December is almost here. Your Azure bills are rolling in. But there’s one number you need to check right now: your Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment balance.
If you signed a MACC agreement earlier this year, you made a promise to Microsoft to spend a specific amount on Azure services within a set timeframe. That’s not a suggestion. It’s a contractual obligation. And if your organization hasn’t been tracking consumption carefully, you might be facing either a painful shortfall payment or lost discounts that you negotiated months ago.
The good news is that there’s still time to act. Whether you’re running behind on your commitment or planning for next year’s renewal, understanding how to properly fulfill your MACC can save your organization thousands of dollars while accelerating your cloud transformation.
This guide shows you exactly how to close the gap, maximize your investment, and set yourself up for smarter Azure spending in 2025.
Key Takeaways MACC shortfalls trigger invoices for unconsumed commitments, often without your negotiated discount rates—making inaction expensive. Azure Reservations and Marketplace purchases with “Azure benefit eligible” badges count 100% toward your commitment and can close year-end gaps. Real-time tracking through Azure Portal’s Cost Management + Billing prevents surprises and enables proactive consumption adjustments. Strategic acceleration of Q1 initiatives and third-party solutions can fulfill commitments while delivering immediate business value . Microsoft funding programs like ECIF can offset deployment costs while simultaneously consuming your MACC commitment. Understanding Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) What Is MACC? A Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment is a contractual agreement where your organization commits to spending a specific amount on Azure over a defined period, typically one to three years. Unlike prepayment models, MACC gives you flexibility to use services across the entire Azure portfolio while locking in better pricing through negotiated discounts.
You tell Microsoft you’ll consume a certain dollar amount of Azure services. In return, Microsoft offers:
Azure Commitment Discounts on services Additional credits or incentives Access to premium support How MACC Differs from Other Agreements MACC is not a prepayment. You’re billed monthly based on actual consumption. MACC is also not a subscription with fixed service quantities. You have access to the entire Azure portfolio, letting you pivot as business needs change, whether that means ramping up AI workloads, expanding data analytics , or migrating legacy applications.
What Counts Toward Your MACC Not all Azure spending contributes to your commitment. Understanding eligibility is critical to avoiding year-end surprises.
The foundation of most MACC contributions comes from standard Azure services that power your cloud infrastructure . Microsoft Azure services, as defined in the Microsoft Product Terms and billed to your organization through a Marketplace deployment, inherently contribute toward your organization’s commitment.
Compute resources : Virtual machines, Azure Kubernetes Service, App Services Storage solutions : Blob Storage, Azure Files, managed disks Database services : Azure SQL Database, Cosmos DB, Azure Database for PostgreSQL Networking components : Virtual Networks , Load Balancers, VPN Gateways, Azure Front Door
Azure Reservations and Savings Plans Azure Reservations can contribute to your MACC when you commit to longer-term usage of specific resources. The actual Prepayment purchase itself will decrement your MACC commitment. This means when you buy a one-year or three-year reservation for virtual machines or SQL databases, that upfront purchase amount immediately counts toward your commitment.
However, consumption covered by those prepayments won’t double-count. Once you’ve purchased a reservation, the ongoing usage of those reserved resources doesn’t generate additional MACC credit. The value was already captured in the initial purchase.
This makes reservations a strategic tool for MACC fulfillment. If you’re running behind on your commitment and you know you’ll need specific resources over the next year, purchasing reservations lets you fulfill your MACC while also locking in additional savings on those services.
Azure Marketplace Third-Party Solutions Azure Marketplace purchases are where strategic opportunities exist for fulfilling your commitment while adding business capabilities. When you purchase Azure benefit-eligible offers from Microsoft partners through Marketplace, 100% of the pretax purchase amount also contributes toward your commitment.
This is powerful because it means enterprise software, managed services, data platforms , security solutions, and business applications from third-party vendors can all count toward your MACC. Look for the “Azure benefit eligible” badge when shopping in the Marketplace to identify solutions that count.
