ERP
Business Central Support Services: Partner Support Plans and What They Cost
Last updated: November 4, 2026 · Independent buyer’s guide · We do not sell rankings or coverage.
Business Central support services almost always come from a Microsoft partner, not from Microsoft. Microsoft’s own documentation says your internal administrator cannot contact Microsoft directly about Business Central online, so your partner triages each issue and escalates to Microsoft only when the platform is at fault. Published partner plans we found run from $550 to $2,500 a month, with managed services from $2,250 a month and hourly support at $295 an hour in business hours. This guide compares those published prices, explains what each support model covers, and sets out how to switch partners without losing access or licenses.
Published Business Central support prices
The table lists only prices the provider publishes. We checked every page on November 4, 2026. Most partners quote support privately, and we say so where that applies.
| Provider | Plan or model | Published price (page date) | What is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Platform support inside the subscription | No separate customer plan published for Business Central; licenses from $80 (Essentials) and $110 (Premium) per user per month, paid yearly (no date shown) | Hosting, updates, high availability and break-fix escalations raised by your partner |
| Microsoft (partner plan) | Advanced Support for Partners | From $22,500 a year, paid by the partner (no date shown) | Lets a partner file cases for you; scheduled for retirement in January 2027 |
| A BC Consulting Group | Basic (10 or fewer users) | $1,250 a month or $15,000 a year, annual commitment (no date shown) | Unlimited functional support, 8-hour standard and 2-hour emergency response, discounted technical rate |
| A BC Consulting Group | Premium (10 or more users) | $2,500 a month or $30,000 a year (no date shown) | Unlimited functional support, 8 technical hours a month, 4-hour and 1-hour response, account manager, one onsite day a year |
| ArcherPoint | Basic | Time and materials at MSA rates; after hours at 1.5x (page metadata June 19, 2025) | 24-hour guaranteed response |
| ArcherPoint | Pearl and Diamond | From $950 and from $2,200 a month, 12-month contracts (page metadata June 19, 2025) | How-to and break-fix for BC and listed add-ons; 12-hour or 2-hour response; 2 or 3 hours per incident |
| Truly SMB | Bronze, Silver, Gold | $550, $950 and $1,350 a month (August 18, 2026) | Price depends on the modules you use and how far the system is customized |
| Schneider Downs | Business Central Evolution, 1-year managed service | From $2,250 a month, billed on expected usage (no date shown) | Break-fix, minor enhancements, upgrade testing, third-party updates, monthly status reports |
| Innovia Consulting | Hourly support | $295 an hour; 1.5x weeknights, 2x weekends and holidays (no date shown) | Business hours Monday to Friday, 7 am to 6 pm CST; support plans not published |
| Rand Group, KTL Solutions | Block hours, managed and unlimited plans | Not published | Quoted on request |
We did not find a US partner that publishes a per-user support fee for Business Central. Ask any partner that sells you licenses through Microsoft’s Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program whether its license price includes a support margin.
What Microsoft covers and what your partner covers
Microsoft runs the Business Central service. Its responsibilities include storage and database capacity, high availability and disaster recovery, platform security, and the patches and updates for the base application (Microsoft Learn, February 26, 2026).
Everything between you and that platform belongs to the partner. Microsoft describes the reselling partner as the administrator of your tenant and the first line of support, expected to set the update window, monitor telemetry, update customizations and manage apps (Microsoft Learn, May 27, 2025). Your own administrator handles first-level questions, and the support page states that “the internal administrator cannot contact Microsoft directly” (Microsoft Learn, December 15, 2023).
Microsoft’s support scope is narrow. It handles break-fix problems, treats “how does this work” questions as training, does not help correct damaged data, and gives only best-effort help on customized databases (Microsoft Learn, January 22, 2026). To file a case on your behalf, the partner must hold a Microsoft Advanced Support for Partners or Premier plan. Microsoft lists Advanced Support for Partners from $22,500 a year and says it retires in January 2027, with a new Unified for Partner offer coming in Microsoft’s fiscal 2027 (Microsoft Partner Network, no date shown). Ask any partner you shortlist which plan it will hold after that change.
