The hidden cost of staying on Dynamics NAV
The calculation looks simple: you are on Dynamics NAV, it works, and a move to Business Central costs money. That calculation misses the hidden cost of
The calculation looks simple: you are on Dynamics NAV, it works, and a move to Business Central costs money. That calculation misses the hidden cost of staying on Dynamics NAV, the costs that build up every year without ever appearing on a single invoice.
This guide names those costs, shows why they grow over time, and gives you a simple way to decide whether staying on NAV is really the cheaper option.
Why businesses stay on Dynamics NAV
According to Microsoft's lifecycle page for Dynamics NAV 2018, mainstream support ended in January 2023 and extended support ends in January 2028. Extended support brings security fixes, not new features.
The reason businesses stay is understandable. A migration sounds expensive and disruptive, and the system still works. What gets missed is that "still works" tends to cost a little more each year it continues.
Key PointThe real question is not "can we afford to move?" but "what does staying cost us each year, and when does that pass the cost of moving?"
Five hidden costs of staying on NAV
1. Support gets harder to buy
As fewer partners and consultants keep their NAV skills current, finding help for fixes and changes on an older version usually gets harder. Ask your current partner how long they plan to support your version, and what that support will cost.
2. Integrations need constant upkeep
Business Central is built to work with the Microsoft 365 applications you already use, such as Outlook, Excel and Teams, and Microsoft documents its Teams integration. On NAV, connections to newer tools are often custom code that someone has to maintain.
3. Compliance depends on add-ons
GOV.UK states that all VAT-registered businesses should now be signed up for Making Tax Digital for VAT. If your NAV system relies on an add-on or bridging tool for VAT submissions, check who maintains it and for how long.
Watch OutAn add-on that keeps you compliant today is only as good as its next update. Confirm the supplier's plans before it becomes urgent.
4. Reporting lives in spreadsheets
When reports are hard to change in the system, finance teams export to Excel and rebuild the numbers by hand. Business Central connects to Power BI, so more of that analysis can come straight from the ledger.
5. Fewer people know the system
Microsoft says more than 55,000 small and medium-sized businesses have chosen Business Central. As more teams move, people with recent NAV experience become harder to find, which can lengthen recruitment and raise the cost of cover.
How the costs add up
No single item above is dramatic on its own. The cost comes from all five running at once, year after year, with no end point. A migration, by contrast, is a one-off project with a defined scope.
To compare the two honestly, list what you spend each year on:
- Partner support and fixes for NAV
- Maintaining integrations and add-ons, including compliance tools
- Staff time spent rebuilding reports outside the system (see why software costs keep rising)
- Any premium you pay for NAV-specific skills
Pro TipPut the yearly total next to a quoted Business Central project and the new licence cost. Our Business Central pricing guide explains UK licensing in plain terms.
Making the decision
The hidden cost of staying on Dynamics NAV is not visible on any single invoice, but it is real, and it grows each year the decision is put off.
If you are weighing the move, read how a safe Business Central migration works and the hidden cost of staying on the wrong system. Our guide to how posting groups work in Business Central is a useful first look at how the new system is set up.
