Extended Security Updates Cost Calculator
What it costs to keep Windows Server 2016, SQL Server 2016 or Windows 10 on Extended Security Updates for one, two or three years — Azure Arc monthly per core, volume licensing at 75 / 100 / 125% of the current license list price, the Azure-hosted path, and the upgrade or migration that ends the ESU line — side by side, per year and in total. Windows Server 2012 / R2 gets the honest answer: there is no further year to buy.
01 Product
Which end-of-support product are you keeping past its date?
02 Physical cores and years
Physical cores across the servers you will keep on Windows Server 2016. A 16-core minimum per server applies.
03 Rates
Enter Microsoft’s current per-core monthly rate (see Azure Arc ESU pricing). The same list price applies to the Azure VM path. Nothing is priced on those paths until you do.
04 Path
Highlight one path in the table, or compare them all.
| ESU year | Azure Arc ESU | Volume-licensing ESU | Azure VM or Azure Local | Upgrade or migrate instead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 Jan 2027 – Jan 2028 | enter rate | $882 | enter rate | — |
| Year 2 Jan 2028 – Jan 2029 | enter rate | $1,176 | enter rate | — |
| Year 3 Jan 2029 – Jan 2030 | enter rate | $1,470 | enter rate | — |
| Total, 3 years | enter rate | $3,528 | enter rate | quoted separately |
Azure Arc ESU
Monthly, per core, on your Azure subscription16 cores × 12 months × your per-core monthly rate. Requires the Azure Connected Machine agent (1.62 or later for 2016) and active Software Assurance or a Server Subscription. Billing starts 13 January 2027 and is back-billed to that date for late enrolments; moving from volume licensing to Arc is not supported for 2016.
Volume-licensing ESU
Annual, per 2-core pack, through your licensing agreement8 × 2-core packs × $147 × 75% / 100% / 125%. Annual keys through volume licensing, priced against the current Windows Server 2025 license. Software Assurance or a Server Subscription is required; SPLA is not available for 2016 ESU.
Azure VM or Azure Local
Monthly, on your Azure subscription, plus Azure compute16 cores × 12 months × the same per-core rate as Arc. Since 1 April 2026 new ESU offerings carry the same list price in Azure as anywhere else, so a 2016 server in Azure is not at no additional charge. ESU is billed to the Azure subscription; the VM's compute, storage and networking are separate Azure meters and are your cost.
Upgrade or migrate instead
—No ESU cost — project work quoted separately. An in-place upgrade to Windows Server 2025 (direct from 2016), a rebuild on new hardware, or a move to Azure with a supported operating system — the server stays supported without ESU.
Four inputs, three example scenarios.
Quick start
- Pick the product, edition and segment — the base license price fills in from the live catalog.
- Enter physical cores (or Windows 10 devices) and the years you intend to stay on ESU.
- Type Microsoft’s current Azure Arc per-core monthly rate or Windows 10 per-device rate — nothing is pre-filled, so nothing is priced until you do.
- Read the per-year rows and totals, highlight one path, then copy the summary or the link.
What this does not include:
- Azure compute, storage and networking for Azure VM, Azure Local, Windows 365 or AVD paths.
- Azure Arc management costs beyond the ESU meter (Defender, Monitor, Update Manager add-ons).
- Labour — enrolment, Arc onboarding, patch validation, migration or upgrade project work.
- Software Assurance or Server Subscription, where the channel requires it.
Example scenarios
01Windows Server 2016 Standard, 32 cores, 2 years
Two 16-core hosts kept to January 2029. Compare Arc monthly against volume licensing at 75% then 100% of the Windows Server 2025 Standard price.
Load this scenario →SQL Server 2016 Standard, 8 cores, 1 year
One instance bridged to July 2027 while the vendor certifies a newer version. Four 2-core packs at 75% of the SQL Server 2025 Standard price versus the Arc meter.
Load this scenario →Windows 10, 60 devices, 3 years
A fleet that fails the Windows 11 hardware check. Commercial ESU doubling each year against the Intune-managed SKU, Windows 365 at $0 ESU, and the consumer route that stops in 2027.
Load this scenario →Every figure, where it comes from, and when it was checked.
