Contents
Key takeawaysECC support after 2027Extended maintenance pricingWhat third party coversIndemnity and audit termsFive year cost exampleWhat we have seenWhat SAP will sayWhich path fitsWhat to do nextFAQExtended maintenance keeps SAP support on ECC from 2028 to 2030 for two points more than the 22 percent base. Third party support costs about half the base but drops new releases and SAP patches. Your S/4HANA date should decide between them.
- Mainstream ends in 2027. SAP mainstream maintenance for ECC runs to the end of 2027, with optional extended maintenance from 2028 to 2030.
- Extended costs a premium. SAP adds two percentage points to the 22 percent base fee, about 9 percent more per year.
- Third party costs about half. Provider quotes typically land around half of the SAP fee for the same system.
- Scope is narrower. Providers cover fixes, tax and regulatory updates and custom code, but not new SAP releases or SAP Notes.
- The contracts differ. SAP audit rights stay with your license, and cover for the provider's fixes depends on the indemnity you negotiate.
- Price is half the decision. Tie the choice to your migration date, and use each path to negotiate the other.
What happens to SAP ECC support after 2027?
SAP mainstream maintenance for SAP Business Suite 7, which includes ECC, ends on December 31, 2027. From 2028 to 2030 you can buy extended maintenance at a premium. After that, or from 2028 if you do not buy it, ECC falls into customer specific maintenance.
Mainstream maintenance to the end of 2027
Until the end of 2027, ECC stays on your current SAP support contract at the usual base fee. The commitment covers ECC 6.0 on the latest three enhancement packages, 6, 7 and 8. SAP documents the dates on its release and maintenance pages.
A system on an older enhancement package is not covered by these dates. Mainstream maintenance for ECC 6.0 on enhancement packages 0 to 5 already ended on December 31, 2025, with no extended option, so check each production system first.
Extended maintenance from 2028 to 2030
SAP set out the commitment in 2020 for Business Suite 7 and S/4HANA on its official news channel. Extended maintenance runs to the end of 2030 at close to mainstream scope. It is optional and needs a separate agreement with SAP, so settle it well before your 2027 support term closes.
What happens once the window closes
Once extended maintenance ends, you can run on S/4HANA, hold ECC on third party support, or carry a system with no meaningful support. Customer specific maintenance fixes known problems but brings no new legal changes, so it does not work for payroll or statutory reporting.
Only the first two paths hold up for production ERP. Our SAP 2027 ECC end of maintenance strategy covers the deadline and S/4HANA sequencing in full.
The 2027 Clock, and Whose It Is
How does SAP extended maintenance pricing work?
Extended maintenance is priced as a premium on top of your existing support rate. SAP's published premium is two percentage points on the maintenance basis, for all support offerings, charged for the years you take it.
The base fee
Most ECC customers pay SAP Enterprise Support at 22 percent of net license value per year. The commercial terms sit in your order forms and the SAP software agreements, together with the annual price adjustment clause that raises the fee over time.
The premium
Two points on a 22 percent rate takes the fee to 24 percent, about 9 percent more per year. The figure on your own quote depends on the contract and the negotiation, so check what SAP applied the premium to.
| Dimension | SAP support to 2027 | SAP extended maintenance | Third party support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | 22 percent base | Base plus premium | Around half of base |
| New SAP releases | Included | Limited | Not included |
| SAP Notes and support packages | Included | Included | Not included; provider writes its own fixes |
| Tax and legal updates | Included | Included | Included, from the provider |
| Custom code support | Limited | Limited | Typically broad |
| Audit and indemnity terms | SAP terms | SAP terms | Provider terms for support; SAP license terms still apply |
| Runs past 2030 | No | No | Yes, for the contract term |
SAP RISE Negotiation Guide
Pricing benchmarks and contract terms for ECC customers planning their S/4HANA move.
Get the white paper →What does third party support actually cover?
Third party support replaces your SAP support contract with a provider contract for the same system. The provider fixes what breaks, delivers tax and statutory changes and supports your custom code, but it cannot give you anything SAP has not yet written.
What is covered
- Break fix. Defect resolution on the release you run today.
- Tax and regulatory updates. Statutory and compliance changes for the countries in your contract, delivered by the provider rather than as SAP legal change packages.
- Custom code. Support that often goes well beyond SAP's scope, useful for older ECC systems with heavy customization.
- Security fixes. Provider written fixes and mitigations in place of SAP security notes.
What is not covered
- New SAP releases. Upgrades and new functionality are out of scope.
