SAP to Adjust Maintenance Fees in 2027 – What Companies Should Consider Now
As of January 1, 2027, SAP will adjust the maintenance fees for existing support contracts. The adjustment will affect SAP Standard Support, SAP Enterprise Support, and SAP Product Support for Large Enterprises.
The amount of the adjustment will be based on the relevant local Consumer Price Index (CPI) or on the benchmark indices applicable to the respective market. SAP is capping the increase at a maximum of 5 percent.
It is important to make a distinction here: According to SAP, this is not an increase in the list prices of the support offerings, but rather an adjustment of the maintenance fees for existing contracts based on the respective contractual provisions.
Why is SAP adjusting its maintenance fees?
SAP refers to the terms and conditions of existing support contracts, which may provide for an annual adjustment of maintenance fees after the initial contract term and the first renewal period. Whether an adjustment will be made, and how high it will be, is decided annually, taking regional and local market conditions into account.
The development of the respective local Consumer Price Index generally serves as the basis for the adjustment. Depending on the market, however, other indices may also be relevant. For Germany, for example, SAP cites the index of average gross monthly earnings in the information technology services sector.
As a result, the actual adjustment may vary depending on the country and contractual structure. The upper limit for 2027 is 5 percent.
What impact could the adjustment have on companies?
Even if an increase of a few percentage points may initially seem manageable, the impact can be significant for companies with large SAP contract volumes. Particularly in extensive on-premises environments, even a small percentage increase in maintenance fees can result in noticeable additional costs.
Companies should therefore not focus solely on the announced percentage adjustment. Instead, they should review which contracts and support services are actually affected, which index is relevant under the contract, and the cost basis on which the adjustment will be calculated.
The change may also be a good opportunity to take a closer look at the existing SAP license and support portfolio. Are all existing licenses still required? Are there unused or oversized license holdings that are nevertheless generating maintenance fees? What impact will planned changes to the SAP landscape or an upcoming S/4HANA transformation have?
Especially when planning budgets and contracts over the long term, companies should take the potential additional costs for 2027 into account at an early stage.
What should SAP customers do now?
Companies should review their existing SAP support contracts and the price adjustment mechanisms contained in them, quantify the potential cost increase for 2027, and assess its impact on upcoming budgets.
In addition, the adjustment provides a good opportunity to compare the existing license inventory with actual usage and future requirements. This makes it possible to determine whether rising maintenance costs simply need to be budgeted for or whether there are also opportunities to optimize the SAP license portfolio.
Keep an Early Eye on License and Contract Changes
Changes to prices, licensing models, support conditions, and contractual provisions have become part of everyday life in software asset management. It is therefore becoming increasingly important for companies to identify relevant developments at strategic software vendors at an early stage and assess their specific impact on their own portfolios.
This is precisely where the Vendor Observer Competence Center (VOCC) of VOICE – Bundesverband der IT-Anwender e. V. comes in. At the VOCC, we continuously monitor and analyze relevant developments at major software and cloud providers and assess them from the user’s perspective. You can find further information here.
If you need additional support in assessing the individual impact on your SAP contracts, license holdings, and costs, please do not hesitate to contact us. Together, we can analyze your specific contractual situation, identify potential financial and licensing-related implications, and highlight possible courses of action and optimization opportunities.