5 Minute read
Acumatica 2026 R2: What’s New for UK Businesses
AI and ERP work better together. Explore why extending an established ERP platform with AI could be a practical alternative to building your own.
Matt Brown
10th Nov 2026
Acumatica 2026 R2: what it means for UK businesses
By Matt Brown | Cedar Bay – your trusted Acumatica partner UK
Explore the changes to finance, production, distribution and project management, and what to consider before upgrading.
Acumatica 2026 R2 introduces capabilities that address familiar operational challenges: managing subcontractor deductions, planning production around limited capacity and confirming when customer orders can be fulfilled.
It also extends the role of AI within everyday work and continues the transition to Acumatica’s Modern interface. For UK businesses, the priority is understanding which changes fit their processes and what preparation they require.
A useful starting point is to look at where teams currently spend time reconciling information, checking availability or maintaining separate records. Reviewing the release against those activities makes it easier to identify relevant improvements and build a practical upgrade plan.
Managing CIS within Acumatica
For UK construction businesses, support for the Construction Industry Scheme, or CIS, is a significant addition. With the required UK localisation configured, Acumatica supports subcontractor deductions, monthly returns, deduction statements and amendments within the accounts payable process.
Bringing these activities into the same system as supplier payments can reduce reliance on separate records. It can also make the relationship between payments, deductions and reported amounts easier for finance teams to follow.
Successful adoption starts with accurate subcontractor information, appropriate configuration and a clear review process. Businesses should assess how verification details are maintained, how payment adjustments are handled and who is responsible for checking submissions.
Integrated functionality supports the process, while responsibility for accurate records and reporting remains with the business.
Using AI within defined business processes
Acumatica 2026 R2 expands AI Assistant and AI Automation. AI Assistant supports questions about business information and using the system. Separately configured AI agents can retrieve supporting data and carry out defined updates to records.
These capabilities serve different purposes. A user looking for information needs to understand the data behind an answer. An agent updating a record also needs clear instructions, permitted actions and appropriate review points.
Selected business inquiries can be made available to compatible external AI tools. Access, configuration and data handling need to be considered for each use case.
For businesses exploring AI, a focused first application provides a practical starting point. Choose a task with a clear purpose, check the underlying information and assess the results before extending its use. Feature availability, licensing and consumption arrangements should also form part of that review.
Connecting production planning and warehouse activity
Manufacturing updates include scheduling developments and broader reporting through the Shop Floor Kiosk. These changes focus on how production capacity, material use and activity on the factory floor inform planning and costing.
For a manufacturer, the opportunity is to examine where production plans and actual activity become disconnected. Material substitutions, incomplete reporting or capacity constraints can affect the information available to planners and finance teams.
Reviewing how these events are recorded can establish which release developments deserve closer assessment.
For distributors, available to Promise calculations consider future supply and demand when assessing when stock will be available. This gives teams another input when discussing order commitments with customers.
Warehouse picking improvements also address the movement of goods through different locations and handling units. Their relevance depends on the warehouse layout, item setup and working practices. Testing should reflect how orders are picked, checked and despatched in the actual operation.
Improving visibility across related projects
Project hierarchies allow related projects to be linked under a parent, supporting consolidated reporting or a main contract structure. Other changes address forecasting and change management.
For businesses managing several phases, sites or work packages, these developments warrant a review of how project information is organised.
The starting point should be the decisions that project managers and finance teams need to make. They may need to understand the overall contract position while retaining visibility of costs and progress within individual areas of work.
A suitable project structure can support that view, provided reporting relationships and responsibilities are clearly defined. Forecasts also need regular attention as costs, timing and project assumptions change.
Preparing for the Modern interface
The Modern interface becomes the default in Acumatica 2026 R2, with the Classic interface disabled by default. Some forms available only in Classic remain accessible during the transition, ahead of their planned removal in 2027 R1.
Existing dashboards, custom screens and integrations should therefore be reviewed as part of upgrade planning.
This review should include the people who use those screens and processes each day. Identifying dependencies early gives the business time to assess changes, test important workflows and prepare users.
Include routine transactions, exceptions and connected systems in testing so the upgrade reflects the full process your teams rely on.
Choosing where to start with Acumatica 2026 R2
The most useful starting point is a process that needs attention, whether that is subcontractor reporting, production planning or order fulfilment. From there, assess the relevant features, dependencies and testing required.
Agree what a useful improvement would look like, who needs to be involved and how the proposed change will be evaluated. Some capabilities may fit the initial upgrade, while others may benefit from a separate pilot.
This approach gives the release a clear operational purpose and enables teams to introduce changes at a manageable pace.