MYOB Acumatica 2026R1 is the first major release of 2026. For New Zealand businesses the headlines are AI Automation moving out of experimental status and into general availability, GST calculation on change orders so the variation a client signs matches the invoice that follows, a single place to plan and issue project materials, and expanded two factor authentication that now covers New Zealand sites for the first time.
This post covers what matters most. Five companion articles go deeper by area.
AI moves from experiment to production
In the previous release, the AI capability set sat in the Experimental Features group. In 2026R1 it has moved into the Platform group as production functionality, with AI Studio renamed AI Automation and Detection of Anomalies in Generic Inquiries renamed Anomaly Detection.
AI Automation is the engine room. Administrators can build AI driven automations directly inside the platform, working against your own business data, without writing a line of code.
The changes in this release are mostly about making that safe to use at scale. Data masking lets you mark sensitive fields so the real values never leave MYOB Acumatica: the model only ever sees the masked version, and the system substitutes the actual data back into the response. A central library of reusable system instructions, along with new Security Expert and Prompt Engineer roles, gives you a way to govern how prompts are built and approved. Token statistics make the running cost visible before you scale usage.
Read more in AI Automation and Platform
Real time control where the work happens
Several changes in this release target the point where things actually go wrong rather than the reporting that follows.
Inventory adjustments can now run through an approval workflow, so write offs carry a name and a timestamp. Shipping labels, confirmations and commercial invoices can print automatically when a shipment is confirmed. Warehouse staff receive a recommended putaway location as they scan an item in. Batch pick lists keep moving when stock runs short instead of stalling the run.
On the manufacturing side, operation and labour time is now captured, stored and costed to the second rather than the minute, which matters on any line where a single unit takes seconds to process. Stock in transit between warehouses now counts as planned supply, closing a visibility gap that has historically been filled by a planner's memory.
In the field, project time tracking is available in the mobile app, with a running timer against a selected project task and time logs that flow into the Daily Field Report.
A more connected experience
File tagging, introduced last release for project and construction documents, now works across the whole system. You define tags and their role based access rights on the File Tags (SM202560) form, apply them to any uploaded file, and search by tag.
Electronic document signing lets you send documents for signature directly from MYOB Acumatica, with no printing, scanning or chasing approvals outside the system. Support covers Adobe Acrobat Sign and DocuSign, and signed files attach back to the originating record automatically.
PDF Annotator is embedded, so you can highlight a total on a vendor bill or mark up a drawing without downloading the file and managing versions by hand.
The Outlook add in has been substantially expanded, though only in its Modern UI version, letting you see linked and related records, link an email to any number of records, and create records directly from the message.
Read more in AI Automation and Platform
Depth where your industry needs it
Construction and professional services received the most attention of any area. Change orders can now calculate GST, with the tax amount and total appearing on the printed document the client signs. Costs can be released ahead of the owner approving the revenue side, so work keeps moving. A new Project Materials (PM306500) form brings the project material list inside the system, from planning through purchasing to issue at site. Completion percentages for progress billing are calculated for you using rules you choose. Read the Construction and Professional Services article
Distribution and commerce gains adjustment approvals, automated shipping paperwork, putaway recommendations, batch picking through shortages, automatic lot and serial numbering on receipt, BigCommerce B2B company import and Shopify draft orders syncing as sales quotes. Read the Distribution and Commerce article
Manufacturing gains second level time precision, a dedicated WIP variance account that keeps negative inventory variances out of true production cost, work centres grouped into manufacturing departments, and purchase receipt correction now available alongside manufacturing. Read the Manufacturing article
Finance and CRM gains AP prepayment invoices as a distinct document type, foreign currency payments entered in the document currency without manual cross rate maths, refunds applied across bills, invoices and credits in one transaction, depreciation methods that can be scheduled to change from a future period, estimated margin on opportunities and quotes, and a new Activity Stream. Read the Accounting and CRM article
What is coming later
Not everything in this release arrives at once. Three capabilities are landing in subsequent minor releases rather than at the initial general availability.
AI Assistant, limited availability. The AI Assistant gives conversational access to information inside MYOB Acumatica, so people can ask questions in plain language and get answers back rather than working through multiple screens. This first release is a controlled limited availability, with general availability targeted for 2026R2.
