The Microsoft volume licensing price list is the program-specific list-price catalogue for the EA, MPSA, Open, and CSP programs. It documents the per-SKU list price for each licensable product and is the basis on which program-level (A–D), volume-band, and negotiated concession discounts are stacked. The price list is accessed through the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC), the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, and Partner Center; the complete per-program list is not published publicly. Buyers regularly under-use the price list as a negotiation reference because the per-SKU detail is treated as procurement back-office reading. In practice, the price list is one of the most powerful Microsoft pricing leverage tools because it locks Microsoft to a verifiable list-price floor against which every concession is measured.
Anyone who has negotiated a Microsoft EA renewal has been shown a quote with a single “total contract value” line and an “effective discount” percentage. That format obscures the only data point that matters for negotiation: the list price per SKU. The Microsoft volume licensing price list is the source of truth for that list price and the basis for every concession argument. Buyers who treat it as a back-office artefact lose the structural leverage it provides; buyers who treat it as a negotiation reference unlock the per-SKU concession conversation.
Programs that have a Microsoft volume licensing price list
Microsoft publishes a different price list per commercial program. Four programs matter to enterprise buyers.
Enterprise Agreement (EA) price list
The EA price list is the largest and most-referenced catalogue. It documents per-SKU list prices for M365 (E1 through E7), D365, Power Platform, Azure (as a reference; consumption pricing is separate), Windows Server, SQL Server, and the legacy server-CAL products. The EA price list is delivered to customers via VLSC and via the account team. Updates are typically aligned to the Microsoft fiscal year (July 1) with mid-year updates as required for new SKU launches.
Use: per-SKU list-price reference for the EA renewal proposal.MPSA price list
The Microsoft Products and Services Agreement (MPSA) price list applies to non-enrolment volume purchases — transactional or smaller-volume buyers. The MPSA price list typically shows higher list prices than the EA price list for the same SKU; the MPSA is the program of last resort when the EA volume threshold is not met. Buyers comparing MPSA against EA economics are essentially comparing the differential between the two price lists plus the additional A–D discount band on the EA.
Use: comparison anchor when EA economics are evaluated against MPSA.Open License / Open Value price list
The Open License program is the SMB-oriented program and has its own list price catalogue. The Open price list largely tracks the EA list price for shared SKUs but excludes some enterprise-only SKUs (E7, certain D365 modules, Agent 365 enterprise tiers). The Open price list is increasingly being deprecated in favour of CSP for smaller customers as part of the broader subscription-model shift.
Use: SMB and lower mid-market comparison; deprecating into CSP.CSP (Cloud Solution Provider) price list
The CSP price list is partner-facing. Partners purchase from Microsoft at CSP-program list prices and resell to customers at their own discount-plus-margin price. The CSP price list moves more frequently than the EA price list, particularly around the April 2026 grace-period elimination and the broader NCE migration. CSP-program list-price changes flow through into customer pricing on a 30–60 day cycle. See our CSP grace period pillar for the 2026 mechanics.
Use: CSP customer comparison; partner-margin transparency.What the Microsoft volume licensing price list does not show
The price list shows list prices. It does not show three things that determine the customer’s actual net pricing.
- The customer-specific program-level discount (A–D). The price list shows the same list price to every customer; the per-customer level is applied separately. See our how Microsoft calculates discounts article for the layered discount math.
- The volume-band discount. Within the program-level, the volume-band tier adds an additional discount layer that is not on the price list itself. The 2026 EA tier collapse compresses this layer significantly.
- The negotiated concession. Strategic-SKU attach concession, MACC growth-commitment concession, term-length concession, and FY-end concession ceiling all sit on top of the price list. None of them are visible on the published list. The negotiation conversation actually happens entirely in this layer.
Using the Microsoft volume licensing price list as buyer-side leverage
Four moves convert the price list into negotiation leverage.
- Require the proposal to be decomposed against the per-SKU list price. The AE proposal will arrive as a TCV or as an “effective discount” line. The buyer-side counter is to require the proposal to show each SKU at list price, then the applied discount per SKU, then the net price. The decomposition surfaces which SKUs are at floor (low or no negotiated concession) versus which SKUs are at ceiling (deep negotiated concession). The per-SKU conversation is then possible.
- Use the prior-year price list as the price-protection anchor. Year-over-year list-price increases (July 1 each FY) are the structural basis for the price-protection language conversation. Buyers who require explicit price protection through year N are anchoring the contractual term against the documented price-list trajectory. See our July 2026 price increase guide for the 2026 trajectory.
- Compare across programs at the per-SKU level. The MPSA, Open, CSP, and EA price lists differ per-SKU for the same product. Buyers evaluating program transition (EA to MCA-E, EA to CSP, etc.) need the per-SKU comparison at list price to model the structural shift correctly. See our EA subscription vs traditional article for the program-comparison framework.
- Track the SKU lifecycle in the price list. SKUs are added, retired, and re-priced on each price-list update. The lifecycle data is buyer-side intelligence on Microsoft’s strategic direction; the price list is the source. See our Microsoft EA online services catalog article for the SKU-tracking framework.
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The 2026 Microsoft volume licensing price list context
Three 2026 inflection points reshape how the Microsoft volume licensing price list flows into the renewal conversation.
First, the July 2026 M365 price increase moves list prices on E3, E5, Defender, Intune, and the F-series Frontline SKUs. Buyers signing renewals in the second half of 2026 are signing against the new list trajectory; price-protection language anchored to the prior list-price level is now structurally more valuable than at any prior renewal cycle. The July 2026 price increase guide covers the per-SKU trajectory.
Second, the E7 Frontier Suite launch (May 2026) introduces a new top-tier list price at $99/user/month. The list-price position of E7 reshapes the relative pricing of E5 and below. See the E7 / Frontier Suite guide for the bundle composition and the per-SKU implications.
Third, the EA tier collapse compresses the A–D volume-band differential, which means the buyer-side concession conversation has to move entirely to the third discount layer (per-SKU negotiated concession) and to contractual-term language. The price list itself becomes more important as the anchor for that conversation. See the EA tier collapse pillar for the structural effect.
The Microsoft volume licensing price list is the single best public reference point for the conversation about “is your offered discount actually good”. Buyers who require the proposal to decompose against the per-SKU list price expose the per-SKU concession capacity. Buyers who accept a single-line TCV give up the conversation before it starts.
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Where to take the price-list decode next
The price-list mechanics pair with the broader negotiation framework. The EA negotiation pillar guide walks the renewal mechanics; the EA negotiation service covers end-to-end engagement structure; the free EA assessment is the direct entry point. For the related VLSC tooling, see our complete VLSC guide.