Microsoft Dynamics On-Premise: Key Dates for 2026–2031
If you run Dynamics on-premise, here are the dates that now apply to you, and what they mean.
The rate of advancements in the world of AI can be seen in nearly every aspect of life and certainly also in all spheres of business applications. Microsoft is at the forefront of AI infusion into its broad spectrum of software applications and we’ve entered into a new era of business applications dubbed ‘Agentic ERP’. With both first party (Microsoft Developed) and third party (Partner and ISV Developed) agents being introduced into business processes the future for ERP is clear. It’s agentic and by definition that future runs on an always-connected cloud infrastructure.
For certain customers however, Agentic ERP is on the future roadmap and due to slow adoption, perhaps connectivity constraints, on-premise deployment of ERP remains a reality. Microsoft continues to support these customers and recently announced its future roadmap for its on-premise solutions.
If you run Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics SL, Microsoft Dynamics AX or Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central on-premise, the important news is this: nothing switches off tomorrow, but the window for renewing plans and adding users now has a published end date.
Before we get into the detail, it helps to understand the two licence models, because the announcements affect each one differently. Microsoft has traditionally licensed Dynamics NAV, Dynamics GP and Dynamics 365 Business Central on-premise through either a perpetual or a subscription model. Dynamics SL is licensed perpetually only.
Perpetual: the customer buys the right to use the application permanently. An annual plan, historically called the Business Ready Enhancement Plan (BREP) and today the Enhancement Plan (EP), sits alongside it. The licence does not stop working without a plan, but the plan is what entitles you to version updates and to the purchase of additional user licences.
Subscription: the customer pays a recurring subscription fee, via their support partner, for the right to use the application. Access depends on the subscription remaining current.
With that in place, here is the short version every customer should take note of:
- End of renewals is not the same as end of support, and neither means your software stops working.
- What is ending is the ability to renew service plans, renew subscriptions, and buy additional user licences for the older applications.
- Dynamics NAV and Dynamics GP: after 30 April 2031 you will not be able to renew your annual plan, renew a subscription, or add users to your environment.
- Dynamics SL: after 15 January 2030, the same applies.
- Business Central on-premise: existing customers remain supported, but the perpetual model is already closed to new customers, and new subscription customers must buy through the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) channel from 1 February 2027.
- Dynamics AX: already past end of support.
The timeline at a glance:
Reflects Microsoft’s published product status as of 10 June 2026. Diagram compiled 23 September 2026. This is a 4Sight Dynamics Africa summary. Exceptions and caveats apply, and dates differ by version, so always confirm with your Microsoft Dynamics Partner and against Microsoft’s official lifecycle policy before making a commercial decision.
What this practically means:
- New customers refers to whether an organisation that has never owned the product can still buy it. This generally applies to the current version and usually the two versions before it, but not to older versions.
- Add-on licences are the extra users or seats you add to a system you already run. This is the one that catches people out. If you are growing headcount on NAV or GP, you need to think about the 2031 date long before 2031 arrives. Note too that an active Enhancement Plan is required on the system before you can purchase add-on licences at all, so if your plan has lapsed the 2031 date is already academic.
- End of renewals is the date after which you can no longer renew your Enhancement Plan, renew a subscription, or buy add-on user licences. For NAV, GP and SL the date shown is the last day on which you can still transact, not the first day you cannot. Business Central is worded the other way round: 1 February 2027 is the first day the Dynamics Price List route is closed to new subscription customers and new customers must be licensed via the modern Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) route.
- End of support is the date after which Microsoft no longer provides support services for the product, including security updates and fixes.
Renewable does not mean supported
The instinct is to work back from the renewal cut-off. For Microsoft Dynamics NAV, GP and SL, that is the wrong end of the timeline. Official support ends first.
As an example, a Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018 customer could therefore spend more than three years able to renew a plan on a product that is no longer receiving security updates. The date that should drive your planning is the support date, not the renewal date.
What this means in practice:
If you are on Microsoft Dynamics NAV, GP or SL: You have runway, but it is finite and it is now mapped on a calendar. Treat the support date as your real deadline. In our experience, most organisations need twelve to eighteen months to plan and execute a platform move, which places the decision point considerably closer than the headline year suggests.
If you are on Business Central on-premise: You are on the current product and you remain supported, whether you run perpetual or subscription. Two things to note.
- The perpetual model is already closed to new customers. The subscription model closes to new customers on 1 February 2027, after which new customers licence Business Central through CSP.
- If you are an existing Business Central on-premise subscription customer, licensed before 1 February 2027, Microsoft has confirmed you will also need to transition your subscription to CSP at a future date. That date has not been published; Microsoft has said details will follow. This does not affect maintenance plans such as the Enhancement Plan.
If you are on Microsoft Dynamics AX:
Support has already ended. You are running business-critical software that will not receive security fixes, which belongs on an active project plan rather than a watching brief. Seriously consider migrating to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations.
If you intend to stay on-premise:
Business Central supports on-premise deployment through traditional Perpetual or Subscription License models. If you procure Dynamics 365 Business Central via the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) business model, you still have access to on-premise deployments through Dual Use Rights (DUR), so modern licensing (CSP) and keeping your data in your own environment are not mutually exclusive.
Please note: “Dual Use Rights licences cannot be mixed with Dynamics Price List licences in the same environment. If you are part-way between the two models, get that assessed first.”
One operational requirement comes with it. Since 5 June 2026, Business Central online customers using Dual Use Rights must download and replace their DUR licence keys every six months in order to continue using the on-premise product. Build that six-month cycle into your operational calendar, because a lapsed key stops the on-premise deployment.
Talk to us
Working out which of these dates applies to your environment starts with three details:
- Your product
- Your version and
- Your licence type
Discuss these details with your support partner or with the 4Sight team and we will map your timeline, tell you which decision has to be made first, and set out the options open to you.
Where to check the official detail
Product lifecycle policy and version-specific dates: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/
Business Central Product Terms, including Dual Use Rights: https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/terms/productoffering/MicrosoftDynamics365Services/MCA