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March 2025 announcements

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This page provides the announcements for Microsoft Partner Center for March 2025.

A Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Program Guide update is now available

The Guide to the Online Services and Software Channel Authorization (CSP Program Guide) was updated on March 27, 2025, and will become effective on April 27, 2025.

  • Date: March 27, 2025 (Updated April 9, 2025)
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: Cloud Service Provider (CSP) partners

The updated version of the CSP Program Guide is now available for your review. Changes become effective for current partners automatically on April 27, 2025, with no further action needed by either party.

Next steps

The Microsoft Partner Agreement is being updated, effective October 4, 2025

The Microsoft Partner Agreement (MPA) is being updated, effective October 4, 2025.

  • Date: March 27, 2025 (Updated April 7, 2025)
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners

The Microsoft Partner Agreement (MPA) has been updated and is now available for your review in Partner Center. Changes become effective for current partners automatically on October 4, 2025, without further action by either party.

The MPA incorporates terms that support our commitment to privacy, security, compliance, and transparency. Microsoft strives to protect customers, partners, and Microsoft by establishing clear requirements for transparency, compliance, and lawful business practices, fostering long term growth and business continuity.

To further improve business best practices, Microsoft has updated the terms and conditions of the MPA. On October 4, 2025, the updated terms apply automatically. No action, signature, or acknowledgment by partners is required.

Next steps

Follow the steps to access the MPA in Partner Center and review your MPA with your legal teams.

Republished March 2025 NCE license-based price list preview for expected price changes in April 2025

The March price list preview is now republished to correctly reflect the expected 5% price increase for monthly billing plans for triennial term subscriptions.

  • Date: March 26, 2025
  • Workspace: Pricing
  • Impacted Audience: Cloud Solution Provider partners (CSP) direct-bill partners and indirect providers in all markets and countries/regions

In a previous announcement, we called out several updates for the March 1 new commerce experience (NCE) license-based price list preview. On March 20, the price list preview was republished to correctly reflect the expected 5% price increase for monthly billing plans for triennial term subscriptions. The preview price list now reflects all pricing updates that go into effect on April 1, 2025.

As a reminder, starting on April 1, 2025, we're introducing a pricing update across Buy Online, CSP, and MCA-E to standardize our billing structure. All new and renewing monthly billing plans for annual and triennial subscriptions are priced 5% higher than the upfront billing option for annual/triennial subscription plans. Microsoft is also updating the pricing for Microsoft Teams Phone Standard, Power BI Pro, and Power BI Premium Per User starting on April 1, 2025.

But partners should be aware of two things: 

  • The NCE license-based price list preview shows the 5% price change for the monthly billing for annual or triennial term subscription option of a product SKU.
    • But the price list preview also surfaces the annual bill/annual term, triennial bill/triennial term, and annual bill/triennial term subscription options of the product SKU, if applicable. While these subscription options of the product SKU appear on the preview file, there's no expected price increase for those subscriptions on April 1, 2025.
  • Due to rounding rules, exchange rate fluctuations, and local pricing policies, the percentage for price increase might not be exactly 5%. But prices depicted in the republished new commerce licenses-based preview price list accurately represent what goes into effect on April 1.

As a reminder, EOS and EOS with Conversion Offer pricing updates are reflected in the April EOS price list, available on April 1, 2025. 

Next Steps

For more information about the upcoming pricing changes in April, see the initial November announcement and the FAQ.

Co-sell and partner-led opportunities enhancements

Beginning April 1, 2025, partners can drive clone outbound opportunities with just one click. Also, partners need to provide Solution Area and Solution Play for all opportunities created via the UI and bulk upload.

  • Date: March 20, 2024
  • Workspace: Referrals
  • Impacted audience: All partners involved in co-selling/partner led opportunities

Clone the outbound opportunities in referrals

We're excited to introduce a new feature in the Referrals workspace that allows partners to clone outbound opportunities with just one click. This functionality is designed to help partners recreate expired or declined key opportunities with ease.

