Business Central Pricing UK: Licensing Explained
A plain-English guide to Business Central pricing UK finance teams need, covering Essentials, Premium, Team Members licences and what is not included.
Working out what Business Central will cost starts with Microsoft's licensing model. Business Central is sold per user, per month, and the licence each person holds decides both the price and what they can do in the system.
This guide explains the licence types, how Essentials and Premium users can work side by side, what the licence does not cover, and how to estimate your own figure.
The licence types and Microsoft's UK prices
Microsoft publishes its UK prices on its Business Central pricing page. On 4 October 2026 it listed, per user per month, paid yearly and excluding VAT:
| Licence | Price | What Microsoft says it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | £61.50 | Business management for finance, sales and operations |
| Premium | £84.60 | Everything in Essentials, plus enhanced capabilities for service management and manufacturing |
| Team Members | £6.20 | Limited access to read data, approve workflows, and create or update select information |
Prices change, so always check Microsoft's page before you budget.
Key PointNot everyone needs a full licence. People who mainly read data and approve workflows may only need Team Members.
Essentials and Premium side by side
You do not have to put everyone on the same full licence. Microsoft's guide to managing access to environments explains that Premium functionality is enabled at the company level.
Each company is set to Essentials or Premium. Essentials users can only open Essentials companies, while Premium users can sign in to any company, though they cannot use Premium-only features in an Essentials company. So a business that needs manufacturing in one company does not have to buy Premium for every user.
Watch OutCheck which companies need Premium features before you buy. An Essentials user cannot open a company set to Premium.
What the licence does not include
The subscription covers the software, not the project. Implementation, data migration, training and any third-party apps are separate costs.
Budget for licences as a running cost, and for the implementation as a one-off project. Our Business Central implementation guide covers what the project involves.
Apps and extensions
Apps from AppSource can add monthly costs of their own. Review which ones genuinely earn their keep before you commit, and include them in your estimate.
Our apps page shows the Business Central extensions we are building. They are in development and not yet on AppSource.
Estimating your own figure
- Count the people who need a full licence, and decide which companies need Premium features.
- Count the people who only need to read data and approve, for Team Members.
- Multiply each count by the current price on Microsoft's page, then by twelve.
- Add any apps you plan to use.
- Budget the implementation separately.
Pro TipReview your user list against what each person actually does. Paying for a full licence for someone who only approves invoices is the easiest saving to miss.
Getting help
If your business already holds Business Central licences but has not gone live, our BC Fast-Start takes you live in twelve weeks for £4,500 fixed. For VAT, remember that GOV.UK says all VAT-registered businesses should now be signed up for Making Tax Digital for VAT.
For independent guidance, see the ICAEW technology resources, or talk to our team about the right licence mix for your business.