Reducing or cancelling Microsoft licences

The key rule

• Microsoft’s NCE cancellation policy for licence-based per-user subscriptions provides a prorated refund within seven calendar days of purchase.
• After the cancellation window, reductions and cancellations may be restricted until the subscription renews or reaches the end of its term.
• Subscriptions created by partial upgrade inherit the cancellation window from the parent subscription; the window does not reopen until the subscription renews into a new term.

What customers can do

• Reassign unused seats to other users where permitted.
• Plan reductions ahead of renewal.
• Move short-term or uncertain demand to a monthly term where appropriate.
• Ask Cocentric to review the current estate before renewal so reductions can be captured in time.

What to include in a reduction request

• Subscription name.
• Current quantity and requested future quantity.
• Reason for reduction, such as leavers, project end or duplicate licences.
• Target date, especially if aligned to renewal.