Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 | Target Integration<\/title>\r\n<link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\">\r\n<link href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Playfair+Display:wght@700;800&family=Source+Serif+4:ital,wght@0,300;0,400;0,600;1,300;1,400&family=DM+Sans:wght@400;500;600&display=swap\" rel=\"stylesheet\">\r\n<style>\r\n :root {\r\n --teal: #156c6c;\r\n --navy: #003b56;\r\n --orange: #f26325;\r\n --light-teal: #e8f4f4;\r\n --light-bg: #f7f9fb;\r\n --text: #1a2933;\r\n --muted: #5a6a75;\r\n --rule: #dde4e8;\r\n }\r\n *, *::before, *::after { box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0; padding: 0; }\r\n body {\r\n font-family: 'Source Serif 4', Georgia, serif;\r\n font-weight: 300;\r\n color: var(--text);\r\n background: #fff;\r\n line-height: 1.8;\r\n }\r\n .hero {\r\n background: var(--navy);\r\n padding: 0;\r\n position: relative;\r\n overflow: hidden;\r\n }\r\n .hero::before {\r\n content: '';\r\n position: absolute;\r\n inset: 0;\r\n background: radial-gradient(ellipse at 80% 50%, rgba(21,108,108,0.45) 0%, transparent 65%),\r\n radial-gradient(ellipse at 10% 80%, rgba(242,99,37,0.15) 0%, transparent 50%);\r\n }\r\n .hero-inner {\r\n position: relative;\r\n max-width: 820px;\r\n margin: 0 auto;\r\n padding: 72px 32px 64px;\r\n }\r\n .hero-eyebrow {\r\n display: inline-flex;\r\n align-items: center;\r\n gap: 10px;\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-size: 11px;\r\n font-weight: 600;\r\n letter-spacing: 0.18em;\r\n text-transform: uppercase;\r\n color: var(--orange);\r\n margin-bottom: 22px;\r\n }\r\n .hero-eyebrow span.dot {\r\n display: inline-block;\r\n width: 6px; height: 6px;\r\n border-radius: 50%;\r\n background: var(--orange);\r\n }\r\n h1 {\r\n font-family: 'Playfair Display', Georgia, serif;\r\n font-size: clamp(32px, 5vw, 52px);\r\n font-weight: 800;\r\n line-height: 1.15;\r\n color: #fff;\r\n margin-bottom: 22px;\r\n }\r\n h1 em { font-style: normal; color: #7ecece; }\r\n .hero-sub {\r\n font-family: 'Source Serif 4', serif;\r\n font-weight: 300;\r\n font-size: 18px;\r\n color: rgba(255,255,255,0.72);\r\n max-width: 620px;\r\n line-height: 1.7;\r\n margin-bottom: 36px;\r\n }\r\n .hero-meta {\r\n display: flex;\r\n align-items: center;\r\n gap: 24px;\r\n flex-wrap: wrap;\r\n }\r\n .hero-meta span {\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-size: 12px;\r\n color: rgba(255,255,255,0.5);\r\n letter-spacing: 0.04em;\r\n }\r\n .hero-meta .sep { color: rgba(255,255,255,0.2); }\r\n .container {\r\n max-width: 820px;\r\n margin: 0 auto;\r\n padding: 0 32px;\r\n }\r\n .intro-strip {\r\n background: var(--light-teal);\r\n border-left: 4px solid var(--teal);\r\n padding: 28px 32px;\r\n margin: 52px 0 48px;\r\n border-radius: 0 6px 6px 0;\r\n font-size: 17px;\r\n color: var(--navy);\r\n font-weight: 400;\r\n font-style: italic;\r\n }\r\n .body-text {\r\n font-size: 17px;\r\n line-height: 1.85;\r\n color: var(--text);\r\n margin-bottom: 22px;\r\n }\r\n h2 {\r\n font-family: 'Playfair Display', Georgia, serif;\r\n font-size: clamp(22px, 3vw, 30px);\r\n font-weight: 700;\r\n color: var(--navy);\r\n margin: 56px 0 16px;\r\n padding-top: 8px;\r\n border-top: 2px solid var(--teal);\r\n display: inline-block;\r\n }\r\n h3 {\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-size: 16px;\r\n font-weight: 600;\r\n color: var(--teal);\r\n letter-spacing: 0.05em;\r\n text-transform: uppercase;\r\n margin: 32px 0 10px;\r\n }\r\n .card-grid {\r\n display: grid;\r\n grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(240px, 1fr));\r\n gap: 20px;\r\n margin: 28px 0 36px;\r\n }\r\n .card {\r\n background: var(--light-bg);\r\n border: 1px solid var(--rule);\r\n border-radius: 8px;\r\n padding: 24px 22px;\r\n transition: box-shadow 0.2s;\r\n }\r\n .card:hover { box-shadow: 0 4px 20px rgba(0,59,86,0.1); }\r\n .card-icon {\r\n width: 36px; height: 36px;\r\n border-radius: 8px;\r\n background: var(--teal);\r\n display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center;\r\n margin-bottom: 14px;\r\n }\r\n .card-icon svg { width: 18px; height: 18px; fill: #fff; }\r\n .card h4 {\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-size: 14px;\r\n font-weight: 600;\r\n color: var(--navy);\r\n margin-bottom: 8px;\r\n }\r\n .card p {\r\n font-size: 14px;\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n color: var(--muted);\r\n line-height: 1.6;\r\n font-weight: 400;\r\n }\r\n .card.accent { border-color: var(--teal); background: #edf6f6; }\r\n .card.accent .card-icon { background: var(--orange); }\r\n .card.warn { border-color: var(--orange); background: #fff8f5; }\r\n .card.warn .card-icon { background: var(--orange); }\r\n .highlight-box {\r\n background: var(--navy);\r\n color: #fff;\r\n border-radius: 10px;\r\n padding: 36px 36px;\r\n margin: 40px 0;\r\n position: relative;\r\n overflow: hidden;\r\n }\r\n .highlight-box::before {\r\n content: '';\r\n position: absolute;\r\n top: -40px; right: -40px;\r\n width: 180px; height: 180px;\r\n border-radius: 50%;\r\n background: rgba(21,108,108,0.3);\r\n }\r\n .highlight-box h3 {\r\n color: #7ecece;\r\n margin-top: 0;\r\n margin-bottom: 14px;\r\n font-size: 13px;\r\n }\r\n .highlight-box p {\r\n font-size: 16px;\r\n line-height: 1.75;\r\n color: rgba(255,255,255,0.85);\r\n }\r\n .highlight-box strong { color: #fff; font-weight: 600; }\r\n .highlight-box ul {\r\n margin: 14px 0 0 18px;\r\n color: rgba(255,255,255,0.82);\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-size: 15px;\r\n line-height: 1.8;\r\n }\r\n .feature-list {\r\n list-style: none;\r\n margin: 20px 0 32px;\r\n padding: 0;\r\n }\r\n .feature-list li {\r\n font-size: 16px;\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n color: var(--text);\r\n padding: 10px 0 10px 28px;\r\n position: relative;\r\n border-bottom: 1px solid var(--rule);\r\n line-height: 1.6;\r\n }\r\n .feature-list li:last-child { border-bottom: none; }\r\n .feature-list li::before {\r\n content: '';\r\n position: absolute;\r\n left: 0; top: 18px;\r\n width: 8px; height: 8px;\r\n border-radius: 50%;\r\n background: var(--orange);\r\n }\r\n .feature-list li strong { color: var(--navy); font-weight: 600; }\r\n .pull-quote {\r\n border-left: 3px solid var(--orange);\r\n padding: 4px 0 4px 28px;\r\n margin: 40px 0;\r\n }\r\n .pull-quote p {\r\n font-family: 'Playfair Display', Georgia, serif;\r\n font-size: clamp(18px, 2.5vw, 22px);\r\n font-weight: 700;\r\n color: var(--navy);\r\n line-height: 1.5;\r\n font-style: italic;\r\n }\r\n .feature-table {\r\n width: 100%;\r\n border-collapse: collapse;\r\n margin: 24px 0 36px;\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-size: 14px;\r\n }\r\n .feature-table th {\r\n background: var(--navy);\r\n color: #fff;\r\n padding: 12px 16px;\r\n text-align: left;\r\n font-weight: 600;\r\n letter-spacing: 0.03em;\r\n }\r\n .feature-table td {\r\n padding: 11px 16px;\r\n border-bottom: 1px solid var(--rule);\r\n color: var(--text);\r\n vertical-align: top;\r\n line-height: 1.5;\r\n }\r\n .feature-table tr:nth-child(even) td { background: var(--light-bg); }\r\n .badge {\r\n display: inline-block;\r\n padding: 2px 8px;\r\n border-radius: 4px;\r\n font-size: 11px;\r\n font-weight: 600;\r\n letter-spacing: 0.04em;\r\n }\r\n .badge-green { background: #d4edda; color: #155724; }\r\n .badge-orange { background: #fde8da; color: #7d3400; }\r\n .badge-blue { background: #dde8f5; color: #003b56; }\r\n .region-strip {\r\n display: flex;\r\n gap: 10px;\r\n align-items: center;\r\n margin: 0 0 20px;\r\n flex-wrap: wrap;\r\n }\r\n .region-pill {\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-size: 11px;\r\n font-weight: 700;\r\n letter-spacing: 0.07em;\r\n text-transform: uppercase;\r\n padding: 4px 12px;\r\n border-radius: 20px;\r\n }\r\n .region-pill.uk { background: #002366; color: #fff; }\r\n .region-pill.ie { background: #169b62; color: #fff; }\r\n .region-pill.both { background: var(--teal); color: #fff; }\r\n .cta-band {\r\n background: linear-gradient(135deg, var(--teal) 0%, #0d4f4f 100%);\r\n border-radius: 12px;\r\n padding: 48px 40px;\r\n margin: 60px 0 32px;\r\n text-align: center;\r\n position: relative;\r\n overflow: hidden;\r\n }\r\n .cta-band::after {\r\n content: '';\r\n position: absolute;\r\n bottom: -30px; left: -30px;\r\n width: 160px; height: 160px;\r\n border-radius: 50%;\r\n background: rgba(242,99,37,0.15);\r\n }\r\n .cta-band h2 {\r\n color: #fff;\r\n border-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.3);\r\n margin-top: 0;\r\n padding-top: 0;\r\n margin-bottom: 14px;\r\n display: block;\r\n font-size: clamp(22px, 3vw, 28px);\r\n }\r\n .cta-band p {\r\n color: rgba(255,255,255,0.8);\r\n font-size: 16px;\r\n max-width: 520px;\r\n margin: 0 auto 28px;\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-weight: 400;\r\n }\r\n .cta-btn {\r\n display: inline-block;\r\n background: var(--orange);\r\n color: #fff;\r\n text-decoration: none;\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-weight: 600;\r\n font-size: 15px;\r\n padding: 14px 32px;\r\n border-radius: 6px;\r\n letter-spacing: 0.02em;\r\n transition: background 0.2s, transform 0.15s;\r\n }\r\n .cta-btn:hover { background: #d9531e; transform: translateY(-1px); }\r\n .post-footer {\r\n border-top: 1px solid var(--rule);\r\n padding: 36px 0 60px;\r\n margin-top: 20px;\r\n display: flex;\r\n align-items: center;\r\n gap: 20px;\r\n flex-wrap: wrap;\r\n }\r\n .author-block { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 14px; }\r\n .author-avatar {\r\n width: 44px; height: 44px;\r\n border-radius: 50%;\r\n background: var(--teal);\r\n display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center;\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; color: #fff;\r\n }\r\n .author-info { font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif; }\r\n .author-info .name { font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; color: var(--navy); }\r\n .author-info .role { font-size: 12px; color: var(--muted); }\r\n .tag-list { margin-left: auto; display: flex; gap: 8px; flex-wrap: wrap; }\r\n .tag {\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-size: 11px; font-weight: 600;\r\n letter-spacing: 0.07em; text-transform: uppercase;\r\n padding: 4px 10px;\r\n background: var(--light-bg);\r\n border: 1px solid var(--rule);\r\n border-radius: 4px;\r\n color: var(--muted);\r\n }\r\n @media (max-width: 600px) {\r\n .hero-inner { padding: 48px 20px 44px; }\r\n .container { padding: 0 20px; }\r\n .highlight-box { padding: 28px 22px; }\r\n .cta-band { padding: 36px 22px; }\r\n .card-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; }\r\n .post-footer { flex-direction: column; }\r\n .tag-list { margin-left: 0; }\r\n .feature-table { font-size: 13px; }\r\n }\r\n<\/style>\r\n<\/head>\r\n<body>\r\n\r\n<header class=\"hero\">\r\n <div class=\"hero-inner\">\r\n <div class=\"hero-eyebrow\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span> Microsoft Dynamics 365 <span class=\"dot\"><\/span> April 2026<\/div>\r\n <h1>Business Central 2026 <em>Release Wave 1<\/em> \u2014 What UK and Irish Businesses Need to Know<\/h1>\r\n <p class=\"hero-sub\">From new statutory payment reporting for UK businesses to Ireland's approaching e-invoicing mandate, Wave 1 brings changes with real compliance implications on these shores \u2014 alongside meaningful improvements to AI, finance, and operations.