Dynamics GP to Business Central Migration: Cost, Timeline and What Moves

Short answer: Microsoft ends Dynamics GP support on December 31, 2029, and security patches on April 30, 2031. Most GP customers are moving to Dynamics 365 Business Central, because Microsoft provides a migration tool that carries GP’s chart of accounts, customers, vendors, items and open balances across. Business Central lists at USD 80 per user per month for Essentials. Implementation is the bigger cost: one industry guide puts it at one to three times the annual license for mid-market systems. The cost section below shows what that means for 30 users.

Last updated: 12 November 2026. Microsoft dates and prices checked on Microsoft’s own pages on that date.

If you run Dynamics GP, the question is no longer whether to move but when, and to what. This guide covers the deadlines, what Microsoft’s migration tool actually moves, what it leaves for you to handle, what the move costs, and what to check before you sign a proposal.

In this guide: GP deadlines · What the migration tool moves · What it leaves behind · What it costs · How to plan the switch · FAQ

When does Dynamics GP support end?

Date	What ends
December 31, 2029	Product enhancements, regulatory and tax updates, and technical support
April 30, 2031	Security updates and patches, if needed

GP will keep running after 2029. What stops is Microsoft’s help with it. For a finance system, the loss of tax and regulatory updates is the part that matters, because year-end forms and tax rules keep changing whether or not your software does. Working back from that date, and allowing for a project, testing and a clean year-end cutover, most GP customers need to decide well before 2029.

Why Business Central is the usual destination

Business Central is Microsoft’s cloud ERP for small and mid-sized businesses, and Microsoft built its GP migration tool specifically to move GP data into Business Central online. It is not the only option: some GP customers replace it with NetSuite or another ERP. Either way it is a replacement, not an upgrade, so processes, reports and add-ons are rebuilt rather than carried over. Our guide to choosing an ERP migration strategy explains how replacement differs from the other routes.

What Microsoft’s migration tool moves

According to Microsoft’s documentation, the cloud migration from GP to Business Central online carries the following (Microsoft Learn):

Area	What moves
General ledger	Fiscal periods become accounting periods. The main account segment becomes the account number, and the other segments become dimensions. Summary transactions move for the open year and the historical years you choose.
Receivables	Customers (all or only active), their addresses and posting accounts, and outstanding transactions at the amount still owed
Payables	Vendors (all or only active), their addresses, posting accounts and EFT bank details, outstanding transactions and open purchase orders
Inventory	Items, the cost valuation method, locations, quantity on hand, and serial and lot tracking
Bank	Checkbooks and unreconciled bank transactions
History (optional)	A historical snapshot of GL, receivables, payables, sales order, purchase receipt and inventory detail, stored in separate tables for reporting

The chart of accounts is the decision to get right first. Because GP’s extra account segments become Business Central dimensions, the way your segments map decides how every report in the new system is built.

What it leaves behind

• Undeposited receipts. Microsoft says these are not migrated, so post and deposit cash receipts in GP before you run the migration.
• Fully received and invoiced purchase order lines. Only open purchasing carries across.
• Unit of measure schedules. Business Central does not have them, so units of measure need to be set up in its own way.
• Older years. Summary transactions before the oldest historical year you choose are not migrated. Historical years arrive open and must be closed in Business Central.
• 1099 history before 2024. Microsoft lists 2024 as the first supported year for migrating 1099 information.
• Customizations, add-ons and reports. These are not part of the data migration. Each one has to be replaced with a Business Central feature, an app or new development, or retired.

What does a GP to Business Central migration cost?

There are two main lines: the Business Central subscription and the implementation project.

