Dynamics 365 F&O support: options and cost
F&O support comes from Microsoft, a partner AMS, your own team or the Skalp AI agency. On a T&M basis it costs around €1,000 per day (2026 benchmark).
What Microsoft support covers (and what it doesn't)
According to the service description Microsoft publishes (source at the end of this article), Microsoft operates the Finance & Operations service: it deploys, monitors 24/7 and services sandbox and production environments, manages the infrastructure, platform updates, database backups and disaster recovery, and investigates incidents. Tickets are opened in Lifecycle Services (LCS). Microsoft offers three support levels: Premier, Professional Direct and the support included in the subscription.
The same page, however, places on the customer's side, working with their partner: defining, developing, testing and operating extensions, validating extensions during updates, managing ISV solutions and third-party integrations, and monitoring configuration and extension changes that cause functional or performance problems.
In other words: when your own X++ code, report or integration is the problem, Microsoft support does not fix it for you. That is where the other three options come in.
Partner AMS / TMA: how it works and how it is billed
An AMS contract hands the maintenance of your customizations to a partner or an IT services firm: incidents, small changes, sometimes version upgrades. Billing takes two forms: a monthly retainer (a volume of days or tickets) or time and materials. Benchmark observed by Skalp AI in the market (2026): around €1,000 per day for time-and-materials F&O support.
A retainer brings predictability, but you also pay for quiet months; T&M follows activity, but every day is billed whatever the outcome. Support is only one item of the total budget: see what makes up a Dynamics 365 project's cost. Both are compared in fixed AMS vs pay-per-ticket and in the Dynamics 365 AMS alternative. For why the cost drifts over time: why AMS costs so much.
In-house team
Hiring one or more X++ developers gives you full control: system knowledge stays in-house. The trade-offs are well known: scarce profiles, service continuity to organize (holidays, departures) and a fixed cost, whether the backlog is full or empty. The in-house vs outsourced X++ development comparison details the criteria.
Production support by Skalp AI
Skalp AI, an AI-powered D365 F&O agency, handles production support and development for your D365 F&O, without day-rate billing. Each ticket is specified and priced against the four object types of the "what a ticket covers" section: forms (F), reports (REP), data entities (DE) and parameters (PARAM).
- AI chat, needs qualification and design are free.
- The smart contract consumes 1 credit only when the code is generated: ≈ €400 on Basic, €200 on Pro (€2,000/month subscription per environment), ≈ €200 at best on Max (custom quote), degressive in packs.
- The fix is delivered as a pull request in Azure DevOps and approved by your CIO before merge.
Plan details are on the pricing page. If the underlying question is "do we still need a partner?", see Dynamics 365 F&O partner: do you still need one?.
Which support option should you choose?
| Criterion | Microsoft support | Partner AMS | In-house team | Skalp AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who does what | Platform, infrastructure, service incidents | Your customizations, per contract | Whatever the team masters | Developments and fixes (F, REP, DE, PARAM), delivered as PRs |
| Billing | Microsoft support plan | Monthly retainer or T&M (≈ €1,000/day, 2026 benchmark) | Salaries, fixed cost | Credit consumed when code is generated; free foundation |
| Lead time | Depends on plan and severity (see Microsoft) | Per contract | Depends on team availability | Average delivery time: 2 h on Pro and Max, 4 h on Basic |
| Code ownership | Not applicable (Microsoft code) | Per contract and repository location | Yours | Delivered into your Azure DevOps repository |
These options combine: Microsoft support remains necessary for the platform whatever you choose for the rest. If you are considering leaving your current provider, the steps are in changing your Dynamics 365 partner, and the full comparison in classic SI vs Skalp AI.
Sources
- Microsoft Learn, "Service description for finance and operations apps", updated 26 Mar 2026, accessed 8 Nov 2026.
- Microsoft Learn, "Get support for finance and operations apps or Lifecycle Services", updated 10 Mar 2026, accessed 8 Nov 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Does Microsoft support fix my X++ customizations?
No. According to Microsoft's service description, developing, testing and operating extensions is the responsibility of the customer and their partner; Microsoft operates the platform and investigates service incidents.
How much does Dynamics 365 F&O support cost on a T&M basis?
Benchmark observed by Skalp AI in the market (2026): around €1,000 per day.
Can Skalp AI support my legacy Dynamics AX?
Skalp AI works on Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations. For an AX environment, start with changing your Dynamics 365 partner and contact us to qualify the need (qualification is free).
Ready to transform your D365?
Join the CIOs who develop their D365 tickets in 2–4 h for 1 credit (≈ €400 on Basic, €200 on Pro).