Microsoft sales programs: every path for resellers, services and software
Microsoft gives resellers a route through a distributor or direct billing, promotional pricing on new Copilot and Business Premium purchases, and gives software and services companies referral-ready status for Microsoft customer introductions. This page maps every sales path, which ones come in sequence, and what decides which apply to your company.
As of
Partner pricing for resellers
| Path | What it gives you | Role it needs | Works with others? |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSP indirect reseller | What it gives youResell Microsoft subscriptions through an authorized distributor | Role it needsResell | Works with others?Sequence: direct bill needs 12 months as an indirect reseller first |
| CSP direct bill | What it gives youBuy directly from Microsoft instead of through a distributor, with a $1 million trailing-12-month revenue bar | Role it needsResell | Works with others?Sequence: needs the prior 12 months as an authorized indirect reseller |
| Copilot Business promotional pricing | What it gives you15% promotional pricing on new Microsoft 365 Copilot Business purchases through Dec 31, 2026 | Role it needsResell | Works with others?Check with Microsoft |
| Business Premium promotional pricing | What it gives you7.5% promotional pricing for eligible CSP direct bill partners and distributors | Role it needsResell | Works with others?Check with Microsoft |
Which of these fit depends on whether you buy through a distributor today, how much revenue you already run through Microsoft's program, and whether your customers are buying new Copilot or Business Premium seats before the promotional dates end.
Selling alongside Microsoft's sellers
| Path | What it gives you | Role it needs | Works with others? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referral-ready status (Microsoft's own program name is “co-sell ready”) | What it gives youEntry status for Microsoft referrals: publish the offer on Microsoft Marketplace and list a sales contact for each geography | Role it needsSoftware, Services | Works with others?Sequence: software companies need the no-cost Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace enrollment first; services partners need one Solutions Partner designation |
| Azure IP referral-eligible status (Microsoft's own program name is “Azure IP co-sell eligible”) | What it gives youDeeper referral eligibility for Azure-based software; needs $100,000 of Azure consumed revenue or marketplace billed revenue, technical validation and a transactable offer | Role it needsSoftware | Works with others?Sequence: adds four requirements on top of referral-ready status |
| Business Applications referral-eligible status (Microsoft's own program name is “Business Applications co-sell eligible”) | What it gives youReferral eligibility for Dynamics 365 apps on Dataverse and Power Apps | Role it needsSoftware | Works with others?Sequence: the offer must also complete the referral-ready requirements |
Whether these pay off depends on where your offer is listed, which Microsoft cloud it runs on, and how much of your Azure or Dynamics 365 revenue Microsoft can see in its own reporting.
How do these programs combine?
Sequences that gate other paths. Direct bill means buying straight from Microsoft instead of through a distributor, and it needs the prior 12 months as an authorized indirect reseller plus at least USD 1 million of trailing-12-month transactional revenue (Cloud Solution Provider program overview). Referral-ready status needs the offer published on Microsoft Marketplace and a sales contact listed for each geography, and software companies also need an active Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace enrollment. Azure IP referral-eligible status builds on that with $100,000 of Azure consumed revenue or marketplace billed revenue, technical validation and a transactable offer.
Stacks. A reseller can sit on either billing route while also holding a services or software role, and the two promotional prices above are separate announcements for separate products. Microsoft's pages do not say whether the Business Premium promotion combines with other pricing, so that row reads "Check with Microsoft".
Conflicts. Microsoft's pages state no conflicts between the sales paths on this page. If you hold a reseller and a software role at once, the paths do not exclude each other on anything Microsoft has published.
How do you claim or earn each one?
Direct bill
- 1Confirm that you have been an authorized indirect reseller for the prior 12 months and have a distributor relationship on record.
- 2Check your trailing-12-month Cloud Solution Provider transactional revenue against the USD 1 million bar.
- 3Open your Partner Center account to see how Microsoft shows your eligibility and the steps to request direct bill.
Referral-ready status
- 1Publish your offer on Microsoft Marketplace.
- 2List a sales contact for each geography where you want Microsoft introductions.
- 3If you are a software company, confirm that Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace enrollment is active before you list for referrals.
- 4For the deeper Azure IP status, add the Azure consumed or marketplace billed revenue threshold, the technical validation and a transactable offer.
Promotional pricing
- 1Check which of your customers are buying new Microsoft 365 Copilot Business seats before December 31, 2026.
- 2Check whether your billing route qualifies for the Business Premium promotion, which Microsoft limits to eligible direct bill partners and distributors.
The gates people most often miss are the 12-month indirect history before direct bill, a sales contact missing for a geography, and a listing that is not yet transactable. Microsoft does not publish rejection statistics.
Why do two similar companies choose differently?
Company A: a 30-person reseller buying through a distributor
Has run Microsoft 365 subscriptions for four years. Its paths are the indirect reseller route, the Copilot Business promotional pricing for new seats, and a look at direct bill once its trailing-12-month revenue clears the bar.
Company B: a software company on Azure, no distributor relationship
One offer on Microsoft Marketplace. Its paths are referral-ready status, the Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace enrollment that sits in front of it, and the deeper Azure IP status once its Azure consumed revenue is high enough.
The same program year, the same partner, and two different sets of paths.
What changed recently?
- Dec 1, 2026Microsoft begins new Copilot Business offers, and 15% promotional pricing on new purchases runs through Dec 31, 2026.
- Oct 1, 2026Growth margins and base-margin adjustments took effect for Cloud Solution Provider resellers; the funding page covers them in full.
No Playmaker change page covers Microsoft sales yet. Every Microsoft change is on the Microsoft partner page.
Microsoft has the paths. Playmaker finds yours.
You’ve just seen how much Microsoft offers: programs, funding, listings, specialists and the many ways they combine. All of it is real, and much of it can run at the same time. Which of it fits your company depends on your tier, your roles and your deals.
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Frequently
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Microsoft's page describes direct bill as a route you move to after 12 months as an authorized indirect reseller, so the two are a sequence rather than a choice made once. Whether a company can keep both active for different customers is not stated there, so check with Microsoft.
No. Referral-ready status makes your offer eligible to be referred; it does not promise introductions. Microsoft's requirements are the Marketplace listing and a sales contact per geography.
Azure IP referral-eligible status adds four requirements on top of referral-ready status: $100,000 of Azure consumed revenue or marketplace billed revenue, technical validation, a transactable offer and the earlier listing steps.
Yes, many companies do. The rows above tag each path with the role it needs, and Microsoft's pages do not block holding both. Which rows apply to you depends on which roles you hold, so read the table once per role.
The 15% promotional pricing on new Microsoft 365 Copilot Business purchases runs through December 31, 2026. The 7.5% Business Premium promotion is limited to eligible direct bill partners and distributors.
Sources
Primary sources for this page, all accessed Nov 4, 2026. Program names and terms belong to Microsoft.
Where can you read more?
- Microsoft partner programs: every path across seven areasThe front door for every Microsoft program area.
- Microsoft incentives and fundingMargins, benefits packages and marketplace funding.
- Microsoft marketplace programs for software companiesListing, private offers and referral eligibility.
- Microsoft certifications and competenciesDesignations, specializations and certifications.
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