diff --git a/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py b/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
index 6661474d215..7e6ca5a0108 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
@@ -4425,6 +4425,15 @@ class ProxyConfig:
                     litellm.default_max_internal_user_budget = float(value)
                     if litellm.max_internal_user_budget is None:
                         litellm.max_internal_user_budget = litellm.default_max_internal_user_budget
+                elif key == "default_internal_user_params" and isinstance(value, dict):
+                    litellm.default_internal_user_params = (
+                        {**value, "max_budget": float(value["max_budget"])}
+                        if value.get("max_budget") is not None
+                        else value
+                    )
+                    verbose_proxy_logger.debug(
+                        f"{blue_color_code} setting litellm.{key}={_redact_general_setting_value(key, litellm.default_internal_user_params, is_full_admin=False)}{reset_color_code}"
+                    )
                 elif key == "custom_provider_map":
                     from litellm.utils import custom_llm_setup
 
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_server.py b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_server.py
index 2f0924e9192..079b844638c 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_server.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_server.py
@@ -2588,6 +2588,84 @@ async def test_load_config_max_budget_env_var_coerced_to_float(tmp_path, monkeyp
         litellm.max_budget = original_max_budget
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_load_config_default_internal_user_params_max_budget_scientific_notation(tmp_path):
+    """
+    Helm's toYaml renders large floats in scientific notation without a
+    decimal mantissa (e.g. 1e+09), which PyYAML parses as a string.
+    load_config must coerce default_internal_user_params.max_budget to
+    float, otherwise every consumer of the raw dict (/user/new, SSO,
+    SCIM user creation) passes the string to Prisma, which rejects it
+    since max_budget must be Float or Null. Keys outside the coercion
+    (including ones not on DefaultInternalUserParams, like
+    auto_create_key) must pass through unchanged.
+    """
+    from litellm.proxy.proxy_server import ProxyConfig
+
+    config_file = tmp_path / "config.yaml"
+    config_file.write_text(
+        "model_list: []\n"
+        "litellm_settings:\n"
+        "  default_internal_user_params:\n"
+        "    user_role: internal_user\n"
+        "    max_budget: 1e+09\n"
+        "    budget_duration: 30d\n"
+        "    auto_create_key: false\n"
+    )
+
+    original_params = litellm.default_internal_user_params
+    try:
+        await ProxyConfig().load_config(router=MagicMock(), config_file_path=str(config_file))
+        assert litellm.default_internal_user_params == {
+            "user_role": "internal_user",
+            "max_budget": 1000000000.0,
+            "budget_duration": "30d",
+            "auto_create_key": False,
+        }
+        assert isinstance(litellm.default_internal_user_params["max_budget"], float)
+    finally:
+        litellm.default_internal_user_params = original_params
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_load_config_default_internal_user_params_without_max_budget(tmp_path):
+    """
+    default_internal_user_params without max_budget (or with an explicit
+    null) must be stored as-is and not gain a max_budget key.
+    """
+    from litellm.proxy.proxy_server import ProxyConfig
+
+    absent_config_file = tmp_path / "absent_config.yaml"
+    absent_config_file.write_text(
+        "model_list: []\n"
+        "litellm_settings:\n"
+        "  default_internal_user_params:\n"
+        "    user_role: internal_user\n"
+    )
+
+    null_config_file = tmp_path / "null_config.yaml"
+    null_config_file.write_text(
+        "model_list: []\n"
+        "litellm_settings:\n"
+        "  default_internal_user_params:\n"
+        "    user_role: internal_user\n"
+        "    max_budget: null\n"
+    )
+
+    original_params = litellm.default_internal_user_params
+    try:
+        await ProxyConfig().load_config(router=MagicMock(), config_file_path=str(absent_config_file))
+        assert litellm.default_internal_user_params == {"user_role": "internal_user"}
+
+        await ProxyConfig().load_config(router=MagicMock(), config_file_path=str(null_config_file))
+        assert litellm.default_internal_user_params == {
+            "user_role": "internal_user",
+            "max_budget": None,
+        }
+    finally:
+        litellm.default_internal_user_params = original_params
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_load_config_user_url_validation_handles_null_and_string_false(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     from litellm.proxy.proxy_server import ProxyConfig