<\/p>\r\n <div class=\"hero-meta\">\r\n <span>Target Integration<\/span>\r\n <span class=\"sep\">\u00b7<\/span>\r\n <span>April 2026<\/span>\r\n <span class=\"sep\">\u00b7<\/span>\r\n <span>9 min read<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/header>\r\n\r\n<main>\r\n<div class=\"container\">\r\n\r\n <div class=\"intro-strip\">\r\n Microsoft's 2026 Release Wave 1 for Dynamics 365 Business Central runs from April through to September 2026. For businesses in the UK and Ireland, this wave includes several features with direct compliance and regulatory relevance \u2014 alongside broader platform improvements to AI, finance, operations, and governance that apply to all customers.\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">If you're on Business Central cloud (version 28), your update arrives automatically within the rollout window. Administrators can schedule it to any date up to 31 August 2026 using the Business Central Admin Centre. If you're running version 24 or earlier on-premises, you'll need to upgrade to version 25 before moving to version 28, so it's worth checking where your environment sits now rather than closer to the deadline.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">This post covers what matters most for UK and Irish organisations. We've put the local compliance and regulatory features first because those are the ones with external deadlines attached \u2014 then we move into the broader platform improvements that affect most businesses running Business Central day-to-day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>UK and Ireland: Compliance and Localisation<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">This is the section most worth reading carefully if you're based in the UK or Ireland. Several Wave 1 features are built specifically around regulatory requirements in our markets, and a couple of them have action points that need to happen well before the feature goes live.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <h3>United Kingdom<\/h3>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"region-strip\">\r\n <span class=\"region-pill uk\">🇬🇧 UK Specific<\/span>\r\n <span class=\"region-pill both\">GA: June 2026<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">The standout UK feature in Wave 1 is built-in support for the <strong>Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance (Amendment) Regulations 2024<\/strong>. UK companies above the relevant size thresholds are legally required to report twice a year on their payment terms and actual payment performance to suppliers. Until now, most finance teams have been pulling data out of Business Central manually, running it through spreadsheets, and then submitting it \u2014 a process that takes time and introduces risk at every stage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">From June 2026, Business Central's UK localisation handles this natively. The update adds new data points to the existing Payment Practices page: the total value of payments made during the reporting period, the proportion that were late against agreed terms, and a specific breakdown of late payments attributable to disputes rather than poor payment performance. That last point matters \u2014 a dispute flag has been added to purchase invoices so that finance teams can link a delayed payment directly to a documented dispute. This is important for audit purposes and protects the business in situations where a late payment was held legitimately. The report exports in CSV format, ready for submission to the government portal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"highlight-box\">\r\n <h3>🇬🇧 Action Required \u2014 UK Payment Practices Reporting<\/h3>\r\n <p>If your business is within scope for Payment Practices reporting, <strong>June 2026 is the GA date for this feature<\/strong>. Check your next reporting period against that date and build in setup time \u2014 the dispute flag on purchase invoices in particular needs to be configured prospectively, not retrospectively.<\/p>\r\n <ul>\r\n <li>Applies to large companies under the 2024 Amendment Regulations \u2014 report twice yearly on payment terms and actual performance<\/li>\r\n <li>New dispute flag on purchase invoices creates an auditable trail for legitimately disputed payments<\/li>\r\n <li>Total payment value, late payment percentage, and dispute breakdowns all captured automatically<\/li>\r\n <li>CSV export ready for the government submission portal<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <h3>Ireland<\/h3>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"region-strip\">\r\n <span class=\"region-pill ie\">🇮🇪 Ireland Relevant<\/span>\r\n <span class=\"region-pill both\">Preparation Now Advised<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Ireland doesn't have a feature that switches on directly in Wave 1 the way the UK Payment Practices update does, but the regulatory landscape is shifting in ways that make 2026 an important planning year. Two things are converging: the EU's VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) Directive, and Revenue's own domestic e-invoicing rollout, which is moving ahead of the broader EU timeline.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">In February 2026, Revenue confirmed which businesses fall within scope for Phase One of Ireland's VAT modernisation programme. Phase One requires mandatory domestic B2B e-invoicing for large corporates \u2014 specifically, VAT-registered businesses managed by Revenue's Large Corporates Division \u2014 from <strong>1 November 2028<\/strong>. Phase Two then extends obligations to all VAT-registered businesses with zero-rated cross-border EU B2B transactions from November 2029. The full EU-wide ViDA requirement for intra-EU B2B e-invoicing follows on 1 July 2030.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Revenue has explicitly recommended that in-scope businesses begin preparations now, and has indicated that those within scope can expect correspondence from Revenue confirming their Phase One inclusion. If you're a large corporate in Ireland, an ERP readiness assessment should be on your agenda for 2026. Your Business Central environment needs to be capable of issuing structured e-invoices and transmitting specified data to Revenue's reporting infrastructure \u2014 and getting there from where most environments are today takes more time than organisations typically expect.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"highlight-box\">\r\n <h3>🇮🇪 Ireland E-Invoicing \u2014 Key Dates<\/h3>\r\n <p>Wave 1's enhanced e-document framework is a direct foundation for Irish e-invoicing readiness. <strong>Revenue has advised large corporates to begin preparations now.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n <ul>\r\n <li><strong>1 November 2028:<\/strong> Phase One \u2014 mandatory domestic B2B e-invoicing for large corporates managed by Revenue's Large Corporates Division<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>November 2029:<\/strong> Phase Two \u2014 extends to all VAT-registered businesses with zero-rated cross-border EU B2B transactions<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>1 July 2030:<\/strong> Full ViDA \u2014 mandatory intra-EU B2B e-invoicing across all EU member states<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">There's also a more immediate VAT change for Irish businesses in specific sectors. Ireland's Budget 2026 confirmed a reduction in the VAT rate for restaurant and catering services and hairdressing from 13.5% to 9%, effective <strong>1 July 2026<\/strong>. This isn't a Business Central feature \u2014 it's a tax configuration task you need to complete in your environment before that date. If your Business Central setup handles VAT for these categories, update your tax codes ahead of 1 July or you'll be charging customers the wrong rate.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"card-grid\">\r\n <div class=\"card warn\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M1 21h22L12 2 1 21zm12-3h-2v-2h2v2zm0-4h-2v-4h2v4z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Irish VAT Rate Change \u2014 1 July 2026<\/h4>\r\n <p>Catering, restaurant, and hairdressing services move from 13.5% to 9% VAT. Update your tax codes in Business Central before this date \u2014 it's a configuration task, not a Wave 1 feature.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"card warn\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M14 2H6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2v16c0 1.1.89 2 2 2h12c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2V8l-6-6zm2 16H8v-2h8v2zm0-4H8v-2h8v2zm-3-5V3.5L18.5 9H13z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Irish Payroll \u2014 Auto-Enrolment and PRSI<\/h4>\r\n <p>From 1 January 2026, Irish employers must auto-enrol eligible employees into pension schemes. PRSI rates have also changed: employee rate is now 4.35%, employer rate 11.40%. Verify your payroll module reflects both changes.