What Doesn’t Count Azure credits from Microsoft programs like Azure for Students or promotional offers don’t contribute to your MACC. If your organization received Azure credits from Microsoft, the consumption or purchases that are covered by credits won’t contribute towards your MACC commitment. Similarly, purchases made outside the Azure portal, such as buying directly from a vendor’s website, typically won’t count toward your commitment.
Azure credits from promotional programs Purchases made outside the Azure portal Direct vendor website purchases Azure Support Plans (typically excluded) Consumption covered by existing Azure credits Microsoft Licensing Change: What You Need to Know Your guide to Microsoft’s latest licensing changes, ways to optimize costs , funding programs, and how businesses can maximize value through expert partner support.
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The Year-End MACC Reality: Benefits and Consequences As the calendar year closes, many organizations realize they have a MACC problem. Either they’ve under consumed and face a shortfall payment, or they’ve overconsumed without planned discount benefits.
Benefits of Fulfilling Your Commitment As the calendar year closes, many organizations suddenly realize they have a MACC problem. Either they’ve underconsumed and face a shortfall payment, or they’ve overconsumed without the planned discount benefits. Both scenarios are expensive.
Over committing and underutilizing Azure may result in a shortfall payment at the end of the term. This isn’t just about losing out on savings. You’ll literally receive an invoice for the difference between your commitment and actual consumption.
Microsoft does provide some flexibility. Microsoft allows you up to 12 months to use up any unused commitment which provides a degree of flexibility. That shortfall amount typically converts to an Azure Prepayment that you can use over the next year. But here’s the catch: you need to actually use those services within that grace period, or you lose the money entirely.
Meeting your MACC delivers immediate and long-term advantages:
1. Retain Negotiated Discount Rates Meeting your MACC commitment delivers immediate and long-term financial benefits . The most obvious advantage is retaining your negotiated discount rates. Organizations can benefit from significant discounts, credits, and other financial incentives, reducing overall cloud costs. These discounts typically range from 5% to 25% or more depending on your commitment level and negotiation.
2. Cost Predictability
When you fulfill your commitment as planned, your Azure spending becomes more predictable for finance and procurement teams. No surprise shortfall invoices. No scrambling to justify additional budget allocations. Just steady, planned consumption that aligns with your operational needs.
3. Stronger Negotiating Leverage
You also maintain stronger negotiating leverage for future agreements. Organizations that consistently meet their commitments are viewed as reliable partners by Microsoft. When renewal time comes, you’re in a better position to negotiate favorable terms, larger discounts, or additional incentives because you’ve demonstrated responsible consumption management.
4. Strategic Planning Clarity
Beyond the numbers, fulfilling your MACC enables better strategic planning. You gain clarity on your actual cloud spending patterns, which helps you forecast future needs more accurately. Your IT teams can plan migrations and deployments with confidence, knowing the budget exists to support those initiatives.
5. Operational Discipline
Organizations that actively manage their MACC also develop better cloud governance practices. Regular monitoring of consumption creates discipline around resource usage, helps identify waste, and encourages rightsizing of services. These operational improvements often deliver savings that extend well beyond the initial commitment period.
Consequences of Not Fulfilling Your MACC If the total amount invoiced for eligible services is less than the agreed-upon Commitment, you receive a Shortfall Invoice for the outstanding balance. This creates several problems:
If the total amount invoiced for eligible services is less than the agreed-upon Commitment, the customer may be issued a Shortfall Invoice for the outstanding balance. This isn’t a penalty in the traditional sense, but it functions like one. You’re paying Microsoft for consumption you didn’t actually use.
The shortfall typically converts to Azure Prepayment. The amount of the Shortfall Invoice is then often applied as an Azure Prepayment that can then be used by the customer to consume further eligible Microsoft Azure services within a specified subsequent period.
2. Lost Discounts Shortfall payments usually don’t receive your negotiated discount rate. Azure Consumption Discounts do not apply to shortfalls unless a new MACC agreement with updated ACD terms is negotiated. That means you’re effectively paying full price for services you’re not consuming, which completely defeats the purpose of negotiating a MACC in the first place.