Before cloning an opportunity, we recommend that partners carefully review the following details:

  • Customer information
  • Solution area and solution play
  • Budget and timelines
  • Partner and customer contact details
  • Product added in the opportunity

Once cloned, the opportunity displays a "Cloned" label at the top of the page, making it easy for partners to identify whether they are interacting with a cloned or parent opportunity. Additionally, Microsoft sellers are able to see if an opportunity is cloned.

To increase the success rate of the cloned opportunity, rectifying the decline reasons of the parent opportunity or providing detailed BANT criteria is highly recommended. This will significantly enhance the chances of the cloned opportunity converting successfully.

Solution Area and Solution Play are mandatory for IP Co-sell

We're implementing a new change for IP Co-sell opportunities where partners to provide Solution Area and Solution Play for all opportunities created via the UI and bulk upload.

This change is aimed at:

  • Enhance Microsoft seller assignment time
  • Enable targeted opportunity assignments
  • Drive faster deal velocity

By ensuring that each opportunity is aligned with the correct solution area and play, we can streamline the process and ensure a more efficient and impactful outcome.

Important change to Partner of Record (POR) assignment for CSP resellers

Beginning June 2, 2025, we'll implement changes to the PLA API to help indirect providers assign only authorized indirect resellers as Partner of Record (POR) on new Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) subscriptions.

  • Date: March 20, 2025 (Updated April 22, 2025)
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: All CSP indirect providers and indirect resellers

Details

Microsoft runs on trust. CSP partners are trusted advisors who serve Small, Medium Enterprises & Channel (SME&C) customers and accelerate their cloud and AI transformation with the value-added services and solutions that create real business impact. It's essential that our CSP partners operate compliantly to maintain that trust. To ensure compliance with CSP Partner of Record (POR) policies, beginning April 14, 2025, we're updating the Partner Location Account (PLA) API and UI in Partner Center to make it easier for indirect providers to assign active, compliant indirect resellers as POR for new subscription orders.

To ensure compliance with CSP Partner of Record (POR) policies, beginning June 2, 2025, we're updating the Partner Location Account (PLA) API and UI in Partner Center to ensure indirect providers assign active, compliant indirect resellers as POR for new subscription orders.

Beginning June 2, 2025, both the UI and API check if the reseller is in compliance with the reseller program terms.

If the system indicates that one or more of these requirements isn't met during subscription orders (with the UI or API), the system displays an error message explaining the issue. Indirect providers must work with the reseller in question to correct the error, or assign a different, valid POR to the purchase. The validation applies only to the POR for new subscriptions.

Also, if the system detects that the reseller tenant is suspended, granular delegated admin privileges (GDAP) across all the partner’s customer accounts are revoked.

Next steps

Here are the next steps for indirect resellers. To avoid disruption of service, make sure that:

  • You have an active CSP tenant associated with an authorized PLA ID.
  • You accepted the Microsoft Partner Agreement (MPA) for indirect resellers.
  • You and your indirect provider are in the same CSP region.

Here are the next steps for indirect providers.

Questions?

More incentive program support is available on the Microsoft partner website:

  1. Go to the Microsoft Partner site and sign in.
  2. Select Support from the top navigation.
  3. Either type the keywords in the Partner Support text box or select Show all support options to navigate to the relevant categories and articles.

Monthly update: Important actions partners need to take to secure the partner ecosystem

Important capabilities and updates to improve your security posture and protect your customers' tenants are now available.

  • Date: March 13, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: Direct bill partners, indirect providers, and indirect resellers transacting through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program and with advisors

Available now

Important! Deprecation of graph.windows.net audience tokens: To enhance our security measures, we're deprecating graph.windows.net audience tokens. And, we're updating the way you interact with Partner Center APIs. Take the necessary steps to prepare for this transition.

MFA for Azure portal: Microsoft is enforcing multifactor authentication (MFA) for all users signing into Azure portal. Review the latest information and timeline.

MFA for Microsoft 365 admin center: Microsoft is enforcing multifactor authentication (MFA) for all users signing into the Microsoft 365 admin center portal. Review the latest information and timeline.

Removal of unused Azure subscriptions: Microsoft began to block unused Azure subscriptions as of December 2024. These subscriptions are deleted after 90 days. A subscription is considered unused if there's no activity or consumption for more than 12 months. We notify account owners and service admins, by email, 30 days before the block applies.

