Billing overview for Partner Center Cloud Solution Provides (CSP) program

  • Articol

Appropriate roles: Admin agent | Billing admin | Global admin | Helpdesk agent | Sales agent

This article provides the basic billing and invoice information for CSP partners in Partner Center.

Bill your customers

Microsoft doesn't impose any rules or terms on how you bill your customers. To verify customer transactions, check the reconciliation files and use relevant attributes like CustomerID to locate them.

Billing types

Billing types in Partner Center include:

  • Legacy billing (license-based and usage-based)
  • New commerce billing (license-based, usage-based, software subscription, perpetual software, marketplace, reservations, and savings plans)

Billing currency

  • Legacy billing: You're billed in the currency of your country or region, regardless of where your customers are.

  • New commerce billing: You're billed in the currency of your country or region, regardless of where your customers are.

Invoices

Your invoice summarizes all charges for the billing period, including all eligible products and customers. For examples of monthly and annual billing scenarios, refer to the Common Billing Scenarios section common billing scenarios.

  • Legacy billing:

    • The billing period is a month, starting on your billing anniversary date.
    • Invoices become available two days after your billing anniversary. For example, if your anniversary is on September 12, your invoice will be available after September 14.

  • New commerce billing:

    • The billing period is a full calendar month.
    • Invoice and reconciliation files are available by the eighth of each month.
    • Products labeled New Commerce Experience are on this invoice.

Invoice in partner location currency

Azure services bought through an Azure plan are priced in US dollars (USD) and billed in your local currency. The exchange rate used is shown on the last page of the invoice. Foriegn exchange (FX) rates are updated monthly and applied to the invoice. For a full list of country/region currencies, see new commerce offers country/region availability and partner currency matrix.

Thomson Reuters sets the exchange rate two business days before the end of the previous month (1600 UTC). This rate applies to all purchases made during the following month.

For example, the exchange rate for December would be the mid-rate published by Thomson Reuters on November 29 and used for all purchases made from December 1 to 31.

Price lists

Price lists are updated monthly.

Preview price lists are available one month in advance.

To see the latest Cloud Solution Provider programs and offers, use the following steps:

  • From Partner Center, select Pricing.

    You find separate price lists for the different types of products that are available.

The following price lists are available on the Price lists page:

  • License-based prices are guaranteed for the term of the subscription, usually 12 months from the purchase date.

  • Usage-based prices can change on a monthly basis.

  • Prices for products, services, and software subscriptions are guaranteed for until the subscription is valid. However, prices might change when you renew.

Adjustments and credits in arrears appear on your next billing invoice, after the credit or adjustment is applied.

Important

When comparing prices, check if your customers are in a different country or region from you. But remember, even if they're in a different country or region, your invoice is based on the currency of your country or region.

New commerce pricing and billing currencies for different types of products

Product Type Pricing Currency Billing Currency
Azure pay-as-you-go USD Partner location currency
Azure reservation USD Partner location currency
Azure savings plan USD Partner location currency
Marketplace USD Partner location currency
License-based (Office, Dynamics, and PowerApps) All supported currencies Partner location currency
Software subscription All supported currencies Partner location currency
Perpetual software All supported currencies Partner location currency

Note

Please be advised that the subscription cost might be affected by foreign exchange (FX) rates if the product isn't priced in the partner billing currency. The FX rate is determined based on the date of the charge and can vary from the rate in effect at the time of purchase. Please check the applicable FX rate before making a purchase to make sure you get the best price.

Payment terms

Payment for services is due within 60 days of the invoice date. If you don't pay by the due date, your account will be delinquent. Overdue accounts might result in loss of CSP program enrollment. Account access can be restored by paying outstanding amounts.

Payment processing

Invoice payments might take five business days to appear in the Partner Center Billing workspace. Make sure your billing information is up-to-date before making a payment to avoid delays. We prioritize the payment of your oldest invoices first. If you don't pay your full balance, you may face service interruption and receive reminders. If you wish to select the invoices you want to pay, include instructions with your payment. However, it doesn't prevent the reminders or the service interruption.

Credit notes

A credit or rebill might be issued for the following reasons:

  • Updating essential details like address, purchase order, cost, and related information.
  • Applying a tax or regular refund for the original invoice.

