---
name: iam-ts-iam-max-policy
title: Why is a policy limit blocking me from assigning access?
description: You might encounter an error when you're assigning access if you already have the maximum number of policies in your IBM Cloud® account.
last-updated: 2026-05-06
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/iam?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# Why is a policy limit blocking me from assigning access?
{: #troubleshoot-policy-limit}
{: troubleshoot}

You might encounter an error when you're assigning access if you already have the maximum number of policies in your IBM Cloud® account.
{: shortdesc}

You tried to assign access, but received an error message that you reached the limit of access policies in the account.

A new policy can't be created to assign access, and you receive an error message that states:
{: tsSymptoms}

```text
422: Exceeded maximum policies quota error
```

The account is at the [limit of the total number of policies allowed](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/iam?topic=iam-cloudaccess&format=markdown#iam_limits).
{: tsCauses}

Reduce the number of policies on the account by following the [Best practices for organizing resources and assigning access](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/account?topic=account-account_setup&format=markdown). For more information about policy limits for the account, see [IBM Cloud IAM limits](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/iam?topic=iam-cloudaccess&format=markdown#iam_limits).
{: tsResolve}