Next steps

March Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) monthly updates and community reminder

Monthly views have been updated for March 2025.

  • Date: March 11, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: CSP direct bill partners and indirect providers

Summary

Monthly views are now published including the updated partner launch calendars, the CSP Bimonthly Update newsletter, along with additional CSP community resources that provide you with essential program updates.

Always available—Launch content on demand

For a consolidated view of all recent and active launches in a single place, visit the partner launch calendars collection. You'll find a timeline for each launch and links to published materials to help you learn more about that launch.

The downloadable CSP Bimonthly Update newsletter which aggregates recent CSP announcements, updates, events, and reminders in an easy-to-read document.

Partner Journey Maps provide detailed navigation along the journey of Microsoft’s highest priority transformations.

Need licensing readiness? The monthly CSP spotlight webinars cover the latest CSP licensing information available for all partners.

CSP Community Q&A reminder

The monthly CSP community Q&A session provides you with an opportunity to learn more and ask questions about changes affecting the program.

Register here to join upcoming calls.

Next steps

Review the Partner Launch Calendar, monthly newsletter, and register for upcoming Community Q&A calls.

Questions?

The monthly CSP community Q&A call is the best place to bring questions about operational change in the CSP program. You may submit a question up to 48 hours before the call.

Questions on any other CSP topic? Visit the Partner Center support page.

End-of-sale scheduling for billing frequency changes in Partner Center UI and API is now available

End-of-sale (EOS) Scheduling for billing changes in the Partner Center UI and API are available as of March 10, 2025.

  • Date: March 10, 2025
  • Workspace: Billing, APIs
  • Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) direct bill and indirect providers

EOS scheduling billing frequency changes capability

As previously announced, starting March 10, 2025, customers on EOS and EOS with Conversion offers can schedule a change to edit the billing frequency for their annual term or triennial term subscriptions effective at renewal. Customers can refer to the EOS price list to see all the EOS and EOS with Conversion offers, which include Microsoft 365 E3/E5 and Microsoft Office 365 E1/E3/E5 suites with Teams.

Partners can schedule billing frequency changes for subscriptions ahead of their renewal date through both the Partner Center UX and APIs. Scheduled changes take effect at subscription renewal. Partners can schedule changes or edit existing scheduled changes until renewal occurs.

As a reminder, the pricing update to standardize the billing structure across Buy Online, CSP, and MCA-E is effective on April 1, 2025. The EOS scheduling for billing frequency capability helps with scheduling changes ahead of the renewal date for customers on EOS and EOS with Conversion offers.

Key Resources

Next Steps

Microsoft E5 Security and E5 Compliance suites can now be added to 0365 E3 + EMS E3 Customers

Microsoft E5 Security and E5 Compliance suites can now be added to Microsoft 365 E3 + EMS E3 Customers

  • Date: March 10, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: CSP Security Partners

As we continue to assist our customers with AI transformation, security remains a top priority. Due to the increasing security and compliance demands associated with Copilot, we're now extending the opportunity for sellers to upsell Microsoft E5 Security and E5 Compliance suites to O365 E3 + EMS E3 customers.

This change is beneficial for those customers who don't intend to transition to ME5. This change provides an alternative path to continue the AI transformation journey in the most compliant and secure way.

Next steps

For more partner readiness materials and information on Security incentives/offers for CSP Partners see: Security incentives for CSP Partners.

Microsoft 365 E5 Security suite is now available as an add-on to Business Premium customers

Business Premium customers can now purchase the Microsoft 365 E5 Security suite for enhanced security.

  • Date: March 10, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: CSP Security Partners

Business Premium customers can now purchase the Microsoft 365 E5 Security suite for enhanced security. The E5 Security suite provides more security features, including Microsoft Entra ID Plan 2, Microsoft Defender for Identity, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2, Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps.

Next steps

Partners can leverage the assets below to help demonstrate the value of ME5 Security suite as an add-on to Business Premium customers.

For additional partner readiness materials and information on this and other Security incentives/offers for CSP Partners, please visit: Security incentives for CSP Partners

New purchase and subscription management functionality available to test in Sandbox

Several new capabilities in the Customers workspace are now available in Sandbox or are coming soon.

