diff --git a/lib/emails/__tests__/notifyEmailSent.test.ts b/lib/emails/__tests__/notifyEmailSent.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..223e92ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/emails/__tests__/notifyEmailSent.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from "vitest";
+import { notifyEmailSent } from "../notifyEmailSent";
+
+const mockSendMessage = vi.fn();
+vi.mock("@/lib/telegram/sendMessage", () => ({
+  sendMessage: (...args: unknown[]) => mockSendMessage(...args),
+}));
+
+describe("notifyEmailSent", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => vi.clearAllMocks());
+
+  it("posts a Markdown message with the email details", async () => {
+    await notifyEmailSent({
+      accountId: "acct-1",
+      to: ["dest@example.com"],
+      cc: ["cc@example.com"],
+      subject: "Weekly report",
+      resendId: "resend-123",
+    });
+
+    expect(mockSendMessage).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    const [message, options] = mockSendMessage.mock.calls[0];
+    expect(options).toEqual({ parse_mode: "Markdown" });
+    expect(message).toContain("acct-1");
+    expect(message).toContain("dest@example.com");
+    expect(message).toContain("cc@example.com");
+    expect(message).toContain("Weekly report");
+    expect(message).toContain("resend-123");
+  });
+
+  it("omits the CC line when there is no cc", async () => {
+    await notifyEmailSent({
+      accountId: "acct-1",
+      to: ["dest@example.com"],
+      subject: "Hi",
+      resendId: "r-1",
+    });
+    const [message] = mockSendMessage.mock.calls[0];
+    expect(message).not.toContain("*CC:*");
+  });
+
+  it("never throws when Telegram fails (best-effort)", async () => {
+    mockSendMessage.mockRejectedValue(new Error("telegram down"));
+    await expect(
+      notifyEmailSent({ accountId: "a", to: ["x@y.com"], subject: "s", resendId: "r" }),
+    ).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/lib/emails/__tests__/sendEmailHandler.test.ts b/lib/emails/__tests__/sendEmailHandler.test.ts
index 3b5fa6e8..a0086b4d 100644
--- a/lib/emails/__tests__/sendEmailHandler.test.ts
+++ b/lib/emails/__tests__/sendEmailHandler.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@ import { sendEmailHandler } from "../sendEmailHandler";
 
 const mockValidateSendEmailBody = vi.fn();
 const mockProcessAndSendEmail = vi.fn();
+const mockEnsureCredits = vi.fn();
+const mockRecordCreditDeduction = vi.fn();
+const mockNotifyEmailSent = vi.fn();
 
 vi.mock("@/lib/emails/validateSendEmailBody", () => ({
   validateSendEmailBody: (...args: unknown[]) => mockValidateSendEmailBody(...args),
@@ -13,6 +16,22 @@ vi.mock("@/lib/emails/processAndSendEmail", () => ({
   processAndSendEmail: (...args: unknown[]) => mockProcessAndSendEmail(...args),
 }));
 
