lifecycle, checked in November 2026. Prices: $0.10 per cluster hour on standard support, $0.60 on extended support, 730 hours a month.

How to use the EKS version support checker

  1. Pick the Kubernetes version your cluster runs. aws eks describe-cluster shows it, together with the upgrade policy.
  2. Enter how many clusters run that version.
  3. Read the status and dates, and follow the steps: set the upgrade policy, run upgrade insights, and upgrade one minor version at a time.

Example: two clusters on 1.34

Kubernetes 1.34 leaves standard support on 2 December 2026. Two clusters cost about $146 a month now and about $876 a month on extended support: $730 more each month.

Setting the upgrade policy to STANDARD before that date stops the extra charge, and upgrading to a newer version keeps the clusters in standard support for over a year.

Common questions

What does EKS extended support cost?

$0.60 per cluster hour against $0.10 on standard support, about $438 a month per cluster instead of $73. Nodes and storage cost the same.

Can I turn off extended support later?

Only while the cluster is still on standard support. Once it is on extended support, upgrading is the only way back to the lower price.

How often do I need to upgrade EKS?

Each version gets 14 months of standard support, so plan to upgrade about once a year, or twice a year to stay comfortably ahead.

Read next: EKS extended support: the 6x control plane bill and how to avoid it

Want the real numbers for your AWS account?

Send me your setup and I will return a written list of savings and security fixes, safest first. It is free.