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SAP ECC end of support in 2027: the dates and the options

Mainstream maintenance for SAP ERP 6.0 ends in 2027, but that is the first of several dates. What SAP's own pages say about each, and how customers are responding.

By The editors · Updated · 3 min read

A systems administrator kneels beside an open server rack in a plain on-premise server room and checks a printed inventory sheet on a clipboard.
Many ECC systems still run on hardware the company owns, which shapes every option after 2027.
Contents
  1. The dates
  2. The options
  3. How customers are responding
  4. A decision sequence
  5. Questions buyers ask
  6. Sources

The "2027 deadline" is shorthand for a sequence of dates that SAP has set out over six years. Each one opens or closes an option, and each has a different price. The dates below come from SAP's own pages.

The dates

DateWhat changesSource
31 December 2027Mainstream maintenance ends for SAP Business Suite 7 core applications, including SAP ERP 6.0SAP Support Portal⁠1
2028 to 2030Optional extended maintenance, at two percentage points on the maintenance basisSAP News Center⁠2
From 2028 or 2031Customer-specific maintenance for those without, or after, extended maintenanceSAP Support Portal⁠1
31 December 2030Deadline to be on SAP ERP private edition on SAP HANA to qualify for the transition optionSAP News Center⁠3
2031 to 2033SAP ERP, private edition, transition option: business continuity subscriptionSAP News Center⁠3
31 December 2035Transition option subscriptions may run to this date, with further prerequisites (update of 13 October 2026)SAP News Center⁠3
End of 2040SAP's maintenance commitment for SAP S/4HANASAP News Center⁠2

The options

Stay on ECC with extended maintenance. The simplest short-term path. It buys three years at a higher maintenance fee and does not change the system⁠2. DSAG's 2026 survey found most of its members willing to pay a premium to stay on ECC until 2030⁠4.

Customer-specific maintenance. SAP's support page says customers receive it after mainstream or extended maintenance ends⁠1. It gives no end date. Buyers should ask SAP in writing what it does and does not include for their release.

The private edition transition option. A time-bound subscription that includes an SAP ERP cloud subscription centred on SAP ERP Central Component on SAP HANA, plus transition services, covering legal changes, security patches and bug fixes from 2031⁠3. Prerequisites include migration to SAP ERP private edition on SAP HANA by 31 December 2030, SAP HANA as the only database, a minimum system size of 2 TB, technical readiness and the max success plan. Customers that committed to private edition by the end of 2025 move without uplift; 2026 sign-ups face a 20% uplift; terms for later sign-ups were to be shared closer to 2028.

Move to SAP S/4HANA. SAP's successor, with maintenance committed to the end of 2040⁠2.

Leave SAP. Replace ECC with another ERP, compared in our main guide and in S/4HANA vs the alternatives.

How customers are responding

Survey data from both sides of the Atlantic shows a split market. Among ASUG members, a little more than 60% were live on or moving to S/4HANA in late 2025, and around two-fifths had not started⁠5. Among DSAG's ECC users, 37% aimed to switch by the end of 2027 and about half were set to pass the deadline⁠4.

The transition option is a subscription with prerequisites, not an extension of on-premise maintenance. It applies only to systems already moved to SAP ERP private edition.

A decision sequence

  1. Read your maintenance contract. Establish your current basis, so the two-point premium can be priced.
  2. Decide whether 2030 is a bridge or a destination. Extended maintenance buys time; it does not change the system.
  3. If staying with SAP past 2030, check the transition option's prerequisites now. The private edition move has to be complete by the end of 2030.
  4. If leaving, start selection two years before your chosen end date. The ISG research on overruns suggests the margin is needed⁠6.
  5. Separate the operational work from the ERP decision. Orders, purchasing and supplier correspondence can modernise on a separate layer while the ERP question is settled.

The migration cost guide shows how to compare these paths over five years.

Questions buyers ask

Is SAP ECC end of life in 2027?

SAP's mainstream maintenance for the core applications of SAP Business Suite 7, including SAP ERP 6.0, ends at the end of 2027. The software does not stop working. Optional extended maintenance runs to the end of 2030 at a premium, and customer-specific maintenance follows.

How much does SAP extended maintenance cost?

SAP announced in 2020 that extended maintenance from 2028 to 2030 carries a premium of two percentage points on the existing maintenance basis. The actual amount depends on each customer's maintenance contract.

Can we run SAP ECC until 2033?

Only under conditions. SAP's private edition transition option provides business continuity from 2031 to 2033 for customers that have moved to SAP ERP private edition on SAP HANA by 31 December 2030 and meet other prerequisites. An October 2026 update says subscriptions may run until 31 December 2035, with further prerequisites.

Sources

  1. Maintenance strategy: SAP S/4HANA and SAP Business Suite 7. SAP Support Portal. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
  2. SAP S/4HANA: commitment to innovation and maintenance until 2040. SAP News Center, 4 Feb 2020. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
  3. Navigating your RISE with SAP journey: updates for SAP ERP, private edition, transition option. SAP News Center, 4 Aug 2025. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
  4. Half of German-speaking SAP users set to pass the 2027 ECC deadline. The Register, 27 Feb 2026. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
  5. Two-fifths of SAP Americas users yet to ditch legacy ERP. The Register, 5 Nov 2025. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
  6. Most SAP migrations bust budgets and deadlines, study finds. The Register, 5 Feb 2026. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.

Updated 8 Nov 2026: First published. Dates checked on SAP's News Center and Support Portal.

Further reading