diff --git a/litellm/proxy/auth/user_api_key_auth.py b/litellm/proxy/auth/user_api_key_auth.py
index 014c7f4fcdf..9d958e47393 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/auth/user_api_key_auth.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/auth/user_api_key_auth.py
@@ -2975,6 +2975,7 @@ async def _run_centralized_common_checks(
         request=request,
         llm_router=llm_router,
         team_id=user_api_key_auth_obj.team_id,
+        agent_invocation_cost=user_api_key_auth_obj.agent_invocation_cost,
     )
 
     # Pin the metadata variable name (litellm_metadata vs metadata) before
@@ -3149,7 +3150,10 @@ def _should_skip_budget_checks(
     request: Request | None,
     llm_router: Any | None,
     team_id: str | None = None,
+    agent_invocation_cost: float | None = None,
 ) -> bool:
+    if agent_invocation_cost is not None and agent_invocation_cost > 0:
+        return False
     model: Final = _get_model_from_request_context(
         request_data=request_data,
         route=route,
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/auth/test_user_api_key_auth.py b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/auth/test_user_api_key_auth.py
index 767da6d9fbf..feaab29d2d0 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/auth/test_user_api_key_auth.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/auth/test_user_api_key_auth.py
@@ -9501,6 +9501,8 @@ async def test_managed_jwt_cannot_be_downgraded_into_virtual_key_mapping(monkeyp
         ("POST", "/a2a/agent", {"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": "1", "method": "tasks/get", "params": {"id": "t"}}, False),
         ("POST", "/a2a/agent", {"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": "1", "method": "message/send", "params": {}}, True),
         ("POST", "/a2a/agent", {"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": "1", "method": "message/stream", "params": {}}, True),
+        ("POST", "/a2a/agent", {"method": "message/send", "model": "free-model", "params": {}}, True),
+        ("POST", "/a2a/agent", {"method": "message/stream", "model": "free-model", "params": {}}, True),
     ],
 )
 async def test_human_agent_discovery_does_not_reserve_target_budget_but_send_and_stream_do(
@@ -9541,6 +9543,13 @@ async def test_human_agent_discovery_does_not_reserve_target_budget_but_send_and
     for name, value in {
         **_proxy_attrs_for_centralized_checks(),
         "prisma_client": database,
+        "llm_router": litellm.Router(
+            model_list=[{
+                "model_name": "free-model",
+                "litellm_params": {"model": "openai/gpt-4o-mini", "api_key": "test-key"},
+                "model_info": {"input_cost_per_token": 0, "output_cost_per_token": 0},
+            }]
+        ) if body.get("model") else None,
         "proxy_logging_obj": MagicMock(post_call_failure_hook=AsyncMock(return_value=None)),
     }.items():
         monkeypatch.setattr(proxy_server, name, value)
@@ -9566,3 +9575,22 @@ async def test_human_agent_discovery_does_not_reserve_target_budget_but_send_and
     reserve.assert_awaited_once()
     reserved: Final = reserve.call_args.kwargs["valid_token"]
     assert reserved is auth and (reserved.billing_agent_policy is not None) is billed, (http_method, body.get("method"))
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("invocation_cost,skipped", [(None, True), (0.0, True), (0.25, False)])
+def test_free_model_only_waives_budgets_without_a_paid_agent_invocation(
+    invocation_cost: float | None, skipped: bool
+) -> None:
+    from typing import Final
+
+    from litellm.proxy.auth.user_api_key_auth import _should_skip_budget_checks
+
+    router: Final = litellm.Router(model_list=[{
+        "model_name": "free-model",
+        "litellm_params": {"model": "openai/gpt-4o-mini", "api_key": "test-key"},
+        "model_info": {"input_cost_per_token": 0, "output_cost_per_token": 0},
+    }])
+    assert _should_skip_budget_checks(
+        request_data={"model": "free-model"}, route="/chat/completions", request=None,
+        llm_router=router, agent_invocation_cost=invocation_cost,
+    ) is skipped