| ID | Assumption | Value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | Volume-licensing ESU is priced as a share of the current license list price: year 1 = 75%, year 2 = 100%, year 3 = 125%. Years are cumulative — enrolling in year 2 means buying year 1 as well. | 75% / 100% / 125% | Pattern from Microsoft's ESU pricing plans page (microsoft.com/windows-server/extended-security-updates), which the Windows Server ESU overview on the MicrosoftDocs mirror (windowsserverdocs, extended-security-updates-overview.md) and the SQL Server ESU FAQ both point to for pricing; the overview itself does not restate the percentages. The SQL Server 2016 article on this site (2026-09-06) records year 1 at approximately 75% of the license cost. | 2026-09-13 |
| R2 | The base for R1 is the current license list price from this site's catalog — Windows Server 2025 Standard or Datacenter 2-core pack, SQL Server 2025 Standard or Enterprise 2-core pack — one-time, for the segment selected. No base price is typed into this tool. | live catalog | src/generated/software-catalog.json via wsPriceMatrix() and sqlPrices() — the same source as /software and the two licensing calculators. | 2026-09-13 |
| R3 | Windows Server ESU is licensed per physical core with a 16-core minimum per server; SQL Server ESU per core with a 4-core minimum per instance. Volume-licensing ESU is sold in 2-core packs, so packs = licensed cores ÷ 2. | 16 cores / 4 cores | Windows Server 2016 article on this site (2026-09-06): 'per core, minimum 16 physical or 8 virtual cores'. SQL Server ESU through Azure Arc (MicrosoftDocs mirror, sql-docs): 'The minimum is four cores.' | 2026-09-13 |
| R4 | Azure Arc ESU is billed monthly per core to your Azure subscription. The calculator multiplies the per-core monthly rate you enter by licensed cores and 12 months for each year. No Arc rate is built in, and a flat rate is applied to every year you select. | input · monthly | Azure Arc ESU billing (MicrosoftDocs mirror, azure-management-docs, billing-extended-security-updates.md): 'Billing is monthly.' Microsoft's per-core rates are published on the Azure Arc pricing page, which could not be reached from this build, so the rate stays an input. | 2026-09-13 |
| R5 | Arc ESU licenses provisioned after the end-of-support date are back-billed to that date and back-billing is not waived. Windows Server 2016 Arc billing starts 13 January 2027; portal configuration opened 3 August 2026. Deactivated licenses keep billing for up to five days. | back-billed | Azure Arc ESU billing (MicrosoftDocs mirror): 'Licenses or extra cores provisioned after End of Support are subject to a one-time back-billing charge.' Windows Server 2016 article on this site (2026-09-06). | 2026-09-13 |
| R6 | Windows Server 2012 / 2012 R2 ESU on Azure VMs, Azure Local and Azure Stack is at no additional charge above the VM cost and ends on the same day as everywhere else, 13 October 2026. There is no fourth ESU year to price. | $0 ESU · ends 13 Oct 2026 | Windows Server ESU overview (MicrosoftDocs mirror): 'There's no extra charge for Extended Security Updates on top of an Azure VM's cost'; ESU duration table, both rows 'October 13, 2026'. content/deadlines.json windows-server-2012-r2-esu-end. | 2026-09-13 |
| R7 | From 1 April 2026 new ESU offerings — Windows Server 2016 and SQL Server 2016 among them — carry the same list price in Azure, on-premises and other clouds. An Azure-hosted 2016 server is therefore not at no additional charge; the calculator applies the per-core rate you enter for Arc to the Azure VM path as well, and Azure compute stays your cost. | same list price | Azure Local ESU benefits (MicrosoftDocs mirror, azure-stack-docs, azure-benefits-esu.md): 'Beginning April 1, 2026, Microsoft introduced a standardized pricing approach ... same list price regardless of deployment location'. SQL Server ESU (sql-docs mirror, sql-server-extended-security-updates.md): moving a SQL Server 2016 workload to an Azure VM no longer entitles it to ESU at no additional charge. Windows Server 2016 article on this site (2026-09-06). | 2026-09-13 |
| R8 | Windows 10 commercial ESU is per device, per year, cumulative, and the list price doubles each year. The year-1 per-device rate is an input — Microsoft's figure could not be verified from this build, so nothing is pre-filled. Education pricing differs; enter the rate for your segment. | input · ×2 each year | Windows 10 ESU article on this site (2026-09-06): 'licensed per device, per year', 'the years are cumulative', 'the price rises at each renewal'. The doubling pattern is Microsoft's published programme design (Windows IT Pro Blog announcement, December 2023); confirm the current list price and SKU with your quote. | 2026-09-13 |
| R9 | Devices managed in Intune or Windows Autopatch use the cloud-assigned ESU license, which Microsoft prices below the key-based one (input; the same doubling is applied). Windows 10 22H2 session hosts in Azure Virtual Desktop, and devices connecting to a Windows 365 Cloud PC, are entitled to ESU at no additional charge while that subscription is active. | input / $0 ESU | Windows 10 ESU article on this site (2026-09-06): cloud-managed license assignment; 'session hosts in Azure Virtual Desktop ESU automatically'; Windows 365 entitlement 'while that subscription is active'. | 2026-09-13 |
| R10 | Consumer Windows 10 ESU is a single enrolment for personal devices covering to 12 October 2027 — $30 one-time plus tax, or no additional charge with Windows Backup or 1,000 Rewards points. It excludes domain-joined, Entra-joined, MDM-enrolled and kiosk devices, and there is no consumer year 3. | $30 one-time · to 12 Oct 2027 | Windows 10 ESU article on this site (2026-09-06). content/deadlines.json windows-10-esu-year-2-end. | 2026-09-13 |
| R11 | ESU delivers security updates rated Critical and Important (SQL Server: Critical only) — no new features, non-security fixes or technical support. Every ESU figure here is Microsoft's charge on your Azure subscription or licensing agreement; IT Partner's service fees are quoted separately. | scope | Windows Server ESU overview (MicrosoftDocs mirror): 'security updates and bulletins rated critical and important'. SQL Server ESU FAQ (sql-docs mirror): 'only Critical Security Updates'. | 2026-09-13 |
The dates this calculator uses
Windows Server 2012 / 2012 R2 Extended Security Updates end
The third and final year of Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 ends; no further security updates will be produced at any price, including for VMs running in Azure.