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"card accent\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M11.8 10.9c-2.27-.59-3-1.2-3-2.15 0-1.09 1.01-1.85 2.7-1.85 1.78 0 2.44.85 2.5 2.1h2.21c-.07-1.72-1.12-3.3-3.21-3.81V3h-3v2.16c-1.94.42-3.5 1.68-3.5 3.61 0 2.31 1.91 3.46 4.7 4.13 2.5.6 3 1.48 3 2.41 0 .69-.49 1.79-2.7 1.79-2.06 0-2.87-.92-2.98-2.1h-2.2c.12 2.19 1.76 3.42 3.68 3.83V21h3v-2.15c1.95-.37 3.5-1.5 3.5-3.55 0-2.84-2.43-3.81-4.7-4.4z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Irish R&D Tax Credit \u2014 35% from Dec 2026<\/h4>\r\n <p>For accounting periods ending on or after 31 December 2026, Ireland's R&D tax credit increases from 30% to 35%. If you track R&D projects in Business Central, make sure your cost capture is accurate to maximise the claim.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>Electronic Documents \u2014 Building the Foundation<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Wave 1 expands the e-document framework significantly. For UK businesses this is relevant in the context of trading with European partners; for Irish businesses it's a direct stepping stone towards the e-invoicing infrastructure Revenue will require by 2028. Either way, getting comfortable with this framework now makes sense.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <table class=\"feature-table\">\r\n <thead>\r\n <tr>\r\n <th>Feature<\/th>\r\n <th>What It Does<\/th>\r\n <th>Relevant For<\/th>\r\n <th>Available<\/th>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <\/thead>\r\n <tbody>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Payments via E-Document Framework<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Extends e-document handling to payment documents, not just invoices and credit notes.<\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-blue\">UK & IE<\/span><\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-orange\">Jul 2026<\/span><\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Default E-Document Type on Vendor Templates<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Set a default e-document format at vendor template level, reducing manual selection errors in AP workflows.<\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-blue\">UK & IE<\/span><\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-green\">Apr 2026<\/span><\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Electronic Invoicing \u2014 France<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Native e-invoicing support for France, relevant for businesses with French customers or suppliers ahead of France's B2B mandate.<\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-blue\">UK & IE<\/span><\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-orange\">Jul 2026<\/span><\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Carbon Footprint in OIOUBL Format<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Danish e-invoicing format supports embedded carbon footprint data \u2014 relevant for businesses exporting to Nordic markets.<\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-blue\">Export<\/span><\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-green\">Apr 2026<\/span><\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <\/tbody>\r\n <\/table>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">For Irish businesses specifically: while Business Central does not yet carry a dedicated Irish e-invoicing format for Revenue's Phase One requirements (those technical specifications are still being finalised by Revenue), version 28's e-document framework is the architecture that any future Irish localisation will be built on. Ensuring your vendor and customer records are clean, and configuring e-document workflows before 2028, will make the transition considerably less disruptive than leaving it late.<\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>AI Agents and Copilot \u2014 What's Changed in Practice<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">AI is the headline theme across the whole release. For UK and Irish finance teams dealing with high volumes of purchase invoices, the Payables Agent is the feature worth paying most attention to. It processes incoming invoices by reading your email inbox, matching them to purchase orders, and handling the routine parts of accounts payable without manual handling at every step.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">What's new in Wave 1 is meaningful visibility into what the agent has been doing. A dedicated view shows which emails in your mailbox the Payables Agent has already processed, which addresses the understandable concern many finance managers have about losing oversight of what the AI has and hasn't touched. You can also stop all active agent tasks in one action \u2014 useful when you need to intervene quickly, for example around period-end or when an exception needs human review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"pull-quote\">\r\n <p>\"The Payables Agent works best in a well-maintained data environment. If your vendor records are inconsistent or your purchase orders have coverage gaps, the agent will surface those problems rather than smooth over them \u2014 which is genuinely useful, but worth knowing before you enable it in production.\"<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"card-grid\">\r\n <div class=\"card accent\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M12 2C6.48 2 2 6.48 2 12s4.48 10 10 10 10-4.48 10-10S17.52 2 12 2zm-1 14H9V8h2v8zm4 0h-2V8h2v8z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Unified Agent Task Pane<\/h4>\r\n <p>Manage all running agents from one pane, see what's in progress, review outputs, and stop tasks where needed. Available from April 2026.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"card accent\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M20 2H4c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2v18l4-4h14c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2V4c0-1.1-.9-2-2-2z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Payables Agent Email Visibility<\/h4>\r\n <p>See which emails the Payables Agent has already processed \u2014 so finance teams don't have to guess what's been handled automatically and what still needs attention.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"card accent\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M19 3H5c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2v14l4-4h12c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2V5c0-1.1-.9-2-2-2zm0 12l-2.5-2.5c-.78 1.05-1.95 1.5-3.5 1.5C10.01 14 8 12 8 9.5S10.01 5 12.5 5 17 7.01 17 9.5c0 .93-.27 1.78-.71 2.5L19 15v.5z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Agent Designer \u2014 May 2026<\/h4>\r\n <p>Build custom AI agents within Business Central without specialist development work. Useful for businesses with specific processes that don't fit a standard Microsoft agent out of the box.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"card\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M17 12h-5v5h5v-5zM16 1v2H8V1H6v2H5c-1.11 0-1.99.9-1.99 2L3 19c0 1.1.89 2 2 2h14c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2V5c0-1.1-.9-2-2-2h-1V1h-2zm3 18H5V8h14v11z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Copilot for Sustainability Journals<\/h4>\r\n <p>Coming August 2026, Copilot suggests gas emission entries in sustainability journals. Relevant for UK businesses with TCFD or CSRD reporting obligations, and for Irish businesses aligning to EU sustainability disclosure requirements.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>Finance and Reporting Improvements<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Beyond the UK Payment Practices feature, there are several finance improvements in Wave 1 that are useful across UK and Irish organisations. Most of them are about reducing manual overhead and improving the accuracy of reporting without requiring significant changes to how teams already work.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <ul class=\"feature-list\">\r\n <li><strong>Posting Period DateFormula<\/strong> \u2014 Define posting From\/To periods using date formulas rather than fixed dates. More flexible for businesses on monthly, quarterly, or custom financial periods, and removes a recurring friction point for period-end close routines.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Match Purchase Invoices to Multiple Order Lines<\/strong> \u2014 A new \"Get Order Lines\" action allows a single purchase invoice to be matched against multiple purchase orders and receipt lines. Particularly useful for manufacturers and distributors who consolidate deliveries before invoicing, which is common in food and drink supply chains in both the UK and Ireland.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Self-Billed Invoices<\/strong> \u2014 Supports self-billing arrangements where the customer issues the invoice on the supplier's behalf. This is used in parts of the UK and Irish agricultural supply chain, certain construction subcontracting arrangements, and some professional services sectors.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Foreign Currency Revaluation on GL Accounts<\/strong> \u2014 More accurate revaluation of GL accounts in foreign currencies. Relevant for UK businesses holding EUR balances post-Brexit, and for Irish businesses with GBP or USD positions \u2014 a common scenario for companies trading across the UK-Ireland border.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Accelerated Depreciation for Fixed Assets<\/strong> \u2014 A long-requested feature, useful for businesses claiming capital allowances or managing asset write-downs under UK tax rules (HMRC AIA and writing-down allowances) or Irish Revenue rules (Irish accelerated capital allowances, including the R&D equipment scheme).<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Financial Reporting Enhancements<\/strong> \u2014 Improved performance on Trial Balance-related Excel reports, updated formatting options, and a more reliable experience for finance teams producing board packs or statutory accounts.