Excel based financial reporting with Insight XL. Build and refresh financial reports directly inside Microsoft Excel, connected to live MYOB Acumatica data. For finance teams whose month end already runs through Excel, this removes the export and rebuild cycle and keeps the numbers current.
Shop Floor Kiosk. Production staff clock on, record output and track job progress from a simple kiosk interface on the shop floor, giving real time visibility into production as it happens.
If any of these are likely to matter to your business, factor them into your upgrade planning now rather than treating them as a later project. Talk to us about timing and what early access involves.
What New Zealand businesses need to plan for
Three items in this release require action rather than interest.
Two factor authentication now applies to New Zealand sites. Enforcement previously covered Australian sites only. In 2026R1 it extends to New Zealand, to a wider range of licence types, and it now applies automatically to existing users rather than only when a user record is updated. Affected users are those holding the People Payroll User role together with a People User, MYOB_Partner or Full User licence. They will no longer be able to log in with a password alone. Identify who this covers and work through MYOB ID enrolment before the upgrade, not during it.
Fixed asset depreciation behaviour has changed for the New Zealand methods. Previously the system ignored the salvage amount during depreciation for New Zealand and Australian methods, which could take net value below salvage. In 2026R1 depreciation stops when net value falls below salvage. To keep the earlier behaviour, set Salvage Amount to 0 on the Fixed Assets (FA303000) form. Changing Percent Per Year also no longer recalculates useful life automatically.
Several capabilities have been retired. The legacy GL Anomaly Detection feature and its associated forms and dashboards are no longer supported. WorkWave route optimisation for field service has been removed. The Report Designer, OData, API and Device Hub user types have been removed, with access now controlled by licences. The Login method in the REST API is deprecated. And Microsoft is retiring Exchange Web Services on 1 October 2026, so Exchange Server integration should move to the Microsoft Graph API.
Where to start
Audit the retirements first and confirm nothing you rely on is affected. Map your two-factor factor authentication exposure and plan the rollout. Review salvage amounts if you use the New Zealand depreciation methods. Then decide which new capabilities you actually want switched on, since many sit behind feature switches on the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form and some carry additional licensing or third-party party account requirements.
If you would like help scoping your upgrade, book a conversation.
Frequently asked questions
What is new in the MYOB Acumatica 2026R1 release? MYOB Acumatica 2026R1 is the first major release of 2026. Key additions include AI Automation moving from experimental status to general availability, data masking for AI prompts, GST calculation on change orders, a new Project Materials form, automated completion percentage calculation for progress billing, AP prepayment invoices, second level time tracking for manufacturing, electronic document signing with Adobe Acrobat Sign and DocuSign, and expanded two factor authentication enforcement covering New Zealand sites.
Is the AI Assistant available in MYOB Acumatica 2026R1? The AI Assistant is being released as a controlled limited availability in 2026R1, with general availability targeted for 2026R2. It provides conversational access to information inside MYOB Acumatica so users can ask questions in plain language rather than searching through multiple screens. Excel based financial reporting with Insight XL and the Shop Floor Kiosk are also arriving in subsequent minor releases.
Is two factor authentication mandatory in MYOB Acumatica 2026R1? For affected users, yes. In 2026R1 the Forbid Login with Password option is mandatory for New Zealand and Australian users who hold the People Payroll User role together with a People User, MYOB_Partner or Full User licence. Those users must log in using two factor authentication via MYOB ID or another configured method. Employee self service roles and licences are not enforced, and enforcement now applies automatically to existing users.
What has been removed or deprecated in MYOB Acumatica 2026R1? The legacy GL Anomaly Detection feature and its associated forms and dashboards, WorkWave route optimisation for field service, and the Report Designer, OData, API and Device Hub user types have all been removed or deprecated. The Login method in the REST API is deprecated, and Microsoft is retiring Exchange Web Services on 1 October 2026.
What should I do before upgrading to MYOB Acumatica 2026R1? Confirm that nothing you rely on has been retired, identify users who will fall under expanded two factor authentication enforcement, review salvage amounts on fixed assets if you use the New Zealand or Australian depreciation methods, and test any customisations against the new release.
View the full MYOB Acumatica 2026R1 Release notes
Avanza Solutions is a dedicated MYOB Acumatica implementation partner based in New Zealand, working with construction, manufacturing and distribution businesses. This article summarises publicly available MYOB release documentation. Feature availability depends on your edition, licensing and enabled features, and some capabilities described here are being released in subsequent minor releases.