+vi.mock("@/lib/credits/ensureCreditsOrShortCircuit", () => ({
+  ensureCreditsOrShortCircuit: (...args: unknown[]) => mockEnsureCredits(...args),
+}));
+
+vi.mock("@/lib/credits/recordCreditDeduction", () => ({
+  recordCreditDeduction: (...args: unknown[]) => mockRecordCreditDeduction(...args),
+}));
+
+vi.mock("@/lib/emails/notifyEmailSent", () => ({
+  notifyEmailSent: (...args: unknown[]) => mockNotifyEmailSent(...args),
+}));
+
+vi.mock("@/lib/credits/const", () => ({
+  CREDIT_AUTO_RECHARGE_FALLBACK_SUCCESS_URL: "https://chat.recoupable.com/credits",
+}));
+
 vi.mock("@/lib/networking/getCorsHeaders", () => ({
   getCorsHeaders: vi.fn(() => ({ "Access-Control-Allow-Origin": "*" })),
 }));
@@ -41,6 +60,71 @@ describe("sendEmailHandler", () => {
       message: "Email sent successfully.",
       id: "resend-id-1",
     });
+    mockEnsureCredits.mockResolvedValue(null); // credits available → proceed
+    mockRecordCreditDeduction.mockResolvedValue({ success: true });
+    mockNotifyEmailSent.mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+  });
+
+  it("posts an Admin Telegram notification on a successful send", async () => {
+    const response = await sendEmailHandler(createRequest());
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(mockNotifyEmailSent).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        accountId: "account-123",
+        to: ["dest@example.com"],
+        subject: "Weekly report",
+        resendId: "resend-id-1",
+      }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("does not notify when the send fails", async () => {
+    mockProcessAndSendEmail.mockResolvedValue({ success: false, error: "resend boom" });
+    await sendEmailHandler(createRequest());
+    expect(mockNotifyEmailSent).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("gates on credits then charges 1 credit on a successful send", async () => {
+    const response = await sendEmailHandler(createRequest());
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(mockEnsureCredits).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ accountId: "account-123", creditsToDeduct: 1 }),
+    );
+    expect(mockRecordCreditDeduction).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        accountId: "account-123",
+        creditsToDeduct: 1,
+        source: "api",
+        modelId: "POST /api/emails",
+      }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("returns the 402 short-circuit and does not send when credits are insufficient", async () => {
+    mockEnsureCredits.mockResolvedValue(
+      NextResponse.json({ status: "error", error: "Insufficient credits" }, { status: 402 }),
+    );
+    const response = await sendEmailHandler(createRequest());
+    expect(response.status).toBe(402);
+    expect(mockProcessAndSendEmail).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(mockRecordCreditDeduction).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("does not charge when the send fails", async () => {
+    mockProcessAndSendEmail.mockResolvedValue({ success: false, error: "resend boom" });
+    const response = await sendEmailHandler(createRequest());
+    expect(response.status).toBe(502);
+    expect(mockRecordCreditDeduction).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("returns a controlled 500 with CORS when the credit gate throws", async () => {
+    mockEnsureCredits.mockRejectedValue(new Error("stripe down"));
+    const response = await sendEmailHandler(createRequest());
+    expect(response.status).toBe(500);
+    expect(response.headers.get("Access-Control-Allow-Origin")).toBe("*");
+    const json = await response.json();
+    expect(json.status).toBe("error");
+    expect(mockProcessAndSendEmail).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
   it("sends to the validated recipients and maps chat_id to the footer link", async () => {
diff --git a/lib/emails/notifyEmailSent.ts b/lib/emails/notifyEmailSent.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..611ceb55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/emails/notifyEmailSent.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import { sendMessage } from "@/lib/telegram/sendMessage";
+
+export interface EmailSentNotification {
+  accountId: string;
+  to: string[];
+  cc?: string[];
+  subject: string;
+  resendId: string;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Formats a sent-email notification into a Telegram message.
+ *
+ * @param n - The sent-email details.
+ * @returns A Markdown-formatted message string.
+ */
+function formatEmailSentMessage(n: EmailSentNotification): string {
+  const lines = [
+    "*Email sent* (`POST /api/emails`)",
+    "",
+    `*Account:* ${n.accountId}`,
+    `*To:* ${n.to.join(", ")}`,
+  ];
+  if (n.cc && n.cc.length > 0) {
+    lines.push(`*CC:* ${n.cc.join(", ")}`);
+  }
+  lines.push(`*Subject:* ${n.subject}`);
+  lines.push(`*Resend ID:* ${n.resendId}`);
+  lines.push("");
+  lines.push(`*Time:* ${new Date().toISOString()}`);
+  return lines.join("\n");
+}
+
+/**
+ * Posts an Admin Telegram notification for each email sent (the same
+ * `TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID` channel as other alerts), so the team can review the
+ * quality and frequency of outgoing email. Best-effort — never throws or
+ * blocks the send, mirroring `sendErrorNotification`.
+ *
+ * @param n - The sent-email details.
+ */
+export async function notifyEmailSent(n: EmailSentNotification): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    await sendMessage(formatEmailSentMessage(n), { parse_mode: "Markdown" });
+  } catch (err) {
+    console.error("Error in notifyEmailSent:", err);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/emails/sendEmailHandler.ts b/lib/emails/sendEmailHandler.ts
index 006bd002..35ad39f4 100644
--- a/lib/emails/sendEmailHandler.ts
+++ b/lib/emails/sendEmailHandler.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,23 @@ import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from "next/server";
 import { getCorsHeaders } from "@/lib/networking/getCorsHeaders";
 import { validateSendEmailBody } from "@/lib/emails/validateSendEmailBody";
 import { processAndSendEmail } from "@/lib/emails/processAndSendEmail";
+import { notifyEmailSent } from "@/lib/emails/notifyEmailSent";
+import { ensureCreditsOrShortCircuit } from "@/lib/credits/ensureCreditsOrShortCircuit";
+import { recordCreditDeduction } from "@/lib/credits/recordCreditDeduction";
+import { CREDIT_AUTO_RECHARGE_FALLBACK_SUCCESS_URL } from "@/lib/credits/const";
+
+/**
+ * Credits charged per email sent. 1 credit = $0.01. Resend's per-email cost is
+ * ≤ $0.0004 (cheapest paid tier: Pro $20 / 50,000 emails), which rounds up to
+ * the $0.01 minimum — so we charge 1 credit, no markup.
+ */
+export const EMAIL_CREDIT_COST = 1;
+
+/**
+ * Stamped onto the `usage_events.model_id` for each send so endpoint usage is
+ * queryable: `select count(*) from usage_events where model_id = 'POST /api/emails'`.
+ */
+export const EMAIL_USAGE_MODEL_ID = "POST /api/emails";
 