SQL Server 2016 extended support ended
SQL Server 2016 reached the end of extended support and stopped receiving regular security updates.
Windows Server 2016 end of extended support
Windows Server 2016 reaches the end of its ten-year lifecycle and stops receiving security updates and technical support; servers keep running but are unpatched.
SQL Server 2014 Extended Security Updates end
The final year of Extended Security Updates for SQL Server 2014 ends; no further security updates are produced.
Windows 10 ESU year 2 ends (consumer and commercial)
The second year of Windows 10 Extended Security Updates ends. This is also the end of the consumer ESU programme, which Microsoft quietly extended by a year in June 2026.
Windows 10 commercial ESU year 3 ends
The third and final year of paid Windows 10 Extended Security Updates ends; no further Windows 10 security updates are produced.
SQL Server 2016 Extended Security Updates end
The three-year Extended Security Updates window for SQL Server 2016 closes and no further critical security updates are produced.
Sources and check dates for every entry are on the Microsoft deadlines page →
The long-form guides
- Windows Server 2012 / 2012 R2 — ESU year 3 — the last — ends 13 October 2026. There is no year 4, on-premises or in Azure.
- Windows Server 2016 — End of support 12 January 2027; ESU years 1–3 run January 2027 to January 2030.
- SQL Server 2016 — End of support 14 July 2026; ESU years 1–3 run July 2026 to July 2029.
- Windows 10 (commercial ESU) — End of support 14 October 2025; commercial ESU year 1 ends 13 October 2026, year 2 on 12 October 2027, year 3 on 10 October 2028.
ESU, answered without the folklore.
Is there a fourth ESU year for Windows Server 2012 or 2012 R2?
No. Year 3 ends on 13 October 2026 and Microsoft has not offered a year 4 through volume licensing, Azure Arc or for VMs in Azure, where ESU was at no additional charge until the same date. After that date the options are an in-place upgrade or rebuild on Windows Server 2025, a move to Azure, or isolation for machines that cannot move.
Is ESU at no additional charge when the server runs in Azure?
For the older programmes — Windows Server 2012 / 2012 R2, Windows 10 22H2 and SQL Server 2014 — yes, until each programme ends. From 1 April 2026 Microsoft applies the same list price to new ESU offerings regardless of where the server runs, and names Windows Server 2016 among them; SQL Server 2016 on an Azure VM is likewise not entitled to ESU at no additional charge. This calculator applies the per-core rate you enter to both the Arc and the Azure VM paths for those products.
What does the 75% / 100% / 125% pattern mean?
Volume-licensing ESU is priced as a share of the current license list price: 75% in year 1, 100% in year 2 and 125% in year 3. The calculator uses the current Windows Server 2025 or SQL Server 2025 2-core pack price from this site's catalog as the base, for the segment you select, and multiplies by the number of 2-core packs your cores need.
Azure Arc or volume licensing — which channel?
Arc bills monthly per core to your Azure subscription and lets you drop cores as servers are migrated, but licenses provisioned after the end-of-support date are back-billed to it. Volume licensing is an annual key priced on the 75 / 100 / 125% pattern and needs Software Assurance or a Server Subscription. Moving from volume licensing to Arc is not supported for Windows Server 2016, so the channel you start with is the one you keep.
Are ESU years cumulative?
Yes. To be covered in year 2 you buy year 1 as well, and year 3 requires both earlier years. Waiting defers the cost; it does not remove an earlier year. Windows 10 commercial ESU follows the same rule per device.
Whose bill is the ESU charge on?
Microsoft's — on your Azure subscription for Arc, Azure VM and SQL IaaS paths, or on your licensing agreement for volume-licensing keys. IT Partner's fees for enrolment, Arc onboarding or migration are quoted separately, in writing, before the work begins.
Want the per-server list, with an exit date against each row?
Thirty minutes with an engineer turns these totals into a written plan: which servers go on ESU, through which channel, and when each one comes off. Fixed price, pay after approval. Microsoft’s ESU charges are billed to you by Microsoft.
Licensing the replacement instead? Windows Server Licensing Calculator → · SQL Server Licensing Calculator →