<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>Operations, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Target Integration works extensively with manufacturing, food and drink, and distribution businesses across the UK and Ireland, and there are several Wave 1 updates in this area worth flagging. None of them are sweeping transformations, but they address genuine day-to-day friction that operational teams deal with regularly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <ul class=\"feature-list\">\r\n <li><strong>Improved Manufacturing Usability<\/strong> \u2014 Refined navigation and layout consistency across production order workflows. For businesses running high transaction volumes on the shop floor \u2014 processing lines, batch manufacturing, work orders \u2014 this kind of usability improvement compounds over time and reduces training burden for new staff.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Reverse Drop Shipments<\/strong> \u2014 Businesses can now reverse drop shipments when the associated sales and purchase documents haven't yet been invoiced. This has been a workaround-heavy area for companies managing returns or cancellations on drop-shipped goods. It's particularly relevant for UK businesses dealing with cross-border logistics where post-Brexit customs complexity already adds friction to returns processes.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Item Insights with Advanced KPIs<\/strong> \u2014 AI-assisted KPI views and summaries on item records, making it easier for procurement and inventory teams to assess stock performance without pulling separate reports. Useful for businesses managing large SKU ranges across multiple warehouses or fulfilment locations.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Enhanced Fixed Asset Analytics<\/strong> \u2014 Updated Power BI analytics for fixed asset management, building on the embedded reporting introduced in recent waves. Relevant for capital-intensive businesses in food and drink processing, manufacturing, and engineering.<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"highlight-box\">\r\n <h3>For Manufacturing and Food & Drink Businesses<\/h3>\r\n <p>The <strong>manufacturing usability improvements<\/strong> and the <strong>reverse drop shipment capability<\/strong> are both worth testing in your sandbox before Wave 1 goes live in production. The drop shipment change in particular can affect existing returns workflows \u2014 it's worth verifying your process still behaves as expected after the upgrade, especially if you have customisations or ISV extensions in that area.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>Shopify Connector Updates<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">For UK and Irish businesses selling through Shopify alongside Business Central \u2014 common in food, retail, consumer goods, and gifting \u2014 Wave 1 includes four connector improvements, all available from April 2026. The checkout currency change is the one most worth flagging for businesses operating across the UK-Ireland border or selling into the EU.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <table class=\"feature-table\">\r\n <thead>\r\n <tr>\r\n <th>Feature<\/th>\r\n <th>Why It Matters for UK and Irish Businesses<\/th>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <\/thead>\r\n <tbody>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Checkout Currency on Sales Documents<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Sales documents created from Shopify orders now use the currency the customer checked out in, rather than your default currency. Removes a manual correction step for businesses selling in both GBP and EUR \u2014 common for businesses operating across the UK-Ireland border.<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Product Options via Item Attributes<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Export items to Shopify with size, colour, or other variant options mapped directly from Business Central item attributes. No more manual variant setup in Shopify after each catalogue update or seasonal range change.<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Variant Image Sync<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Synchronise product variant images between Business Central and Shopify bidirectionally. Keeps product listings accurate without manual uploads \u2014 useful when managing large catalogues across both platforms.<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Custom Collections Export<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Assign and push custom Shopify collections from Business Central \u2014 useful for seasonal ranges, promotional groupings, or region-specific catalogues targeting UK and Irish customers separately.<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <\/tbody>\r\n <\/table>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>Governance and Administration<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">For IT administrators and those responsible for Business Central governance in larger or multi-entity organisations, Wave 1 includes several changes that improve control over environments, data, and partner access. These are less visible day-to-day but reduce operational and compliance risk.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <ul class=\"feature-list\">\r\n <li><strong>Partner Access per Environment<\/strong> \u2014 Assign your Microsoft Partner's access at the individual environment level rather than across the whole tenant. Particularly relevant for organisations with multiple legal entities \u2014 UK head offices with Irish subsidiaries, or businesses with separate production and shared services environments \u2014 where you need to control which environments a partner can access and when.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Customer-Managed Encryption Keys<\/strong> \u2014 Take control of your own encryption keys for Business Central data. This directly supports compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and with Ireland's Data Protection Act 2018 (which transposes the EU GDPR). For organisations with specific data residency or sovereignty requirements \u2014 financial services, healthcare, public sector \u2014 this is worth reviewing with your compliance team.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Extended Update Windows<\/strong> \u2014 More flexibility to schedule when Business Central updates are applied, reducing the risk of updates landing during month-end close, peak trading periods, or other operationally sensitive windows.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Unified PTE and AppSource Management<\/strong> \u2014 A single interface for managing both per-tenant extensions and AppSource apps across environments, reducing deployment overhead for organisations running multiple Business Central environments.<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>What's Being Removed in Version 28<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Version 28 removes some legacy functionality, and the main item to be aware of is the removal of older Excel report layouts. These were partially replaced during the 2024 Wave 1 release and moved to a \"Legacy\" tab in version 27. In version 28 they are removed entirely. Microsoft has provided replacement layouts for all of them, but it's worth running a quick audit of which report layouts are actively in use in your environment \u2014 particularly anything feeding management packs, board reports, or statutory accounts \u2014 and verifying that the updated versions produce the outputs you need before the upgrade arrives.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Some standard reports are also being deprecated in this wave. Again, this is manageable in most cases, but is best identified and tested rather than discovered after the update has been applied to your production environment.<\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>What to Do Now<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Wave 1 is a wide release and not every feature will be immediately relevant to every business. For UK and Irish organisations, the clearest near-term priorities break down like this.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\"><strong>UK businesses subject to Payment Practices reporting<\/strong> should treat June 2026 as a deadline to plan back from, not a notification to act on when it arrives. Confirm whether you're in scope, check your next reporting deadline, and engage your Business Central partner early so the configuration \u2014 particularly the purchase invoice dispute flag \u2014 is in place before the feature goes live.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\"><strong>Irish large corporates<\/strong> should confirm whether you've received or are expecting correspondence from Revenue about Phase One scope. If you're in scope, a readiness assessment of your Business Central environment against the e-invoicing requirements should be on the agenda for 2026. November 2028 sounds distant but an ERP implementation or significant configuration project to meet those requirements needs to be planned and resourced well in advance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\"><strong>Irish businesses in hospitality, catering, or hairdressing<\/strong> need to update their VAT codes before 1 July 2026. This is a straightforward configuration task but has a fixed external deadline.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\"><strong>All businesses on version 24 or earlier<\/strong> should check their upgrade path now. The requirement to step through version 25 before upgrading to version 28 means the path to Wave 1 may take longer than a single upgrade cycle, and planning time matters if you want to take advantage of features with summer or autumn availability dates.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">For the broader platform improvements \u2014 the AI agents, the finance workflow changes, the Shopify connector updates \u2014 the most useful thing to do with Wave 1 is to test the relevant features in a sandbox environment before they go live in production. That applies particularly to the Payables Agent (where data quality will determine how well it performs), the reverse drop shipment change (where existing returns workflows need verifying), and any legacy Excel report layouts currently in use.