Business Central plan	List price
Essentials	USD 80 per user per month, paid yearly
Premium	USD 110 per user per month, paid yearly
Team Members	USD 8 per user per month, paid yearly

Microsoft also runs a promotion for on-premises customers moving to the cloud. Microsoft partners report that Bridge to the Cloud 3 gives eligible customers 30 percent off Dynamics 365 cloud licenses for a three-year term, runs from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027, and applies to perpetual licenses bought before September 1, 2024 with a current Enhancement Plan (GRAVOC; Clients First). Terms are set by Microsoft and depend on your licensing, so confirm eligibility with your licensing partner before you count it.

Implementation usually costs more than the first year of licenses. ERP Research puts mid-market implementation at one to three times the annual software license (ERP Research). For illustration only, here is what those published figures mean for 30 Essentials users:

Item	Amount (USD)	Basis
Annual license: 30 users x 80 x 12	28,800 a year	Microsoft list price
Annual license with a 30 percent promotional discount, if eligible	20,160 a year	Partner-reported Bridge to the Cloud 3 terms
Implementation at 1 to 3 times the annual license	28,800 to 86,400 once	ERP Research range, applied to the list price

Where you land in that range depends on how many companies and currencies you run, how many add-ons and customizations need replacing, how many integrations connect to GP, and how much history you bring. The illustration leaves out taxes, apps, internal staff time and the months you keep GP running alongside. Our ERP cloud migration cost guide shows how to build a full budget with those lines included.

How to plan the switch

1. List what you run on GP. Companies, modules, add-ons, customizations, integrations and the reports people actually use.
2. Decide the chart of accounts and dimensions. Map your GP segments before anything else, because every report depends on it.
3. Decide how much history to bring. Choose the oldest historical year, whether to take the historical snapshot, and where older records will be kept for audit.
4. Clean up GP first. Deposit receipts, close what can be closed, and decide whether inactive customers, vendors and items should move at all.
5. Replace each add-on and report. For each one, choose a Business Central feature, an app, new development or retirement.
6. Run test migrations and reconcile them. Check balances, open items and inventory against GP until they match.
7. Cut over after a period close. Choose a month or year end, and keep GP available for reference while the first closes run in Business Central.

Before you compare migration quotes

Check that each proposal states the number of companies, users and integrations it covers; how GP segments will map to dimensions; how many years of history move and how; which add-ons and reports are replaced, and how; how many test migrations and reconciliations are included; and who supports the first month-end and year-end close in Business Central.

Frequently asked questions

When does Dynamics GP support end?

Microsoft ends product enhancements, regulatory and tax updates, and technical support on December 31, 2029. Security patches, if needed, continue until April 30, 2031.

Can we keep using GP after 2029?

The software will keep running, but without tax and regulatory updates or Microsoft support, and without security patches after April 2031. For a finance system, that usually makes staying on GP a short-term option rather than a plan.

Do we have to move to Business Central?

No. Business Central is the most common destination because Microsoft provides a migration tool for it, but some GP customers move to NetSuite or another ERP. Whichever you choose, it is a new implementation rather than an upgrade.

Does all our GP history move to Business Central?

Not automatically. The migration tool moves summary GL transactions for the years you choose, plus open balances, and can add a historical snapshot of detailed transactions for reporting. Years older than the one you choose are not migrated, so plan where those records will be kept.

How much does a GP to Business Central migration cost?

Business Central Essentials lists at USD 80 per user per month, paid yearly. Implementation is usually the larger cost: applying ERP Research’s range of one to three times the annual license, 30 Essentials users would mean roughly USD 28,800 to 86,400 for the project. Add-ons, integrations, history and the number of companies decide where you land.

Making the right call on your GP migration

The 2029 date sets the deadline, but your year-end calendar sets the real window. Map the chart of accounts, decide the history, replace each add-on on purpose, and cut over after a clean close. Done in that order, the move leaves you with a system that is easier to run than the one you left.

Appson Technologies works on ERP migrations: scoping, data migration, the integrations around the ERP, testing and go-live support. Tell us how you use GP today, the companies and add-ons involved and when you want to switch, and we will tell you how we would approach the move and what our proposal would cover. Discuss your ERP project.