- SAP patches. Access to new SAP Notes, support packages and the SAP support portal generally stops on the end date.
- Future S/4HANA rights. These become a separate commercial conversation with SAP.
Before you sign, check every country where you run payroll or statutory reporting against the provider's tax and legal country list.
How do indemnity and audit terms differ between the two paths?
Under extended maintenance nothing changes, because SAP's license and support terms keep applying. Under third party support you add a second contract, and your protection depends on how that contract is written.
Indemnity under each path
SAP's indemnity covers SAP software and the corrections SAP delivers. Fixes written by a third party provider are not SAP code, so SAP's indemnity will not reach them. Ask the provider to indemnify its own deliverables and the methods it uses to support your system, with a liability cap sized to your support fees.
Audit exposure after you leave SAP support
SAP's audit rights come from the license agreement, which stays in force after support ends, so expect USMM and LAW measurement requests to continue. Run your own measurement before you serve notice. Our SAP audit survival guide covers the measurement during a support transition.
- Choice of provider. SAP's commitments, effective July 10, 2026 for 10 years after a European Commission decision, confirm you can choose SAP support, another provider or no maintenance.
- Reinstatement fee. SAP waives it for customers who return to SAP maintenance.
- Back maintenance. Capped at the lower of 50 percent of the fees for the time off support, or six months of fees.
- Partial termination. Licenses for products in customer specific maintenance can be terminated on three months written notice.
- Installation splits. You can split your systems into separate Commercial Installations and support each one differently. SAP processes a request within six months, and the split takes effect at the start of the next quarter.
How do the costs compare over a five year hold?
The gap grows every year you hold ECC. Take a hypothetical company with an $8,000,000 maintenance basis on Enterprise Support at 22 percent. It pays $1,760,000 a year now, $1,920,000 under extended maintenance at 24 percent, or $880,000 with a provider at half the base.
| Year | SAP path | Third party path | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | $1,760,000 (mainstream) | $880,000 | $880,000 |
| 2028 to 2030, each year | $1,920,000 (extended) | $880,000 | $1,040,000 |
| Four years | $7,520,000 | $3,520,000 | $4,000,000 |
| 2031 | No extended option: S/4HANA or customer specific maintenance | $880,000 | Depends on the S/4HANA deal |
The SAP path
Base support followed by extended maintenance is the most expensive route over a multi year ECC hold. The premium alone adds $480,000 over the three extended years. If your quote carries 4 points instead of 2, the annual fee rises to $2,080,000.
The third party path
A provider rate around half the base gives the lowest annual line, without new SAP releases or patches. Across the discount range we saw in quotes, the yearly figure would land between $704,000 and $968,000. SAP's annual price adjustment, left out of the table, widens the gap.
What have we seen in SAP support reviews in 2024 and 2025?
We ran roughly 25 to 35 SAP support and maintenance reviews between 2024 and 2025. Renewing SAP support unchanged was rarely the cheapest sensible option, and third party support was rarely as risky as SAP described it.
- Quotes. Third party support quotes came in 45 to 60 percent below the SAP support line for the same ECC system, with a median saving of 52 percent against the base.
- Premiums. Extended maintenance quotes added 2 to 4 percentage points on top of the 22 percent base, before any negotiated relief.
- Negotiating effect. Naming a credible third party alternative improved the SAP renewal offer in 6 to 8 out of 10 cases, even when the customer stayed with SAP.
Why we reject the claim that third party support strands you
The usual SAP account team line is that third party support is risky, leaves you on old code and closes the road to S/4HANA. We think that overstates it. In roughly six to eight out of ten reviews we ran, third party support was a sound option for a multi year hold on a stable ECC system.
Price both paths, fix a realistic migration date and judge the risk against that date, instead of taking the fear case at face value.
Extended maintenance and third party support are two priced options on the same timeline, and a credible version of one is the best negotiating point you have on the other.
What will the SAP account team say, and how should you answer?
Expect the same few arguments in every ECC support conversation.
- "Third party support leaves you exposed on security." Count the SAP security notes you actually applied in the last 12 months, then ask the provider how it covered the same issues.
- "Coming back to SAP will be expensive." Point to the July 2026 commitments: no reinstatement fee, and back maintenance capped at six months of fees at most.
- "You lose your S/4HANA conversion options." Ask SAP to name in writing which conversion terms depend on active support.
- "Extended maintenance is only two points." It still raises the bill every year for a system that changes less each year. Ask for the premium to be waived or credited against a committed S/4HANA date.