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"container\">\r\n <div class=\"cta-band\">\r\n <h2>Need Help Planning Your Wave 1 Upgrade?<\/h2>\r\n <p>We work with UK and Irish businesses across manufacturing, food and drink, and distribution to implement, optimise, and upgrade Business Central. Whether you need to plan for the Payment Practices feature, assess your Irish e-invoicing readiness, or get more from the new AI capabilities, we're here to help.<\/p>\r\n <a href=\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/en_in\/contact-us\/\" class=\"cta-btn\">Speak to an Expert<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/main>\r\n<\/body>\r\n<\/html>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> Microsoft Dynamics 365 April 2026 Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 \u2014 What UK and Irish Businesses Need…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":62134,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,32,1392],"tags":[583,91,411],"class_list":["post-62130","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-dynamics-365","category-microsoft","tag-digital-transformation","tag-erp","tag-target-integration"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n<title>Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 \u2014 What UK and Irish Businesses Need to Know - Article<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 is here. UK and Irish businesses need to know about Payment Practices reporting, Ireland's e-invoicing mandate, new AI agents, and more. Find out what's changing and what to do now.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/en_in\/business-central-2026-release-wave-1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 \u2014 What UK and Irish Businesses Need to Know - Article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 is here. UK and Irish businesses need to know about Payment Practices reporting, Ireland's e-invoicing mandate, new AI agents, and more. 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}\r\n .badge {\r\n display: inline-block;\r\n padding: 2px 8px;\r\n border-radius: 4px;\r\n font-size: 11px;\r\n font-weight: 600;\r\n letter-spacing: 0.04em;\r\n }\r\n .badge-green { background: #d4edda; color: #155724; }\r\n .badge-orange { background: #fde8da; color: #7d3400; }\r\n .badge-blue { background: #dde8f5; color: #003b56; }\r\n .region-strip {\r\n display: flex;\r\n gap: 10px;\r\n align-items: center;\r\n margin: 0 0 20px;\r\n flex-wrap: wrap;\r\n }\r\n .region-pill {\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-size: 11px;\r\n font-weight: 700;\r\n letter-spacing: 0.07em;\r\n text-transform: uppercase;\r\n padding: 4px 12px;\r\n border-radius: 20px;\r\n }\r\n .region-pill.uk { background: #002366; color: #fff; }\r\n .region-pill.ie { background: #169b62; color: #fff; }\r\n .region-pill.both { background: var(--teal); color: #fff; }\r\n .cta-band {\r\n background: linear-gradient(135deg, var(--teal) 0%, #0d4f4f 100%);\r\n border-radius: 12px;\r\n padding: 48px 40px;\r\n margin: 60px 0 32px;\r\n text-align: center;\r\n position: relative;\r\n overflow: hidden;\r\n }\r\n .cta-band::after {\r\n content: '';\r\n position: absolute;\r\n bottom: -30px; left: -30px;\r\n width: 160px; height: 160px;\r\n border-radius: 50%;\r\n background: rgba(242,99,37,0.15);\r\n }\r\n .cta-band h2 {\r\n color: #fff;\r\n border-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.3);\r\n margin-top: 0;\r\n padding-top: 0;\r\n margin-bottom: 14px;\r\n display: block;\r\n font-size: clamp(22px, 3vw, 28px);\r\n }\r\n .cta-band p {\r\n color: rgba(255,255,255,0.8);\r\n font-size: 16px;\r\n max-width: 520px;\r\n margin: 0 auto 28px;\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-weight: 400;\r\n }\r\n .cta-btn {\r\n display: inline-block;\r\n background: var(--orange);\r\n color: #fff;\r\n text-decoration: none;\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-weight: 600;\r\n font-size: 15px;\r\n padding: 14px 32px;\r\n border-radius: 6px;\r\n letter-spacing: 0.02em;\r\n transition: background 0.2s, transform 0.15s;\r\n }\r\n .cta-btn:hover { background: #d9531e; transform: translateY(-1px); }\r\n .post-footer {\r\n border-top: 1px solid var(--rule);\r\n padding: 36px 0 60px;\r\n margin-top: 20px;\r\n display: flex;\r\n align-items: center;\r\n gap: 20px;\r\n flex-wrap: wrap;\r\n }\r\n .author-block { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 14px; }\r\n .author-avatar {\r\n width: 44px; height: 44px;\r\n border-radius: 50%;\r\n background: var(--teal);\r\n display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center;\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; color: #fff;\r\n }\r\n .author-info { font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif; }\r\n .author-info .name { font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; color: var(--navy); }\r\n .author-info .role { font-size: 12px; color: var(--muted); }\r\n .tag-list { margin-left: auto; display: flex; gap: 8px; flex-wrap: wrap; }\r\n .tag {\r\n font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;\r\n font-size: 11px; font-weight: 600;\r\n letter-spacing: 0.07em; text-transform: uppercase;\r\n padding: 4px 10px;\r\n background: var(--light-bg);\r\n border: 1px solid var(--rule);\r\n border-radius: 4px;\r\n color: var(--muted);\r\n }\r\n @media (max-width: 600px) {\r\n .hero-inner { padding: 48px 20px 44px; }\r\n .container { padding: 0 20px; }\r\n .highlight-box { padding: 28px 22px; }\r\n .cta-band { padding: 36px 22px; }\r\n .card-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; }\r\n .post-footer { flex-direction: column; }\r\n .tag-list { margin-left: 0; }\r\n .feature-table { font-size: 13px; }\r\n }\r\n<\/style>\r\n<\/head>\r\n<body>\r\n\r\n<header class=\"hero\">\r\n <div class=\"hero-inner\">\r\n <div class=\"hero-eyebrow\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span> Microsoft Dynamics 365 <span class=\"dot\"><\/span> April 2026<\/div>\r\n <h1>Business Central 2026 <em>Release Wave 1<\/em> \u2014 What UK and Irish Businesses Need to Know<\/h1>\r\n <p class=\"hero-sub\">From new statutory payment reporting for UK businesses to Ireland's approaching e-invoicing mandate, Wave 1 brings changes with real compliance implications on these shores \u2014 alongside meaningful improvements to AI, finance, and operations.<\/p>\r\n <div class=\"hero-meta\">\r\n <span>Target Integration<\/span>\r\n <span class=\"sep\">\u00b7<\/span>\r\n <span>April 2026<\/span>\r\n <span class=\"sep\">\u00b7<\/span>\r\n <span>9 min read<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/header>\r\n\r\n<main>\r\n<div class=\"container\">\r\n\r\n <div class=\"intro-strip\">\r\n Microsoft's 2026 Release Wave 1 for Dynamics 365 Business Central runs from April through to September 2026. For businesses in the UK and Ireland, this wave includes several features with direct compliance and regulatory relevance \u2014 alongside broader platform improvements to AI, finance, operations, and governance that apply to all customers.\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">If you're on Business Central cloud (version 28), your update arrives automatically within the rollout window. Administrators can schedule it to any date up to 31 August 2026 using the Business Central Admin Centre. If you're running version 24 or earlier on-premises, you'll need to upgrade to version 25 before moving to version 28, so it's worth checking where your environment sits now rather than closer to the deadline.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">This post covers what matters most for UK and Irish organisations. We've put the local compliance and regulatory features first because those are the ones with external deadlines attached \u2014 then we move into the broader platform improvements that affect most businesses running Business Central day-to-day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>UK and Ireland: Compliance and Localisation<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">This is the section most worth reading carefully if you're based in the UK or Ireland. Several Wave 1 features are built specifically around regulatory requirements in our markets, and a couple of them have action points that need to happen well before the feature goes live.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <h3>United Kingdom<\/h3>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"region-strip\">\r\n <span class=\"region-pill uk\">🇬🇧 UK Specific<\/span>\r\n <span class=\"region-pill both\">GA: June 2026<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">The standout UK feature in Wave 1 is built-in support for the <strong>Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance (Amendment) Regulations 2024<\/strong>. UK companies above the relevant size thresholds are legally required to report twice a year on their payment terms and actual payment performance to suppliers. Until now, most finance teams have been pulling data out of Business Central manually, running it through spreadsheets, and then submitting it \u2014 a process that takes time and introduces risk at every stage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">From June 2026, Business Central's UK localisation handles this natively. The update adds new data points to the existing Payment Practices page: the total value of payments made during the reporting period, the proportion that were late against agreed terms, and a specific breakdown of late payments attributable to disputes rather than poor payment performance. That last point matters \u2014 a dispute flag has been added to purchase invoices so that finance teams can link a delayed payment directly to a documented dispute. This is important for audit purposes and protects the business in situations where a late payment was held legitimately. The report exports in CSV format, ready for submission to the government portal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"highlight-box\">\r\n <h3>🇬🇧 Action Required \u2014 UK Payment Practices Reporting<\/h3>\r\n <p>If your business is within scope for Payment Practices reporting, <strong>June 2026 is the GA date for this feature<\/strong>. Check your next reporting period against that date and build in setup time \u2014 the dispute flag on purchase invoices in particular needs to be configured prospectively, not retrospectively.