 /**
  * Handler for POST /api/emails.
@@ -13,36 +30,72 @@ import { processAndSendEmail } from "@/lib/emails/processAndSendEmail";
  * Body validation, auth, and the recipient restriction all live in
  * `validateSendEmailBody`.
  *
+ * Charges `EMAIL_CREDIT_COST` credits: gate first (402 if the account can't
+ * cover it; auto-recharges via a card on file), then deduct only on a
+ * successful send (atomic `credits_usage` + `usage_events` via
+ * `recordCreditDeduction`).
+ *
  * @param request - The request object.
  * @returns A NextResponse with the send result.
  */
 export async function sendEmailHandler(request: NextRequest): Promise<NextResponse> {
-  const validated = await validateSendEmailBody(request);
-  if (validated instanceof NextResponse) {
-    return validated;
-  }
+  try {
+    const validated = await validateSendEmailBody(request);
+    if (validated instanceof NextResponse) {
+      return validated;
+    }
 
-  const { to, cc = [], subject, text, html = "", headers = {}, chat_id } = validated;
+    const { to, cc = [], subject, text, html = "", headers = {}, chat_id, accountId } = validated;
 
-  const result = await processAndSendEmail({
-    to,
-    cc,
-    subject,
-    text,
-    html,
-    headers,
-    room_id: chat_id,
-  });
+    const short = await ensureCreditsOrShortCircuit({
+      accountId,
+      creditsToDeduct: EMAIL_CREDIT_COST,
+      successUrl: CREDIT_AUTO_RECHARGE_FALLBACK_SUCCESS_URL,
+    });
+    if (short) {
+      return short;
+    }
+
+    const result = await processAndSendEmail({
+      to,
+      cc,
+      subject,
+      text,
+      html,
+      headers,
+      room_id: chat_id,
+    });
+
+    if (result.success === false) {
+      // No charge — credits are deducted only on a successful send.
+      return NextResponse.json(
+        { status: "error", error: result.error },
+        { status: 502, headers: getCorsHeaders() },
+      );
+    }
+
+    // Charge on success (best-effort: recordCreditDeduction never throws).
+    await recordCreditDeduction({
+      accountId,
+      creditsToDeduct: EMAIL_CREDIT_COST,
+      source: "api",
+      modelId: EMAIL_USAGE_MODEL_ID,
+    });
+
+    // Admin Telegram ping for quality/frequency review (best-effort, non-blocking).
+    await notifyEmailSent({ accountId, to, cc, subject, resendId: result.id });
 
-  if (result.success === false) {
     return NextResponse.json(
-      { status: "error", error: result.error },
-      { status: 502, headers: getCorsHeaders() },
+      { success: true, message: result.message, id: result.id },
+      { status: 200, headers: getCorsHeaders() },
+    );
+  } catch (error) {
+    // Anything unexpected (e.g. a Stripe error inside the credit gate) returns a
+    // controlled 500 with CORS headers instead of an uncaught error.
+    console.error("[sendEmailHandler]", error);
+    return NextResponse.json(
+      { status: "error", error: "Internal server error" },
+      { status: 500, headers: getCorsHeaders() },
     );
   }
-
-  return NextResponse.json(
-    { success: true, message: result.message, id: result.id },
-    { status: 200, headers: getCorsHeaders() },
-  );
 }