Why Elizabeth I kept her fleet together after the Armada

Did Elizabeth I keep the fleet together after the Armada simply to avoid paying it off?

No. Leaders still feared the Armada's return and a possible crossing by Parma's army, even though supply problems were real.

English leaders could not assume that the Armada would be destroyed while rounding Scotland or that it would never return around Ireland. The Duke of Parma's army also remained a threat: it might try to cross without the Armada if it could get past the Dutch. An English fleet could intercept that army at sea before it reached land. Keeping ships mobilized brought serious food and supply problems, from which the campaign produced lessons. The answer allows that payment was an issue while explaining the military reasons for keeping the fleet together.