Microsoft 365 Renewal Checklist Before You Buy Add-Ons

Microsoft's commercial Microsoft 365 price and packaging update took effect on July 1, 2026. Existing customers keep their current price until the next renewal after that date, so many organizations see the new list price for the first time at renewal.

At the same time, Microsoft rolled packaging additions into several suites through summer 2026. Renewals deserve a short entitlement check before you buy another Copilot, Defender, Intune or Teams Phone add-on: some of it may already be in the suite.

This post summarizes what Microsoft published and a checklist to run before you sign. It is educational only. USD figures below are Microsoft's list prices and may vary by country and currency.

What Microsoft Changed on July 1, 2026

According to Microsoft's Licensing Resources page and its public FAQ:

• Pricing for select commercial suites and standalones took effect July 1, 2026. Existing customers move to the new price at their next renewal after that date. Multi-year agreements stay on current pricing until renewal.
• Packaging began rolling out in June 2026, with a 30-day Message Center notice before each tenant received the new capabilities. Rollout of the listed Intune and Defender features was complete by August 1, 2026.
• Standalone Microsoft Teams and Copilot SKUs are not part of this price update.
• Microsoft 365 E7 list price did not change, but the packaging additions that landed in Microsoft 365 E5 also apply to E7.

Microsoft's December 4, 2025 announcement on the Microsoft 365 / Copilot blog framed the same changes months ahead of the effective date.

USD List Prices Worth Knowing at Renewal

From Microsoft's commercial pricing tables (USD, suites with Teams, subject to local-market adjustments):

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6.00 → $7.00
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50 → $14.00
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium: unchanged at $22.00
• Microsoft 365 E3: $36.00 → $39.00
• Microsoft 365 E5: $57.00 → $60.00
• Microsoft 365 F3: $8.00 → $10.00

Office 365 E3/E5, EMS, Windows Enterprise, Entra and Microsoft 365 Apps also moved. Confirm your agreement price with your licensing partner; do not treat the USD table as a Canadian invoice.

What Packaging Added to Common Suites

A few of the additions that matter when someone proposes an add-on:

• Microsoft 365 E3 gained Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, Intune Remote Help, Intune Advanced Analytics, Intune Plan 2, Copilot Chat enhancements and Copilot Chat Analytics.
• Microsoft 365 E5 gained everything above, plus Microsoft Security Copilot, Intune Endpoint Privilege Management, Microsoft Cloud PKI and Intune Enterprise Application Management.
• Office 365 E3 gained Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 and the Copilot Chat enhancements and analytics.
• Business Basic and Business Standard gained +50 GB of email storage, URL time-of-click protection, and the Copilot Chat enhancements and analytics.
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium gained Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, Intune Remote Help, Intune Advanced Analytics, Intune Plan 2, Copilot Chat enhancements and Copilot Chat Analytics — the same Intune and Defender Plan 1 additions that landed in Microsoft 365 E3.

Microsoft's FAQ is explicit that eligible EMS E3, Microsoft 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E5 tenants receive the new Intune entitlements automatically. No opt-in is required. Standalone Intune Suite and add-ons remain available for organizations that do not hold those plans.

What Is Still an Add-On

Use Microsoft's current enterprise plans comparison alongside the packaging update:

• Copilot Chat is available at no additional cost to eligible Microsoft 365 users (Azure subscription required for metered agents). The full Microsoft 365 Copilot experience remains an add-on for E3 and E5.
• Microsoft Teams Phone is included with Microsoft 365 E5 and E7 in the version with Teams. It is not included with Microsoft 365 E3.
• Microsoft Security Copilot is now part of Microsoft 365 E5 (and E7). Default Security Compute Unit (SCU) capacity is 400 SCUs per month for the first 1,000 seats, plus 400 SCUs per additional 1,000 seats, capped at 10,000 SCUs per month (Microsoft FAQ). Extra SCUs can be purchased. It is not part of E3.
• Microsoft Purview and Microsoft Defender plan levels still differ between E3 and E5. Do not assume an E3 renewal already covers every Purview or Defender SKU on an add-on quote.

Open the Message Center packaging notice, open the Microsoft 365 admin center license details for the SKUs on the renewal, and compare those two lists to every line item on the proposed add-on quote.

A Short Renewal Checklist

1. Confirm the renewal date and agreement type. If the renewal falls after July 1, 2026, the new list price applies.
2. List every paid add-on for Copilot, Teams Phone, Defender, Purview, Intune Suite components and Security Copilot that you already buy or are being asked to buy.
3. Map each add-on to the suite you are renewing using Microsoft's packaging table and the enterprise plans page. Drop anything the suite already includes.
4. Check Message Center for the packaging notice and confirm the features appeared in your tenant.
5. Separate Copilot Chat from Microsoft 365 Copilot. Chat enhancements landed in the suites; the full Copilot add-on is still a separate purchase for E3 and E5.
6. Get the local price from your partner before you model budget. Microsoft's USD table is a starting point, not an invoice.

Before You Sign

The first renewal after July 1, 2026 is the cleanest moment to retire redundant add-ons packaging replaced. Teams that rubber-stamp the renewal often keep paying for Intune or Defender SKUs their suite already covers.

It needs an accurate license inventory, Microsoft's packaging list, and a half-day of comparing the two before anyone signs.

Book a Microsoft 365 renewal review. We will map your SKUs to what Microsoft now includes, and flag add-ons you can drop before the renewal locks in.