<\/p>\r\n <ul>\r\n <li>Applies to large companies under the 2024 Amendment Regulations \u2014 report twice yearly on payment terms and actual performance<\/li>\r\n <li>New dispute flag on purchase invoices creates an auditable trail for legitimately disputed payments<\/li>\r\n <li>Total payment value, late payment percentage, and dispute breakdowns all captured automatically<\/li>\r\n <li>CSV export ready for the government submission portal<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <h3>Ireland<\/h3>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"region-strip\">\r\n <span class=\"region-pill ie\">🇮🇪 Ireland Relevant<\/span>\r\n <span class=\"region-pill both\">Preparation Now Advised<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Ireland doesn't have a feature that switches on directly in Wave 1 the way the UK Payment Practices update does, but the regulatory landscape is shifting in ways that make 2026 an important planning year. Two things are converging: the EU's VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) Directive, and Revenue's own domestic e-invoicing rollout, which is moving ahead of the broader EU timeline.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">In February 2026, Revenue confirmed which businesses fall within scope for Phase One of Ireland's VAT modernisation programme. Phase One requires mandatory domestic B2B e-invoicing for large corporates \u2014 specifically, VAT-registered businesses managed by Revenue's Large Corporates Division \u2014 from <strong>1 November 2028<\/strong>. Phase Two then extends obligations to all VAT-registered businesses with zero-rated cross-border EU B2B transactions from November 2029. The full EU-wide ViDA requirement for intra-EU B2B e-invoicing follows on 1 July 2030.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Revenue has explicitly recommended that in-scope businesses begin preparations now, and has indicated that those within scope can expect correspondence from Revenue confirming their Phase One inclusion. If you're a large corporate in Ireland, an ERP readiness assessment should be on your agenda for 2026. Your Business Central environment needs to be capable of issuing structured e-invoices and transmitting specified data to Revenue's reporting infrastructure \u2014 and getting there from where most environments are today takes more time than organisations typically expect.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"highlight-box\">\r\n <h3>🇮🇪 Ireland E-Invoicing \u2014 Key Dates<\/h3>\r\n <p>Wave 1's enhanced e-document framework is a direct foundation for Irish e-invoicing readiness. <strong>Revenue has advised large corporates to begin preparations now.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n <ul>\r\n <li><strong>1 November 2028:<\/strong> Phase One \u2014 mandatory domestic B2B e-invoicing for large corporates managed by Revenue's Large Corporates Division<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>November 2029:<\/strong> Phase Two \u2014 extends to all VAT-registered businesses with zero-rated cross-border EU B2B transactions<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>1 July 2030:<\/strong> Full ViDA \u2014 mandatory intra-EU B2B e-invoicing across all EU member states<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">There's also a more immediate VAT change for Irish businesses in specific sectors. Ireland's Budget 2026 confirmed a reduction in the VAT rate for restaurant and catering services and hairdressing from 13.5% to 9%, effective <strong>1 July 2026<\/strong>. This isn't a Business Central feature \u2014 it's a tax configuration task you need to complete in your environment before that date. If your Business Central setup handles VAT for these categories, update your tax codes ahead of 1 July or you'll be charging customers the wrong rate.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"card-grid\">\r\n <div class=\"card warn\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M1 21h22L12 2 1 21zm12-3h-2v-2h2v2zm0-4h-2v-4h2v4z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Irish VAT Rate Change \u2014 1 July 2026<\/h4>\r\n <p>Catering, restaurant, and hairdressing services move from 13.5% to 9% VAT. Update your tax codes in Business Central before this date \u2014 it's a configuration task, not a Wave 1 feature.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"card warn\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M14 2H6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2v16c0 1.1.89 2 2 2h12c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2V8l-6-6zm2 16H8v-2h8v2zm0-4H8v-2h8v2zm-3-5V3.5L18.5 9H13z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Irish Payroll \u2014 Auto-Enrolment and PRSI<\/h4>\r\n <p>From 1 January 2026, Irish employers must auto-enrol eligible employees into pension schemes. PRSI rates have also changed: employee rate is now 4.35%, employer rate 11.40%. Verify your payroll module reflects both changes.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"card accent\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M11.8 10.9c-2.27-.59-3-1.2-3-2.15 0-1.09 1.01-1.85 2.7-1.85 1.78 0 2.44.85 2.5 2.1h2.21c-.07-1.72-1.12-3.3-3.21-3.81V3h-3v2.16c-1.94.42-3.5 1.68-3.5 3.61 0 2.31 1.91 3.46 4.7 4.13 2.5.6 3 1.48 3 2.41 0 .69-.49 1.79-2.7 1.79-2.06 0-2.87-.92-2.98-2.1h-2.2c.12 2.19 1.76 3.42 3.68 3.83V21h3v-2.15c1.95-.37 3.5-1.5 3.5-3.55 0-2.84-2.43-3.81-4.7-4.4z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Irish R&D Tax Credit \u2014 35% from Dec 2026<\/h4>\r\n <p>For accounting periods ending on or after 31 December 2026, Ireland's R&D tax credit increases from 30% to 35%. If you track R&D projects in Business Central, make sure your cost capture is accurate to maximise the claim.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>Electronic Documents \u2014 Building the Foundation<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Wave 1 expands the e-document framework significantly. For UK businesses this is relevant in the context of trading with European partners; for Irish businesses it's a direct stepping stone towards the e-invoicing infrastructure Revenue will require by 2028. Either way, getting comfortable with this framework now makes sense.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <table class=\"feature-table\">\r\n <thead>\r\n <tr>\r\n <th>Feature<\/th>\r\n <th>What It Does<\/th>\r\n <th>Relevant For<\/th>\r\n <th>Available<\/th>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <\/thead>\r\n <tbody>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Payments via E-Document Framework<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Extends e-document handling to payment documents, not just invoices and credit notes.<\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-blue\">UK & IE<\/span><\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-orange\">Jul 2026<\/span><\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Default E-Document Type on Vendor Templates<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Set a default e-document format at vendor template level, reducing manual selection errors in AP workflows.<\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-blue\">UK & IE<\/span><\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-green\">Apr 2026<\/span><\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Electronic Invoicing \u2014 France<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Native e-invoicing support for France, relevant for businesses with French customers or suppliers ahead of France's B2B mandate.<\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-blue\">UK & IE<\/span><\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-orange\">Jul 2026<\/span><\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Carbon Footprint in OIOUBL Format<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Danish e-invoicing format supports embedded carbon footprint data \u2014 relevant for businesses exporting to Nordic markets.<\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-blue\">Export<\/span><\/td>\r\n <td><span class=\"badge badge-green\">Apr 2026<\/span><\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <\/tbody>\r\n <\/table>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">For Irish businesses specifically: while Business Central does not yet carry a dedicated Irish e-invoicing format for Revenue's Phase One requirements (those technical specifications are still being finalised by Revenue), version 28's e-document framework is the architecture that any future Irish localisation will be built on. Ensuring your vendor and customer records are clean, and configuring e-document workflows before 2028, will make the transition considerably less disruptive than leaving it late.<\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>AI Agents and Copilot \u2014 What's Changed in Practice<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">AI is the headline theme across the whole release. For UK and Irish finance teams dealing with high volumes of purchase invoices, the Payables Agent is the feature worth paying most attention to. It processes incoming invoices by reading your email inbox, matching them to purchase orders, and handling the routine parts of accounts payable without manual handling at every step.