STEP 1: Create a Microsoft Work Account 

• Before accessing Partner Centre, ensure you have a Microsoft work account.
• Visit https://signup.live.com
• Use your company email address to create an account
• Already have a Microsoft 365 or Azure AD account? You’re good to go 

STEP 2: Join the Microsoft Partner Network 

• Visit https://partner.microsoft.com
• Click "Become a Partner”
• Click all the boxes that are appropriate 
• Follow the prompts to:
  1. Enter your company name and country 
  2. Add business details and a primary contact 
  3. Submit your company domain and work email 
  4. After registration, you'll receive a PartnerID (formerly called MPN ID) - this is your official Microsoft partner number 
  5. Follow prompts to finalise set up

STEP 1: Sign in to Partner Centre 

• Go to https://partner.microsoft.com  
• Sign in with your work account that has the appropriate role (e.g., Partner Admin, Account Admin, or Global Admin) 

STEP 2: Click on the “My access” Tile  

STEP 3: Enter your Company Details

• Go to Organisation Profile 
• Click on Legal Info
  • Verify Your Organisation’s Legal Profile
• Complete the required fields:
  • Legal Company Name: Must match your official registration (ASIC in Australia, NZBN in New Zealand). Ensure that your company name matches exactly with ASIC (AU) or NZBN (NZ) records
  • Country/Region of Operation: Select Australia or New Zealand
  • Registered Business Address: Must be a physical, verifiable address. PO Boxes are not accepted
  • Phone Number: Must be valid and answered
  • Primary Contact: A senior staff member using a corporate email
  • Business Email: Must be from a verified domain (e.g., jane@company.com). 
    
    
• Documents Microsoft May Request (AU/NZ):
  •  Australia:
    • ASIC Company Extract or Certificate of Registration
    • https://asic.gov.au/online-services/search-asic-registers/business-names/
    • ABN Confirmation from the Australian Business Register
    • https://abr.business.gov.au/Search/Index
    • Recent utility bill or business bank statement 

• • New Zealand: 
    • NZBN registration extract
    • https://www.nzbn.govt.nz/  
    • IRD number confirmation
    • https://myir.ird.govt.nz/ 
    • Utility bill or bank statement (dated within last 90 days)
       
• Business Vetting & Verification requirements.
  • Microsoft are now enforcing business vetting and verification requirements, if this has not been done for some time you may need to follow the next step of prompts if they arise in the portal
  • This will include uploading business / domain ownership documents  
  • Physical person verification with Government issued ID including Passport or drivers’ license. 
  • Please note that if this does not match exactly to your Partner Center name this will be automatically rejected. Your name must match including any middle name or spelling and must be your legal name 
    
    
•  Set up Payout & Tax Profiles 
  • In the same My Access setting, click on the Payout and Tax Profiles Assignment
  • Ensure all your banking details are completed and state “Complete”

• Sign the Microsoft Partner Agreement
  • Before proceeding with any transactions, your organisation must review and accept the Microsoft Partner Agreement (you may see a notification banner at the top of the dashboard)
  • Review the Terms and Conditions
  • Accept electronically on behalf of your organisation
  • Only a user with Global Admin rights can accept the MPA
  • Once accepted, this step confirms your organisation’s formal registration in the Microsoft Partner Network 

Solutions Partner
for Business Applications
 

• Focus: Dynamics 365 (Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Finance, Supply Chain, etc.) 
  
  
• Qualification Criteria:
  • Performance: Net new customer adds using Dynamics 365 workloads 
    
  • Skilling: Certifications intermediate and advanced
  • Customer Success: Active usage growth in Dynamics 365 apps 

• Ideal for: Partners delivering CRM, ERP, and Power Platform solutions. 

