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

  • Article

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

Bill your customers however you want. To confirm their charges, look at the reconciliation line items and find them by their CustomerId.

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

You can see all your charges for the billing period on your invoice for all products and customers. To learn more about monthly and annual billing scenarios, go to the Common Billing Scenarios section common billing scenarios.

  • Legacy billing:

    • The billing period is a month, starting on your billing anniversary date.
    • You can see your invoice two days after the billing date. For example, if you pay on September 12, your invoice is ready on 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.
    • This invoice includes products with the New Commerce Experience label.

Invoice in partner location currency

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

Thomson Reuters publishes the exchange rate. You pay for purchases at the exchange rate two business days before the start of each month (1600 UTC).

For example, we use the mid-rate from November 29 for all purchases 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

To compare prices, consider your customers' location. However, use your own currency for invoicing, even if they're in different countries or regions.

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 or Online services (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

Subscription costs may change due to foreign exchange (FX) rates if you pay in a different currency than the product's price. The FX rate depends on the charge date and may differ from the rate at the time of purchase. Check the current FX rate before buying to ensure the best price.

Payment terms

You must pay for services within 60 days of the invoice date. Late payments make your account delinquent, and you can lose your CSP program enrollment. You can regain access to your account access by paying the due amount.

Payment processing

Invoice payments might take five business days to appear in the Partner Center Billing workspace. Update your billing information before paying to avoid delays.

We apply payments to your oldest invoices first. To pay for selected invoices, include instructions with your payment.

Pay the full balance or you’ll get reminders and finally, your service might stop.

Credit notes

You may receive a credit or rebill if you ask to:

  • Update your address, purchase order, cost, and any other relevant information.
  • Issue a tax or purchase refund for the original invoice.

You get a new invoice when the original one is voided.

License-based billing in Partner Center

Billing frequency or plan

Legacy

Billed monthly or annually.

New commerce

Billed upfront or one-time, monthly, or annually.

Billing period

Legacy

Your billing period is monthly and starts on the same day each month that you selected when you enrolled. For example, if you chose the 15th, your billing period starts on the 15th of each month. It’s your billing anniversary date.

New commerce

Billing period is one full calendar month.

Billing term

Legacy

The term or length of your subscription is 12 months from the purchase date. The billing days may vary based on the billing anniversary date. For more information, see common legacy billing scenarios.

New commerce

You can buy a subscription for 1, 12, or 36 months. You can also select an end date that matches another subscription (cotermination) or the calendar month. Choosing one of these options might make your subscription shorter than what you bought.

Charge cycle

Legacy

The charge cycle begins on the purchase date. You can choose a monthly, yearly, or one-time plan. The first payment might be different, depending on when your next bill is due. The rest of the charge cycles follow your plan until the billing term ends.

New commerce

The charge cycle begins on the purchase date. You can choose monthly, yearly, or one-time billing. The first bill might change if you match the end date with a calendar month or another subscription. See align subscription end dates. The rest of the charge cycles follow the plan until the billing term ends.

Subscription cancellation

Before you cancel your subscription, be aware of the refund policy.

Legacy

Get a full refund if you cancel your subscription within a month. Get a prorated refund after that depending on how long you use the service. You pay only for what you use.

New commerce

Get a full refund if you cancel your subscription within 24 hours. Get a prorated refund depending on how long you use the service if you cancel later but still within seven days. You pay only 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. The automatic renewal process ensures uninterrupted use of our products and services and makes managing your subscription easier.

New commerce

Your subscription renews automatically according to your billing term. The automatic renewal process ensures uninterrupted use of our products and services and makes managing your subscription easier.

To stop your subscription to renew it automatically, see the new commerce autorenew policy.

Unbilled charges

Legacy

Doesn't support unbilled charges.

New commerce

It may take 24 hours to seven days for you to see unbilled charges. The length of time depends on where you are and where the meters are reading from. If they don't show up after a week, contact support.

Usage-based billing in Partner Center

You only pay 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, such as Azure reservations, savings plans, or SaaS products, have different pricing.

Billing frequency

Legacy

Billed monthly.

New commerce

Billed monthly.

Billing period

Legacy

Your monthly billing period starts on the date you selected when you enrolled. For example, if you choose the 15th, your bill is due every month on the 15th.

New commerce

Billing period is one full calendar month.

Billing term

Legacy

You pay for resources only when you use them.

New commerce

You pay for resources only when you use them. 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

You pay for a subscription until you cancel it. You can manage your subscription and choose how to use our products and services.

New commerce

You pay for a subscription until you cancel it. You can manage your subscription and choose how to use our products and services.

Unbilled charges

Legacy

Doesn't support unbilled charges.

New commerce

It may take 24 hours to seven days for you to see unbilled charges. The length of time depends on where you are and where the meters are reading from. If they don't show up after a week, contact support.

Next steps