3. Organizational and Strategic Consequences Beyond the financial hit, failing to meet your MACC commitment creates internal friction. Finance teams face budget variances they didn’t anticipate. Procurement teams must explain why their forecasting was off. IT leaders lose credibility when they can’t accurately project cloud needs.
Your relationship with Microsoft suffers as well. The discount becomes very expensive. Microsoft account teams remember which organizations consistently miss their commitments. During your next renewal, you’ll likely face more scrutiny, less generous terms, or higher commitment requirements to access similar discount levels.
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How to Track Your Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC)Sign in to the Azure portal and search for Cost Management + Billing for real-time visibility:
For Enterprise Agreement customers : Navigate to Credits + Commitments, then select Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment For Microsoft Customer Agreement customers : Select Properties, then Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment The Details section displays:
Active, Completed, Expired, or Canceled status Commitment start and end dates Remaining balance since last invoice 2. Set Up Proactive Alerts Configure alerts at key thresholds:
This gives you ample time to adjust strategy before deadlines.
3. Establish Monthly Reviews Create a standing monthly review with finance, IT leadership, and procurement. Review:
Actual consumption versus forecasted usage Verification that expected purchases counted toward MACC Boost Your Business Efficiency with Intelligent AI Solutions! Partner with Kanerika for Expert AI implementation Services
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Smart Strategies to Meet Your Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) Before Year-End 1. Audit Current Status Check your exact remaining commitment balance in the Azure portal. Calculate your monthly consumption rate and project whether you’ll naturally hit your target. If there’s a gap, quantify it precisely.
2. Accelerate Planned Initiatives Move Q1 projects to December:
Migrate additional workloads from on-premises to Azure Expand development and testing environments Implement disaster recovery solutions 3. Purchase Azure Reservations Strategically Focus on services you’re already using consistently:
Calculate steady-state usage, then purchase reservations that match those patterns.
4. Explore Azure Marketplace Solutions Review technology needs your teams have been requesting:
Backup and disaster recovery tools Use the “Azure benefit eligible” filter in the Azure portal to find qualifying solutions. Engage vendors about private offers for custom pricing and terms.
5. Validate Eligibility Before Purchasing Before finalizing any significant purchase:
Confirm the Offer ID qualifies for MACC Get written confirmation from the vendor or Microsoft Capture subscription ID and private-offer terms Document everything for Finance to verify MACC decrement later Maximize Value with Azure Marketplace Understanding Marketplace Eligibility To ensure your purchase counts toward MACC:
Look for the “Azure benefit eligible” badge in Microsoft Marketplace Complete purchases through Marketplace within Azure portal Click “Get it in Azure portal” during checkout Use an Azure subscription tied to your organization’s agreement Purchases made directly on Microsoft Marketplace via credit card do not contribute to your MACC.
The Full Value Contribution All Azure benefit-eligible badged offers purchased through Azure Marketplace contribute 100% of their pretax purchase value toward your MACC. A $50,000 solution purchase moves you $50,000 closer to fulfilling your commitment while delivering functional capabilities.
Strategic Procurement Benefits Fast deployment without lengthy RFP cycles Streamlined vendor access with pre-approved suppliers Consolidated invoicing on single Microsoft bill Faster procurement without sacrificing oversight
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ECIF (End Customer Investment Funds) Covers costs for pilots, proof-of-concepts, deployment, consulting, and adoption services Reduces upfront investment for new Azure initiatives Azure Innovate Programs Provides credits for AI and analytics use cases Offsets costs while consuming MACC commitment Kanerika assesses your planned initiatives, identifies funding opportunities, and manages application processes to maximize value.
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Fabric Analyst in a Day (FAIAD) Dashboard in a Day (DIAD) for Power BI Conclusion: Take Action on Your MACC Commitment Now Your Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment represents both an obligation and an opportunity. The obligation is clear. You committed to spending a specific amount, and falling short means paying for services you didn’t use while losing negotiated discounts. That’s expensive and embarrassing.
But the opportunity is equally significant. When managed strategically, your MACC enables faster cloud transformation, better pricing on the services you need, and access to funding programs that amplify your investment. Organizations that actively manage their commitments consistently outperform those that treat MACC as an afterthought.
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