check before: 2026-04-20
Product:
Copilot, Copilot Chat, Entra, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft 365 suite, SharePoint
Platform:
Online, World tenant
Status:
Change type:
New feature, User impact, Admin impact
Links:
Details:
Summary:
Starting April 20, 2026, Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat will support using prepaid Copilot Credits without Pay-As-You-Go billing. Administrators can create Copilot Credit Policies to allocate credits by department or group, managing usage from a shared prepaid pool with no automatic policy changes or impact on end users.
Details:
[Introduction]
We are introducing support for standalone capacity pack usage for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, enabling organizations to consume prepaid Copilot Credits without requiring Pay‑As‑You‑Go (PAYG) billing. With this update, administrators will be able to create Copilot Credit Policies to allocate prepaid Copilot Credits to specific departments or user groups, enabling departmental billing scenarios and policy‑based management of Copilot capacity from a shared pool of prepaid credits.
[When this will happen]
General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin on April 20, 2026, and is expected to complete by early May 2026.
Change Category:
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Scope:
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Release Phase:
Created:
2026-04-14
updated:
2026-04-14
Task Type
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Docu to Check
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MS How does it affect me
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MS Preperations
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MS Urgency
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MS workload name
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summary for non-techies**
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Direct effects for Operations**
Prepaid Copilot Credits Management
Without proper preparation, administrators may face challenges in managing the allocation of prepaid Copilot Credits, leading to potential overuse or underuse of credits by departments, which can disrupt departmental operations.
- roles: Microsoft 365 Tenant Administrators, Department Managers
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/copilot/pay-as-you-go/copilot-capacity-packs
User Experience with Copilot Chat
If no policies are created prior to the rollout, users may experience inconsistent access to Copilot features, as usage will not be scoped, potentially leading to confusion and dissatisfaction among users.
- roles: End Users, Support Staff
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/copilot/pay-as-you-go/copilot-capacity-packs
Configutation Options**
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explanation for non-techies**
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** AI generated content. This information must be reviewed before use.
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