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">What's new in Wave 1 is meaningful visibility into what the agent has been doing. A dedicated view shows which emails in your mailbox the Payables Agent has already processed, which addresses the understandable concern many finance managers have about losing oversight of what the AI has and hasn't touched. You can also stop all active agent tasks in one action \u2014 useful when you need to intervene quickly, for example around period-end or when an exception needs human review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"pull-quote\">\r\n <p>\"The Payables Agent works best in a well-maintained data environment. If your vendor records are inconsistent or your purchase orders have coverage gaps, the agent will surface those problems rather than smooth over them \u2014 which is genuinely useful, but worth knowing before you enable it in production.\"<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"card-grid\">\r\n <div class=\"card accent\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M12 2C6.48 2 2 6.48 2 12s4.48 10 10 10 10-4.48 10-10S17.52 2 12 2zm-1 14H9V8h2v8zm4 0h-2V8h2v8z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Unified Agent Task Pane<\/h4>\r\n <p>Manage all running agents from one pane, see what's in progress, review outputs, and stop tasks where needed. Available from April 2026.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"card accent\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M20 2H4c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2v18l4-4h14c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2V4c0-1.1-.9-2-2-2z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Payables Agent Email Visibility<\/h4>\r\n <p>See which emails the Payables Agent has already processed \u2014 so finance teams don't have to guess what's been handled automatically and what still needs attention.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"card accent\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M19 3H5c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2v14l4-4h12c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2V5c0-1.1-.9-2-2-2zm0 12l-2.5-2.5c-.78 1.05-1.95 1.5-3.5 1.5C10.01 14 8 12 8 9.5S10.01 5 12.5 5 17 7.01 17 9.5c0 .93-.27 1.78-.71 2.5L19 15v.5z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Agent Designer \u2014 May 2026<\/h4>\r\n <p>Build custom AI agents within Business Central without specialist development work. Useful for businesses with specific processes that don't fit a standard Microsoft agent out of the box.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"card\">\r\n <div class=\"card-icon\">\r\n <svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M17 12h-5v5h5v-5zM16 1v2H8V1H6v2H5c-1.11 0-1.99.9-1.99 2L3 19c0 1.1.89 2 2 2h14c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2V5c0-1.1-.9-2-2-2h-1V1h-2zm3 18H5V8h14v11z\"\/><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <h4>Copilot for Sustainability Journals<\/h4>\r\n <p>Coming August 2026, Copilot suggests gas emission entries in sustainability journals. Relevant for UK businesses with TCFD or CSRD reporting obligations, and for Irish businesses aligning to EU sustainability disclosure requirements.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>Finance and Reporting Improvements<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Beyond the UK Payment Practices feature, there are several finance improvements in Wave 1 that are useful across UK and Irish organisations. Most of them are about reducing manual overhead and improving the accuracy of reporting without requiring significant changes to how teams already work.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <ul class=\"feature-list\">\r\n <li><strong>Posting Period DateFormula<\/strong> \u2014 Define posting From\/To periods using date formulas rather than fixed dates. More flexible for businesses on monthly, quarterly, or custom financial periods, and removes a recurring friction point for period-end close routines.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Match Purchase Invoices to Multiple Order Lines<\/strong> \u2014 A new \"Get Order Lines\" action allows a single purchase invoice to be matched against multiple purchase orders and receipt lines. Particularly useful for manufacturers and distributors who consolidate deliveries before invoicing, which is common in food and drink supply chains in both the UK and Ireland.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Self-Billed Invoices<\/strong> \u2014 Supports self-billing arrangements where the customer issues the invoice on the supplier's behalf. This is used in parts of the UK and Irish agricultural supply chain, certain construction subcontracting arrangements, and some professional services sectors.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Foreign Currency Revaluation on GL Accounts<\/strong> \u2014 More accurate revaluation of GL accounts in foreign currencies. Relevant for UK businesses holding EUR balances post-Brexit, and for Irish businesses with GBP or USD positions \u2014 a common scenario for companies trading across the UK-Ireland border.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Accelerated Depreciation for Fixed Assets<\/strong> \u2014 A long-requested feature, useful for businesses claiming capital allowances or managing asset write-downs under UK tax rules (HMRC AIA and writing-down allowances) or Irish Revenue rules (Irish accelerated capital allowances, including the R&D equipment scheme).<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Financial Reporting Enhancements<\/strong> \u2014 Improved performance on Trial Balance-related Excel reports, updated formatting options, and a more reliable experience for finance teams producing board packs or statutory accounts.<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>Operations, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Target Integration works extensively with manufacturing, food and drink, and distribution businesses across the UK and Ireland, and there are several Wave 1 updates in this area worth flagging. None of them are sweeping transformations, but they address genuine day-to-day friction that operational teams deal with regularly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <ul class=\"feature-list\">\r\n <li><strong>Improved Manufacturing Usability<\/strong> \u2014 Refined navigation and layout consistency across production order workflows. For businesses running high transaction volumes on the shop floor \u2014 processing lines, batch manufacturing, work orders \u2014 this kind of usability improvement compounds over time and reduces training burden for new staff.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Reverse Drop Shipments<\/strong> \u2014 Businesses can now reverse drop shipments when the associated sales and purchase documents haven't yet been invoiced. This has been a workaround-heavy area for companies managing returns or cancellations on drop-shipped goods. It's particularly relevant for UK businesses dealing with cross-border logistics where post-Brexit customs complexity already adds friction to returns processes.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Item Insights with Advanced KPIs<\/strong> \u2014 AI-assisted KPI views and summaries on item records, making it easier for procurement and inventory teams to assess stock performance without pulling separate reports. Useful for businesses managing large SKU ranges across multiple warehouses or fulfilment locations.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Enhanced Fixed Asset Analytics<\/strong> \u2014 Updated Power BI analytics for fixed asset management, building on the embedded reporting introduced in recent waves. Relevant for capital-intensive businesses in food and drink processing, manufacturing, and engineering.<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"highlight-box\">\r\n <h3>For Manufacturing and Food & Drink Businesses<\/h3>\r\n <p>The <strong>manufacturing usability improvements<\/strong> and the <strong>reverse drop shipment capability<\/strong> are both worth testing in your sandbox before Wave 1 goes live in production. The drop shipment change in particular can affect existing returns workflows \u2014 it's worth verifying your process still behaves as expected after the upgrade, especially if you have customisations or ISV extensions in that area.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>Shopify Connector Updates<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">For UK and Irish businesses selling through Shopify alongside Business Central \u2014 common in food, retail, consumer goods, and gifting \u2014 Wave 1 includes four connector improvements, all available from April 2026. The checkout currency change is the one most worth flagging for businesses operating across the UK-Ireland border or selling into the EU.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <table class=\"feature-table\">\r\n <thead>\r\n <tr>\r\n <th>Feature<\/th>\r\n <th>Why It Matters for UK and Irish Businesses<\/th>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <\/thead>\r\n <tbody>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Checkout Currency on Sales Documents<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Sales documents created from Shopify orders now use the currency the customer checked out in, rather than your default currency. Removes a manual correction step for businesses selling in both GBP and EUR \u2014 common for businesses operating across the UK-Ireland border.<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Product Options via Item Attributes<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Export items to Shopify with size, colour, or other variant options mapped directly from Business Central item attributes. No more manual variant setup in Shopify after each catalogue update or seasonal range change.<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Variant Image Sync<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Synchronise product variant images between Business Central and Shopify bidirectionally. Keeps product listings accurate without manual uploads \u2014 useful when managing large catalogues across both platforms.<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <tr>\r\n <td><strong>Custom Collections Export<\/strong><\/td>\r\n <td>Assign and push custom Shopify collections from Business Central \u2014 useful for seasonal ranges, promotional groupings, or region-specific catalogues targeting UK and Irish customers separately.