  • Date: March 7, 2025
  • Workspace: Customers
  • Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) direct-bill partners and indirect providers

Several new capabilities in the Customers workspace are now available in Sandbox or are coming soon. The new capabilities were first announced as a part of Microsoft’s flexible billing plan initiative, referenced in the November announcements.

EOS scheduling billing frequency changes capability

In Sandbox, partners can now begin testing functionality to schedule a change to billing frequency for EOS and EOS with Conversion offers. Scheduled changes take effect at subscription renewal, and partners will be able to schedule changes or edit existing scheduled changes until renewal occurs. This feature will become generally available to all production tenants on March 10, 2025.

Mid-term billing frequency changes to triennial offers

As previously announced, beginning April 1, 2025, mid-term billing frequency changes for triennial offers will no longer be supported. Partners can now view this updated functionality in Sandbox.

Configuring trial renewal setting at purchase

Beginning March 10, 2025, functionality to configure trial renewal attributes at purchase will also be available in Sandbox. The feature will now be generally available to all production tenants on April 1, 2025. Partners will be able to specify values, such as license quantity, term, and billing frequency, for the paid subscriptions their trial purchases renew into. If no values are specified, trials will continue to renew into annual subscriptions with monthly billing as a default.

Key resources

Next Steps

AI assistant answers questions about the Partner Incentives Co-op Guidebook

AI assistant within the Earnings and Incentives workspaces now supports answering questions from the Partner Incentives Co-op Guidebook.

  • Date: March 6, 2025
  • Workspace: Earnings, Incentives
  • Impacted Audience: Incentive Admin and Incentive Users

Important

Partner Center AI assistant is currently only available in preview and to partners using the English version of Partner Center.

In the Earnings and Incentives workspaces, Partner Center AI assistant now supports answering questions from the Partner Incentives Co-op Guidebook in addition to answering policy/program guide-related questions for Microsoft commerce incentives, Enterprise, and Service Provider License Agreement Reseller (SPLAR).

Here are some sample prompts related to the Co-op Guide:

  • What is the claim deadline for FY25H1 co-op?
  • What are the qualifying activities for partner skilling?
  • What is the proof of execution guidance for demand generation?
  • What are the eligible expenses for internal and floor days?
  • What are the FY25 co-op usage recommendations for Surface PC and Hub?
  • What is the difference between tradeshow and exposition?
  • Provide best practices for social media marketing.
  • What are the ineligible activities and expenses for co-op funds?
  • What is the contract account currency for co-op claims?
  • Provide a summary of changes to the FY25 Co-op Guide.

Next steps

Urgent: CSP Billing Reconciliation V1 APIs to retire April 2025

In April 2025, the CSP Billing reconciliation V1 APIs are retiring. Be sure you migrate to the new asynchronous billing reconciliation APIs before April 21, 2025. After April 21, 2025, the following four APIs no longer provide access to reconciliation line items for billing periods as of April 2025.

  • Date: March 5, 2025
  • Workspace: Billing, APIs
  • Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) direct-bill partners and indirect providers who use billing APIs in Partner Center to retrieve invoice and usage reconciliation

Four APIs being retired

In March 2024, we introduced new asynchronous APIs (asynchronous v2 APIs) for billing reconciliation in Partner Center. These APIs offer faster download times and reduce latency, especially when handling large data volumes. The new APIs are:

Here are the four APIs that we're retiring as of April 21, 2025. Use the provided Partner Center documentation links that outline the steps you need to take to ensure a smooth transition.

If you don't migrate to the new APIs before April 21, 2025, it can result in errors and disrupt your ability to:

  • Reconcile your billing information
  • Manage Azure consumption data
  • Track unbilled usage

After April 21, 2025, these APIs no longer provide access to reconciliation line items for billing periods from April 2025.

Note

The new Microsoft Graph APIs are currently only available for the public and global cloud. The existing APIs are still available for Azure Government, Azure Germany, and Azure China 21Vianet.

Key resources

We encourage you to use the readiness resources provided in this announcement and register for upcoming CSP Technical Training and Partner Community Q&A Calls to learn more.

