When does Microsoft pay you on Microsoft Marketplace? Payout timing explained

Updated 12 Nov 2026

The short answer. In our experience at WeTransact, plan on two to four months from a purchase to money in your bank. Microsoft pays monthly, typically by the 15th. On an Enterprise Agreement, payout comes in the next cycle after the customer invoice, often before Microsoft collects. For Microsoft Customer Agreement and CSP customers, it follows Microsoft's collection.

In plain words. Microsoft is the one who bills your customer and collects the money, so your payout follows what the customer's contract says about invoices. An Enterprise Agreement (EA) is the contract big customers hold with Microsoft. A Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) is another customer contract with Microsoft. A Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) is a reseller in Microsoft's partner program. Escrow is a holding period before money is released.

Does this apply to you?

Probably yes, if you sell, or plan to sell, a transactable offer (one Microsoft bills for) on Microsoft Marketplace. Your finance team needs these dates. We checked every date and rule against Microsoft Learn, Microsoft's official documentation site, on 8 November 2026.

Not yet, if you only use "Contact me" listings. Nothing is billed through Microsoft, so Microsoft pays you nothing.

Be careful, if you sell through a resale enabled offer. There, Microsoft pays the channel partner, and the partner pays you outside Marketplace under your own agreement. The pages we read also give no separate payout schedule for pay-as-you-go accounts.

When and how does Microsoft pay you?

Microsoft Learn says payments happen monthly, typically sent by the 15th. Payout dates are in Pacific time. The same schedules apply to public plans, private plans, private offers and multiparty private offers. For the store itself, see our guide to what Microsoft Marketplace is and how it works.

Before the first payout you need a tax profile and a payout profile in Partner Center. We cover that setup in a separate guide.

Microsoft pays by bank transfer (ACH in the US, SEPA in Europe), by wire, or in some countries by PayPal. Payouts start once sales reach $50.00. Microsoft deducts its 3% fee at payout: see what Microsoft Marketplace costs.

How long until I receive money after a customer buys?

Your customer's contract decides. Here is each case, from Microsoft Learn's payout schedule page.

Enterprise Agreement (EA)

Microsoft pays you in the next payout cycle after the customer invoice. It says payouts often occur before it collects from the customer.

For an order or subscription, Microsoft's table runs like this:

1. Month 1. The customer buys. The transaction is reported and your earnings are calculated.
2. Month 2, first week. Earnings are prepared for payment.
3. Month 2, no later than the 15th. Payment is sent.

For metered usage, the usage happens in month 1, Microsoft calculates the bill in month 2, and payment goes out in month 3, no later than the 15th.

One catch. Microsoft's payout FAQ says EA earnings become eligible after the customer invoice is created, and that the purchase date and invoice date can differ. Its example is a purchase on 22 March invoiced between 1 and 5 May, depending on the customer's billing anniversary. We recommend reading the invoice date in your Revenue report, not just the order date.

Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) and CSP

Here you are paid only after Microsoft collects from the customer. For CSP deals, Microsoft invoices the CSP. Microsoft's own example for an order or subscription:

• 1 January: the customer buys.
• 2 January: Microsoft sends the invoice.
• 2 February: the customer pays Microsoft.
• 4 February: Microsoft works out the fee and your earnings.
• 6 February: the payout is prepared.
• 8 to 14 February: the payout is sent.

For usage, Microsoft's example has the customer paying on 6 March and the payout sent between 12 and 18 March.

Credit card

Microsoft's FAQ says that when the customer paid by credit card, there is an additional 30-day escrow period after Microsoft receives payment, to make sure funds clear and there are no chargebacks or suspected fraud. In Microsoft's example, a card purchase on 1 January is paid out between 13 and 19 February.

Non-standard terms

If a customer has non-standard payment terms, such as Net 45 or Net 60, Microsoft says payout times are affected accordingly. It gives no formula.

How long the bank takes

Microsoft sends payments by the 15th, and the money still has to arrive. Microsoft says it takes about one business day for PayPal, two to three for ACH or SEPA, and seven to ten for a wire transfer.

What we see in practice

In our experience, a payout takes around two to four months from the purchase. It is a cash-flow lag, not an extra fee. We recommend telling your finance team this before the first deal, not after.

Does Microsoft pay before the customer pays?

With an EA, often yes. Microsoft says payouts often occur before it collects. That is also why the non-payment rules below exist.

With MCA and CSP, no. The transaction becomes eligible only once Microsoft collects. Microsoft's payout FAQ adds that if a non-enterprise customer makes a partial payment, your earnings are based on the partially paid amount.

What the customer's invoice terms have to do with it. Microsoft's payout page says the payment terms for an invoice are visible in the Partner Center Revenue dashboard, which shows invoice created dates and due dates. For a non-EA customer, your payout cannot come before the customer pays. Longer terms mean a later payout. So ask each customer about their payment terms before you promise your finance team a date.

What happens if the customer does not pay?