A new invoice is issued after the original one is voided or canceled.

License-based billing in Partner Center

Billing frequency or plan

Legacy

Billed monthly or annually.

New commerce

Billed upfront, monthly, or annually.

Billing period

Legacy

Your billing period is monthly and starts on the same day each month that you selected when you signed up. For example, if you chose the 15th of the month, your billing period starts on the 15th of each month, which is also called your billing anniversary date.

New commerce

Billing period is one full calendar month.

Billing term

Legacy

The length of your subscription is 12 months from the date of purchase. However, the number of billing days might change depending on the billing anniversary date. For more information, see common legacy billing scenarios.

New commerce

The length of your subscription can be 1, 12, or 36 months from the date of purchase. If you choose to have your subscription end on a specific date (align with the calendar month or coterminate with another subscription), the billing term might be shorter than the selected term.

Charge cycle

Legacy

The charge cycle begins on the date of purchase. You can choose to be billed monthly, annually, or one-time. The first charging cycle might be adjusted, meaning you'll be charged until your next billing anniversary date. The remaining charge cycles continue according to the billing plan until the end of the term.

New commerce

The charge cycle begins on the date of purchase. You can choose to be billed monthly, annually, or one-time. The first charging cycle might be adjusted if you align the end date with a calendar month or coterminate with another subscription. For more information, see align subscription end dates. The remaining charge cycles continue according to the billing plan until the end of the term.

Subscription cancellation

If you're considering canceling your subscription, it's important to understand the refund policy. Here's what you need to know:

Legacy

You can cancel your subscription and get a full refund within a month. If you cancel later, you get a prorated refund depending on how long you used the service. We only charge for what you use.

New commerce

You can get a full refund if you cancel within 24 hours of buying or renewing your subscription. If you cancel later, but still within seven days, you get a prorated refund depending on how long you use the service. We only charge for what you use.

If you don't cancel within seven days, you get no refund and pay for the full subscription term, even if you don't use the product. See the new commerce cancellation policy.

Subscription renewal

Legacy

All license-based subscriptions renew automatically after 12 months.

New commerce

All subscriptions are set to automatically renew based on the billing term you selected when you first purchased your subscription. For monthly billing, your subscription renews every month. For annual billing, it renews every 12 months, and for a three-year billing term, it renews every 36 months.

This automatic renewal process ensures uninterrupted use of our products and services and makes managing your subscription easier.

You can stop your subscription from automatically renewing at any time before the next billing term. Learn more about the new commerce autorenew policy.

Unbilled charges

Legacy

Doesn't support unbilled transactions.

New commerce

It might take 24 hours to a week for unbilled charges to be available, depending on your location and when the meters report. If you don't see them after a week, contact support.

Usage-based billing in Partner Center

You pay only for what you use with a usage-based or marketplace resource in an Azure subscription at a pay-as-you-go rate. There are no fixed plans or contracts. Some products, like Azure reservations and savings plans or SaaS products, have different pricing.

Billing frequency

Legacy

Billed monthly.

New commerce

Billed monthly.

Billing period

Legacy

Your billing period is monthly and begins on the date you selected when you signed up. For example, if you chose the 15th of the month, your billing period starts on the 15th of each month, which is also called your billing anniversary date.

New commerce

Billing period is one full calendar month.

Billing term

Legacy

Pay-as-you-go resources are billed continuously while in use.

New commerce

Pay-as-you-go resources are billed continuously while in use. However, Azure reservations or savings plans have a billing term of either one year or three years.

Charge cycle

Legacy

Charge cycle is monthly starting from the billing anniversary date.

New commerce

Charge cycle is one full calendar month.

Subscription cancellation

Legacy

Cancel your Azure subscription anytime.

New commerce

Cancel your Azure subscription anytime.

Subscription renewal

Legacy

Once you purchase a subscription, it remains active until you cancel it. You have full control over your subscription, allowing you to decide how you want to use the products and services.

New commerce

Once you purchase a subscription, it remains active until you cancel it. You have full control over your subscription, allowing you to decide how you want to use the products and services.

Unbilled charges

Legacy

Doesn't support unbilled charges.

New commerce

It might take 24 hours to a week for unbilled charges to be available, depending on your location and when the meters report. If you don't see them after a week, contact support.

Next steps