Solutions Partner for Data
& AI (Azure)

• Focus: Azure Synapse, Cosmos DB, Azure SQL, AI/ML, and data modernization 
  
  
• Qualification Criteria: 
  
  • Performance: Net new Azure data workloads 
    
  • Skilling: Certifications intermediate and advanced 
    
  • Customer Success: Azure Consumed Revenue (ACR) growth in data service 
    
    
• Ideal for: Data engineers, AI developers, and analytics partners 

Solutions Partner for Digital & App Innovation (Azure)  

• Focus: App modernisation, cloud-native development, DevOps 
  
  
• Qualification Criteria: 
  
  • Performance: Net new Azure app workloads 
    
  • Skilling: Certifications intermediate and advanced 
    
  • Customer Success: Usage growth in Azure App Services, Functions, AKS 
    
    
• Ideal for: ISVs, app developers, and DevOps-focused partners 

Solutions Partner for Infrastructure (Azure)  

• Focus: Azure IaaS, hybrid cloud, networking, and storage 
  
  
• Qualification Criteria: 
  • Performance: Net new Azure infrastructure workloads 
  • Skilling: Certifications  intermediate and advanced 
  • Customer Success: Growth in virtual machines, networking, and storage usage 
    
    
• Ideal for: Cloud migration and infrastructure specialists 

Solutions Partner for
Modern Work

• Focus: Microsoft 365, Teams, Exchange, SharePoint, and hybrid work 

• Qualification Criteria:
  • Performance: Net new Microsoft 365 tenants
  • Skilling: Certifications intermediate and advanced
  • Customer Success: Active usage growth in Microsoft 365 workloads 

• Paths:
  • SMB Path: For partners with <$1M revenue and 80%+ SMB customers
  • Enterprise Path: For larger or mixed customer bases  

• Ideal for: Productivity, collaboration, and endpoint management partners 

Solutions Partner for Security

• Focus: Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, Entra, Purview 
  
  
• Qualification Criteria: 
  • Performance: Net new security workload deployments 
  • Skilling: Certifications intermediate and advanced 
  • Customer Success: Growth in security solution usage 
    
    
• Paths: 
  • SMB Path: Tailored for partners serving small and medium businesses 
  • Enterprise Path: For partners with larger or mixed customer bases 
    
    
• Ideal for: Cybersecurity and compliance-focused partners.

• Go to Partner Center
• Select Membership Tile
• To track your progress, choose your solution area(s) from the left navigation bar
• You must have MPN Admin role to view this page
• From this tile you can choose the designation your organisation is interested in achieving
• See your current points in all areas and in areas where you can improve your scores

Microsoft Partner Capability Score – 25-Point Option: Microsoft has introduced a more flexible route to incentive eligibility for Indirect Reseller (CSP) partners under its FY26 program: 

• Traditionally, earning a full Solutions Partner designation required a Partner Capability Score (PCS) of at least 70 points (out of 100), with at least one point in each of the three core categories: Performance, Skilling, and Customer Success partner.microsoft.com.
• Now, Indirect Reseller partners may qualify for CSP incentives by achieving a minimum of 25 capability points in a given solution area—without needing to attain a full Solutions Partner designation. This incentive is applicable to partners currently transacting $25,000 TTM USD annually and can obtain and retain the 25 points incentives.  

Running a Default Earnings Report in Partner Center 

• Sign in
  • Go to Partner Center
  • Sign in using your work account with Incentives Admin or Executive Report Viewer permissions
    
    
• Navigate to Incentives Tile 
  • Under Earnings, choose Earnings Reports
  • Use the filters for dates on the right had side of the page to select the number of months or a customised date range
  • Adjust Filters (if required)
  • Program – Select the incentive program (e.g., CSP, MCI, etc.)
  • Payment Period – Default is the most recent closed period, but you can select past months
  • Currency – Earnings are shown in the payment currency for your MPN location
  • Where it states “Download report” click the drop down to select “Earnings Default” 
    
    
•  View or Download
  • On screen – The report displays earnings broken down by program, earning type, and payment cycle
  • Download – Select Download Report (CSV/Excel) for detailed line items, which includes:
    • Customer/Tenant ID
    • Incentive type (rebates, co-op, etc.)
    • Amounts earned
    • Payment status