Next steps

  • Share this information with teams and stakeholders within your organization who are involved in API management and integration processes.
  • Ensure that your company migrates to the new APIs before April 21, 2025, to avoid disruption in service.

Questions?

If you need assistance or encounter issues with the capability, open a support ticket through Partner Center.

Standardizing the billing structure with a pricing update; pricing updates for Microsoft Teams Phone and Power BI

On April 1, 2025, all new and renewing monthly billing plans for annual subscriptions will be priced five percent higher than the annual/triennial billing option for annual/triennial subscription plans. Pricing updates for Microsoft Teams Phone and Power BI effective April 1, 2025.

  • Date: March 3, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: All Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Partners

Standardizing the billing structure with a pricing update

As a reminder, Microsoft is standardized the billing structure and introducing a pricing update for all products with per user monthly billing plans for annual and triennial term subscriptions starting on April 1, 2025. All new and renewing monthly billing plans for annual and triennial per user subscriptions are priced five percent higher than the annual billing plan for annual and triennial subscriptions.* This price update applies across Buy Online, CSP, and MCA-E for all segments. There's no pricing change for month-to-month or annual term subscriptions with upfront payment at this time.

Customer's can elect to change their billing plan from monthly to upfront billing, priced five percent lower than the updated monthly billing option, at their renewal date.* Starting on March 10, 2025, customers on end-of-sale (EOS) and EOS with Conversion offers, such as Microsoft 365 E3/E5 and Office 365 E1/E3/E5 suites with Teams, can schedule a change to edit the billing frequencies for their annual subscriptions at renewal. This feature is available to test in sandbox starting February 28, 2025.

The pricing update for monthly billing for annual term subscription commitments is reflected in the NCE license-based price list preview available on March 1, 2025. The NCE license-based preview price list doesn't indicate the expected five percent price increase for monthly billing plans for triennial term subscriptions. But these SKUs will see the five percent price increase on April 1, 2025. Read our announcement on the March 1, 2025 preview price list updates. EOS and EOS with Conversion Offer pricing updates are reflected in the April EOS price list, available on April 1, 2025.

Trials continue to default to renewing into annual subscriptions with monthly billing. But partners can specify values, such as license quantity, term, and billing frequency, for paid subscriptions their trial purchases renew into starting in April 1, 2025. Partners can also specify if they don't want their trial to autorenew.

Note

For a customer with Microsoft 365/Office 365 Enterprise suites with Teams to maintain their subscription of active licenses to those EOS SKUs, partners need to manage the renewals by enabling autorenew or scheduling the change. Partners can no longer purchase new EOS SKUs for CSP customers or make edits to term duration.

Pricing updates for Microsoft Teams Phone and Power BI

Microsoft is updating the pricing for Microsoft Teams Phone Standard, Power BI Pro, and Power BI Premium Per User starting on April 1, 2025. The pricing update is for new and existing customers upon renewal. For more details, refer to our November announcement For now, there are no further pricing changes to customers who purchase Power BI Pro and Teams Phone licenses in the Microsoft 365 and Office 365 E5 suites.

*There might be slight variations in price due to exchange rate fluctuations, local pricing policies, and rounding rules.

For more information on in-scope products, see the Billing change partner FAQ.

Call to Action

  • Notify existing customers that beginning April 1, 2025, Monthly Billing for Annual/Triennial subscriptions will see a five percent increase in price at their next renewal. Partners can use the price list preview released on March 1, 2025 to see pricing for active SKUs.

  • Inform customers that they can elect to change their billing plan from monthly billing to annual billing with upfront payment, priced five percent lower than the updated monthly billing option, at their renewal date. For customers with subscriptions to M365/O365 Enterprise suites with Teams, they can also schedule changes to billing frequencies for EOS and EOS with Conversion offers at renewal beginning March 10, 2025.

  • Notify customers that beginning April 1, 2025, mid-term billing frequency changes for triennial offers are blocked.

  • Specify values for paid subscriptions trial purchases renew into starting April 2025, including the term and billing frequency. The default renewal of an annual subscription with monthly billing continues to apply.

  • Inform customers of upcoming price updates to Teams Phone and Power BI.

Next steps