The four ways to buy Business Central support
| Model | How you pay | Usually covers | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time and materials | Hourly, as used | Whatever you ask for, with the slowest response targets | After-hours multipliers and minimum billing increments |
| Block hours | Prepaid hours drawn down | Support, small enhancements, reports | Expiry and rollover of unused hours |
| Monthly support plan | Fixed monthly fee, often a 12-month term | How-to and break-fix within set response times | Hours-per-incident caps and what counts as development |
| Managed service | Monthly fee for ongoing administration | Monitoring, update testing, ISV app updates, reporting | Scope of “minor enhancements” and annual price changes |
Partners describe these models in similar terms. Rand Group offers time and materials, custom plans built on a block of hours, and fully managed service agreements, but publishes no prices for them (Rand Group, August 24, 2026). KTL Solutions sells an “unlimited support” managed plan that includes end-user help, health monitoring, Microsoft case management and sandbox refreshes twice a year, also without a published price (Microsoft Marketplace listing, no date shown).
What drives the cost of a support plan
- Number of users. A BC Consulting Group splits its plans at 10 users, and the price doubles from Basic to Premium (A BC Consulting Group, no date shown).
- Response time. ArcherPoint’s guaranteed response falls from 24 hours on time and materials to 12 hours on Pearl and 2 hours on Diamond, and the starting price more than doubles between Pearl and Diamond (ArcherPoint, page metadata June 19, 2025).
- Modules and customization. Truly SMB says its plan price depends on how many areas of the system you use and how heavily it has been customized (Truly SMB, August 18, 2026).
- Add-ons and integrations. ArcherPoint lists the ISV products its plans cover, such as Lanham, Continia and Insight Works.
Hidden and extra costs
Hours outside the plan. A BC Consulting Group bills extra hours at $245 an hour in one section of its page and $265 in its FAQ, so confirm the rate in your contract. It also states that unused support hours do not carry over to the next month.
After-hours work. Innovia charges 1.5x on weeknights and 2x on weekends and holidays (Innovia Consulting, no date shown), and ArcherPoint bills after-hours time and materials at 1.5x.
Update testing. Microsoft ships two major updates a year, in April and October (Microsoft Learn, October 8, 2026), and each custom extension needs testing against them. Schneider Downs includes upgrade testing in its managed service (Microsoft Marketplace listing, no date shown).
Exclusions. A BC Consulting Group’s response times do not cover third-party apps or Microsoft cloud outages.
License billing terms. Rand Group reports that monthly-term licenses usually carry a premium of around 20 percent over longer-term options (Rand Group, August 18, 2026). If your support partner is also your license reseller, review the license line as carefully as the support line. For first-year project costs, see our ERP implementation cost breakdown.
How to compare support quotes
Put each quote on an annual basis and list the same items for every provider: monthly fee, included hours, rate for extra hours, after-hours multiplier, response times by severity, hours-per-incident caps, add-ons covered, and contract term.
Illustration (our own arithmetic from published prices, not quotes): for a company with 8 users, A BC Consulting Group’s Basic plan costs $15,000 a year. ArcherPoint’s Pearl plan starts at $11,400 a year ($950 x 12), as does Truly SMB’s Silver plan. Forty hours of business-hours support at Innovia’s $295 rate would cost $11,800. The cheapest option on paper depends on how many hours you actually use and how fast you need answers, so pull last year’s ticket count and hours before you compare.
Ask each provider three questions in writing. Which Microsoft support plan will you hold after Advanced Support for Partners retires? What happens to hours you do not use? Which of our installed apps and extensions are outside the plan?
How to switch Business Central partners
You can change support partners without reimplementing, and you can change your support partner without changing who sells you licenses. Microsoft notes that a customer can remove a partner’s admin access while keeping that partner for subscription renewals, and that the CSP model lets several partners sell subscriptions to the same customer (Microsoft Learn, May 27, 2025).
- Collect what you own. Get the source code for per-tenant extensions, configuration packages, integration credentials and documentation before you give notice. Check your old contract for code ownership terms.
- Give the new partner access. The new partner sends a granular delegated admin privileges (GDAP) link, which your global administrator accepts. For Business Central, Microsoft recommends the Dynamics 365 Business Central Administrator role as the least-privileged role (Microsoft Learn, November 1, 2024).
- Remove the old partner’s access. Disable its GDAP relationship in the Microsoft 365 admin center, or use the Partner access settings in the Business Central admin center to allow only specific partner tenants per environment (same source).
- Clean up settings. Ask the outgoing partner to remove its support contact details, notification recipients and any Application Insights key while it still has access, as Microsoft requires of partners ending a relationship (Microsoft Learn, December 15, 2023). The new partner then enters its own contact details so your users see them on the Help and Support page.
- Move licenses if you want to. A license transfer between CSP partners is started by the new partner and needs the old partner’s approval. Microsoft will not override a refusal, and a pending request expires after 30 days (Microsoft Learn, May 18, 2026). Time the move near your renewal date if the old partner is slow to respond.