<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <\/tbody>\r\n <\/table>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>Governance and Administration<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">For IT administrators and those responsible for Business Central governance in larger or multi-entity organisations, Wave 1 includes several changes that improve control over environments, data, and partner access. These are less visible day-to-day but reduce operational and compliance risk.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <ul class=\"feature-list\">\r\n <li><strong>Partner Access per Environment<\/strong> \u2014 Assign your Microsoft Partner's access at the individual environment level rather than across the whole tenant. Particularly relevant for organisations with multiple legal entities \u2014 UK head offices with Irish subsidiaries, or businesses with separate production and shared services environments \u2014 where you need to control which environments a partner can access and when.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Customer-Managed Encryption Keys<\/strong> \u2014 Take control of your own encryption keys for Business Central data. This directly supports compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and with Ireland's Data Protection Act 2018 (which transposes the EU GDPR). For organisations with specific data residency or sovereignty requirements \u2014 financial services, healthcare, public sector \u2014 this is worth reviewing with your compliance team.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Extended Update Windows<\/strong> \u2014 More flexibility to schedule when Business Central updates are applied, reducing the risk of updates landing during month-end close, peak trading periods, or other operationally sensitive windows.<\/li>\r\n <li><strong>Unified PTE and AppSource Management<\/strong> \u2014 A single interface for managing both per-tenant extensions and AppSource apps across environments, reducing deployment overhead for organisations running multiple Business Central environments.<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>What's Being Removed in Version 28<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Version 28 removes some legacy functionality, and the main item to be aware of is the removal of older Excel report layouts. These were partially replaced during the 2024 Wave 1 release and moved to a \"Legacy\" tab in version 27. In version 28 they are removed entirely. Microsoft has provided replacement layouts for all of them, but it's worth running a quick audit of which report layouts are actively in use in your environment \u2014 particularly anything feeding management packs, board reports, or statutory accounts \u2014 and verifying that the updated versions produce the outputs you need before the upgrade arrives.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Some standard reports are also being deprecated in this wave. Again, this is manageable in most cases, but is best identified and tested rather than discovered after the update has been applied to your production environment.<\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n <h2>What to Do Now<\/h2>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">Wave 1 is a wide release and not every feature will be immediately relevant to every business. For UK and Irish organisations, the clearest near-term priorities break down like this.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\"><strong>UK businesses subject to Payment Practices reporting<\/strong> should treat June 2026 as a deadline to plan back from, not a notification to act on when it arrives. Confirm whether you're in scope, check your next reporting deadline, and engage your Business Central partner early so the configuration \u2014 particularly the purchase invoice dispute flag \u2014 is in place before the feature goes live.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\"><strong>Irish large corporates<\/strong> should confirm whether you've received or are expecting correspondence from Revenue about Phase One scope. If you're in scope, a readiness assessment of your Business Central environment against the e-invoicing requirements should be on the agenda for 2026. November 2028 sounds distant but an ERP implementation or significant configuration project to meet those requirements needs to be planned and resourced well in advance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\"><strong>Irish businesses in hospitality, catering, or hairdressing<\/strong> need to update their VAT codes before 1 July 2026. This is a straightforward configuration task but has a fixed external deadline.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\"><strong>All businesses on version 24 or earlier<\/strong> should check their upgrade path now. The requirement to step through version 25 before upgrading to version 28 means the path to Wave 1 may take longer than a single upgrade cycle, and planning time matters if you want to take advantage of features with summer or autumn availability dates.<\/p>\r\n\r\n <p class=\"body-text\">For the broader platform improvements \u2014 the AI agents, the finance workflow changes, the Shopify connector updates \u2014 the most useful thing to do with Wave 1 is to test the relevant features in a sandbox environment before they go live in production. That applies particularly to the Payables Agent (where data quality will determine how well it performs), the reverse drop shipment change (where existing returns workflows need verifying), and any legacy Excel report layouts currently in use.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"container\">\r\n <div class=\"cta-band\">\r\n <h2>Need Help Planning Your Wave 1 Upgrade?<\/h2>\r\n <p>We work with UK and Irish businesses across manufacturing, food and drink, and distribution to implement, optimise, and upgrade Business Central. Whether you need to plan for the Payment Practices feature, assess your Irish e-invoicing readiness, or get more from the new AI capabilities, we're here to help.<\/p>\r\n <a href=\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/en_in\/contact-us\/\" class=\"cta-btn\">Speak to an Expert<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/main>\r\n<\/body>\r\n<\/html>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> Microsoft Dynamics 365 April 2026 Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 \u2014 What UK and Irish Businesses Need…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":62134,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,32,1392],"tags":[583,91,411],"class_list":["post-62130","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-dynamics-365","category-microsoft","tag-digital-transformation","tag-erp","tag-target-integration"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n<title>Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 \u2014 What UK and Irish Businesses Need to Know - Article<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 is here. UK and Irish businesses need to know about Payment Practices reporting, Ireland's e-invoicing mandate, new AI agents, and more. Find out what's changing and what to do now.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/en_in\/business-central-2026-release-wave-1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 \u2014 What UK and Irish Businesses Need to Know - Article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 is here. UK and Irish businesses need to know about Payment Practices reporting, Ireland's e-invoicing mandate, new AI agents, and more. Find out what's changing and what to do now.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/en_in\/business-central-2026-release-wave-1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Target Integration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-20T11:25:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/04\/Manufacturing-the-Future-Kerrys-Key-Takeaways-from-Ibecs-Galway-Event-4-scaled.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1152\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Robert Abell\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Robert Abell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/business-central-2026-release-wave-1\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/business-central-2026-release-wave-1\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Robert Abell\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/#\/schema\/person\/25a8cda5e6dd7bfe67d9283a503c12e9\"},\"headline\":\"Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 \u2014 What UK and Irish Businesses Need to Know\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-20T11:25:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/business-central-2026-release-wave-1\/\"},\"wordCount\":3088,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/business-central-2026-release-wave-1\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/04\/Manufacturing-the-Future-Kerrys-Key-Takeaways-from-Ibecs-Galway-Event-4-scaled.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Digital Transformation\",\"ERP\",\"Target Integration\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Article\",\"Dynamics 365\",\"Microsoft\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-IN\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/business-central-2026-release-wave-1\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/business-central-2026-release-wave-1\/\",\"name\":\"Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 \u2014 What UK and Irish Businesses Need to Know - Article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/business-central-2026-release-wave-1\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/business-central-2026-release-wave-1\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/targetintegration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/04\/Manufacturing-the-Future-Kerrys-Key-Takeaways-from-Ibecs-Galway-Event-4-scaled.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-20T11:25:04+00:00\",\"description\":\"Business Central 2026 Release Wave 1 is here. 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