Microsoft Learn says this is rare. When a customer fails to pay on schedule, Microsoft starts a collections process. It takes approximately four months. If payment still doesn't arrive, Microsoft writes the funds off as non-collectable.

Because Microsoft may already have paid you, it recoups the money in one of two ways:

• It might subtract the unpaid amount from your future payouts. Microsoft's example: if USD 1,000 is written off, your future payouts are withheld until the 1,000 is recovered.
• It might ask for a refund, or invoice you for the uncollected amount.

Microsoft's example timeline:

• 15 October. The payout is sent.
• 6 December. The customer has missed payment and gets a first late-payment email.
• 1 February. A termination notice follows.
• 15 February. The write-off, and an email to you.
• 1 March. The deduction hits your payout. Later payouts are withheld from 15 March until the balance is no longer negative.

The risky case is a payout made before collection, which Microsoft says often happens on an EA. Microsoft suggests using its reports to assess the creditworthiness of customers you keep selling to. For customers without an EA, the Revenue dashboard has a "collection in progress" card and a days overdue widget.

How do I read the earnings and payout reports?

You need the Owner or Finance Contributor role. Open Earnings in Partner Center. You can download reports as CSV or TSV, and Microsoft offers a Partner Payouts API.

The payment status tells you where each earning is. Microsoft Learn's meanings:

• Uncollected: Microsoft invoiced the customer, but the customer hasn't paid.
• Unprocessed: the earning is in the accrual and escrow period, until Microsoft creates a payment order.
• Upcoming: the payment order has been created.
• Sent: the payment was dispatched from Microsoft's bank. Your bank may take a few days to several weeks, depending on the country.
• Rejected: your bank rejected the payment, so contact your bank.
• Reversed: your bank reversed it, and it is sent again in the next cycle.
• Incorrect payment: Microsoft is recouping a payment. No action is needed from you.

In the Earnings report, the sample shows an earning rate of 97 and a store fee of 3 on a $100 sale. The payment ID also shows on your bank statement. The exchange rate and its date are in the report too. The Revenue report shows the invoice date, the invoice due date, the days uncollected and the estimated payout month.

Reports lag a little. Microsoft says subscription sales can take up to 24 hours to appear. Usage-based transactions can take until the 12th of the following month.

A worked example, with made-up numbers and dates

A customer buys a $50,000 private offer on 1 March 2027. The fee is 3%, $1,500, so you receive $48,500 before tax, currency and bank fees. The dates below apply Microsoft's published schedule. Where we do arithmetic, we say so.

• EA. Reported in March. Prepared in the first week of April. Sent no later than 15 April, possibly before the customer pays. Microsoft's FAQ ties EA payout to the customer invoice, so if that invoice is created later, expect the payout later.
• MCA or CSP, invoice paid 2 April. Microsoft's example offsets give earnings reported 4 April, payout prepared 6 April and sent 8 to 14 April.
• Credit card paid on 1 March. With the 30-day escrow, Microsoft's example offset gives a payout between 13 and 19 April.
• Net 60, paid on day 60 (1 May). Microsoft gives no formula. If its example offsets hold, payout is sent between 7 and 13 May. That is our arithmetic, not a Microsoft promise.

If an EA customer never pays. Microsoft already paid you $48,500. After roughly four months of collections and a write-off, Microsoft may deduct $48,500 from your future payouts until it is recovered, or ask for a refund.

Frequently asked questions

When and how does Microsoft pay you?

Monthly, typically by the 15th, to the bank or PayPal account in your payout profile. The timing depends on the customer's contract.

How long until I receive money after a customer buys?

For an EA customer, the next payout cycle after the customer invoice. For MCA and CSP, after Microsoft collects. Cards add a 30-day escrow.

Does Microsoft pay before the customer pays?

On an Enterprise Agreement, Microsoft says payouts often occur before it collects. On MCA and CSP, no: the transaction becomes eligible after Microsoft collects.

What happens if the customer does not pay?

Microsoft runs a collections process of about four months, then writes the funds off. If it already paid you, it may deduct the amount from future payouts or ask for a refund.

Why does the invoice date matter for an EA payout?

Microsoft's payout FAQ says EA earnings become eligible after the customer invoice is created, and that date can differ from the purchase date. Check the invoice date in your Revenue report.

Why is my payment missing?

Check the payment status first. The order may not be eligible yet, the $50 threshold may not be met, or your bank and tax profiles may need updating.

Sources: Microsoft Learn, "Payout schedules and processes"; "Payout details by region"; "Payouts and tax profile FAQ"; "Microsoft Marketplace FAQ"; "Earnings in Partner Center"; "Getting paid in Partner Center"; "Revenue dashboard in Microsoft Marketplace analytics"; "Overview of billing and invoicing for Microsoft Marketplace customers"; "Resale enabled offers overview" (all checked 8 November 2026). Payout timing in our experience is our own estimate. Microsoft may change its rules at any time.

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