If you are still deciding whether Business Central is the right platform, our NetSuite vs Business Central comparison covers licensing and partner models side by side.
Provider profiles
Microsoft
Microsoft runs the platform and handles escalated break-fix cases, but it does not publish a direct support plan for Business Central online customers and will not fix damaged data. Its value to you depends on whether your partner holds a current Microsoft support plan.
A BC Consulting Group
This Nashville-based partner publishes the clearest US price list we found, with unlimited functional support on both tiers. Its page shows no date, gives two different rates for extra hours, and lists response times that conflict between sections.
ArcherPoint
ArcherPoint publishes starting prices, response times and hours per incident for each plan, and names the add-on products it supports. The prices are starting points, the hourly rates are not listed, and the page metadata dates from June 2025.
Truly SMB
Truly SMB, a Business Central partner, publishes the lowest monthly plan prices in our table and lists them in both pounds and dollars. It does not publish what each tier includes on the article we reviewed.
Schneider Downs
The Schneider Downs Marketplace listing is one of the few managed services with a published starting price. The price is a starting point billed monthly on expected usage, and the listing shows no date.
How we researched this
We reviewed partner service pages for Business Central support, including those of Rand Group and ArcherPoint. Most partners do not publish prices. We recorded only published prices with the date on each page, checked on November 4, 2026, and took support rules, access controls and transfer steps from Microsoft Learn and Microsoft Partner Network. Every partner named here sells the services described. No provider paid for inclusion.
Related guides
- Business Central Partner: How to Choose One (2026)
- Business Central Pricing (2026): US License Costs
- Business Central Implementation: Phases and Timeline
Frequently asked questions
Can I get Business Central support directly from Microsoft?
Not for day-to-day issues on Business Central online. Microsoft’s documentation states that your internal administrator cannot contact Microsoft directly and must go through the partner, who escalates platform problems to Microsoft.
How much does a Business Central support plan cost?
Published plans we found start at $550 a month (Truly SMB Bronze) and run to $2,500 a month (A BC Consulting Group Premium). Managed services start at $2,250 a month at Schneider Downs. Most partners do not publish prices.
Do unused block or plan hours roll over?
Often they do not. A BC Consulting Group states that unused support hours do not carry over to the next month. Get the expiry and rollover rules in writing before you sign.
Can I change my Business Central partner without losing my data?
Yes. Your data stays in your Microsoft tenant, so a new partner gains access through a GDAP relationship you approve, and you can remove the old partner’s access yourself. Make sure you hold the source code for any custom extensions first.
Do I have to move my licenses when I switch support partners?
No. You can keep buying licenses from one partner and get support from another. If you do move licenses, the new partner starts the CSP transfer and the old partner must approve it within 30 days.
Sources
- Microsoft Learn, Technical support for Business Central, January 22, 2026. learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Managing technical support, December 15, 2023. learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Get started as a reseller of Business Central online, May 27, 2025. learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Microsoft responsibilities for apps on Business Central online, February 26, 2026. learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Delegated administrator access to Business Central online, November 1, 2024. learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Partner transfers the billing ownership to another CSP partner, May 18, 2026. learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Update cycles for Business Central, October 8, 2026. learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Partner Network, Compare partner support plans, no date shown, checked November 4, 2026. partner.microsoft.com
- Microsoft, Dynamics 365 Business Central pricing, no date shown, checked November 4, 2026. microsoft.com
- A BC Consulting Group (Microsoft partner, sells support), Support plans, no date shown, checked November 4, 2026. abccgroup.com
- ArcherPoint (Microsoft partner, sells support), Dynamics 365 Business Central support plans, page metadata June 19, 2025, checked November 4, 2026. archerpoint.com
- Truly SMB (Business Central partner, sells support), How to choose a Microsoft Business Central partner, August 18, 2026. trulysmb.com
- Schneider Downs (sells managed services), Dynamics 365 Business Central Evolution: 1 Year Managed Service, Microsoft Marketplace, no date shown, checked November 4, 2026. marketplace.microsoft.com
- KTL Solutions (Microsoft partner, sells support), Dynamics 365 Business Central Unlimited Support, Microsoft Marketplace, no date shown, checked November 4, 2026. marketplace.microsoft.com
- Innovia Consulting (Business Central partner, sells services), Pricing, no date shown, checked November 4, 2026. innovia.com
- Rand Group (Microsoft partner, sells support), Business Central support, August 24, 2026. randgroup.com
- Rand Group (Microsoft partner, sells services), Business Central pricing guide, August 18, 2026. randgroup.com
Sherman Hsieh
Independent analysis of enterprise software — ERP, CRM and more