Contract wording to ask for
- Premium basis. Two points on the current maintenance basis, with the base itself unchanged at the switch.
- Price hold. A cap on annual price adjustments for 2028 to 2030, since you are paying more for a release that no longer changes.
- Provider indemnity. Cover for the provider's fixes and methods, with a named liability cap.
- Country list and service levels. Tax and legal updates for every payroll country, with response times by severity.
- Fixed provider price. A flat or capped rate for the term, plus exit assistance if you return to SAP.
Which path fits your migration date and system?
The migration date decides most of it. Extended maintenance is worth the premium when S/4HANA go live falls inside 2028 to 2030. Third party support usually wins when the hold runs past 2030 or the date is not yet set.
Staying with SAP costs the most but changes the least and keeps the full SAP relationship intact. Third party support costs the least, ends new releases and adds a provider relationship you have to manage.
Mixing the two across systems
With several ECC systems, the July 2026 installation splits let you keep SAP extended maintenance on the system you convert first and put the others with a provider until they are retired or converted. For a single system the choice is all or nothing.
A split can take six months to process, so file the request in time for it to take effect before January 1, 2028.
How to check your own position
- Release level. System, then Status, shows the SAP_APPL release and so the enhancement package.
- Maintenance basis. Support invoices and order forms give the net license value every quote is priced against.
- Installations. SAP for Me lists your installations and support contracts, which you need before any split.
- License position. Run USMM and LAW yourself before you give notice.
The mistake that costs the most
Letting extended maintenance lapse by default puts ECC into customer specific maintenance, which fixes known problems only and brings no legal updates. Decide before the notice date in your support schedule, whichever path you choose.
Further reading: SAP support and maintenance negotiation for the SAP renewal, SAP S/4HANA licensing for the FUE metric, digital access and RISE against on premises, and our comparison of SAP third party providers.
What to do next
- Now. Confirm the enhancement package and maintenance end date for each production system, and pull your SAP support line and the net license value behind it.
- 12 months before term end. Request third party quotes for the same systems and scope, and map the scope you would lose.
- In the same quarter. Set a realistic S/4HANA migration date and model the five year cost of each path against it.
- 6 months before term end. Put the priced alternative in front of SAP and ask for relief on the premium and the base.
- Before the notice date. Decide, archive your SAP entitlements if you are leaving, and serve notice in writing.
- At any point. Talk to our independent SAP advisory practice before you commit to a path.
Frequently asked questions
When does SAP ECC mainstream maintenance end?
On December 31, 2027, for SAP Business Suite 7, which includes ECC 6.0 on enhancement packages 6, 7 and 8. After that you can buy extended maintenance, migrate to S/4HANA, or move the system to third party support.
How much does SAP extended maintenance cost?
SAP adds two percentage points to your support rate for 2028 to 2030, so 22 percent becomes 24 percent. On a $5,000,000 maintenance basis that is $100,000 more a year. Ask SAP to show the basis it applied the premium to.
How much cheaper is third party support?
Around half of the SAP fee is typical. Across the reviews we ran in 2024 and 2025, quotes came in 45 to 60 percent below SAP's line for the same ECC system, and the gap grows if the provider holds its price.
What does third party support not cover?
New SAP releases, new SAP Notes and support packages, SAP support portal access and any right to S/4HANA. Download what you are entitled to before your SAP contract ends, because you cannot retrieve it afterward.
Does third party support burn the bridge to S/4HANA?
Not by itself. Leaving SAP support pauses the relationship but does not forfeit the licenses you own. A future S/4HANA purchase is a separate commercial conversation, and many companies use third party support as a set hold while that case matures.
Is extended maintenance worth the premium?
It is when your S/4HANA go live lands between 2028 and 2030 and you want SAP patches through cutover. It usually is not when the hold runs past 2030, because extended maintenance ends then and you face the same decision again.
Can naming third party support help the SAP renewal?
Yes, when the alternative is real. In 6 to 8 of 10 cases we saw, a priced provider quote improved SAP's offer, even when the customer stayed. A quote SAP believes you would sign counts for more than a verbal mention.
Can you go back to SAP support after using a third party provider?
Yes. Since July 10, 2026, SAP waives the reinstatement fee and caps back maintenance at the lower of half the fees for the time away or six months of fees. Budget for that cap when you set the length of the hold.
What is the biggest mistake buyers make here?
Choosing on the annual rate alone. A cheap year means little if the migration slips past 2030 or a payroll country is missing from the provider's tax coverage. Model five years of cost, lost scope and a realistic go live date first.