The Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) is the digital agreement between Microsoft and an end customer that governs the customer's use of Microsoft products and services. In the CSP program, a customer must accept the MCA before a partner can place orders on their behalf.

Key Takeaways

The MCA governs the customer's use of Microsoft products.
A customer must accept it before a partner can transact for them.
It is specific to the customer's region, language, and customer type.
Acceptance is confirmed by partner attestation or customer direct acceptance.

How the MCA works

Before ordering on a customer's behalf, the partner confirms the customer has accepted the applicable MCA. This happens in one of two ways: the partner attests to the customer's acceptance, or the customer accepts the agreement directly in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. Without a valid MCA in place, purchases and certain subscription changes cannot be completed.

Why it matters for Microsoft CSPs

The MCA is a transaction prerequisite. If it is missing or out of date, the partner is blocked from purchasing or changing that customer's subscriptions, which stalls both onboarding and ongoing management. Keeping MCA acceptance current is a compliance step that keeps billing and provisioning moving.

How Work 365 supports this

Work 365 keeps customer and account context visible alongside billing, so partners can see which customers are ready to transact. See the CSP Billing Platform.

Related terms: MCA Attestation, CSP, NCE, Microsoft Partner Center.

Related Work 365 Resources

Blog: NCE, MCA, EST: Why Your CSP Platform Must Evolve Faster
Blog: Microsoft Customer Attestation Enforcement: Partner Impact and Recommended Actions
Blog: CSP Changes: Azure Plan, Customer Agreements, and Billing

FAQ

What does MCA stand for?
Microsoft Customer Agreement.

Why does the MCA matter in CSP?
A customer must accept it before a partner can place or change orders on their behalf.

How is the MCA accepted?
Through partner attestation or customer direct acceptance in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

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