{"registry_version":"2026.1025.387","generated_at":"2026-10-25T06:27:00Z","content_sha256":"089d16f627d9365e3d0663cc8069203706d7cb23a76c332226e29686968811a5","signed":true,"signature":{"key_id":"ed25519:74ca19268e364242","algorithm":"ed25519","expires_at":"2026-11-24T06:27:09Z","expired":false,"manifest":"/registry/manifest.json"},"entry_sha256":"8ce37aed2e289d267e7c642cbb03e7b05741f25dc979929d12ae5a7c1555d6f0","entry":{"id":"google/cloud-billing","name":"Google Cloud Billing account","vendor":"Google","summary":"A Cloud Billing account (backed by a Google payments profile) pays for Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform and paid Gemini API usage. Most Google developer products need a project linked to one.","aliases":["gcp billing","google cloud billing account","payments profile"],"category":"hosting","group":"B","homepage":"https://cloud.google.com/billing/docs","docs":["https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/create-billing-account","https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/resolve-issues"],"status":"researched","last_verified":null,"last_researched":"2026-10-25","sources":[{"id":"create","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/create-billing-account","title":"Create a new Cloud Billing account","accessed":"2026-10-25","supports":"Roles needed to create an account; payments profile Individual vs Business is permanent; country and currency cannot be changed; India identity verification within 30 days; authorisation hold clears within about a week (allow up to 7 business days); one billing account per project; create steps.","kind":"official"},{"id":"trial","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features","title":"Google Cloud Free Program (Free Trial and Free Tier)","accessed":"2026-10-25","supports":"$300 credit for 90 days; new customers only; payment method required; $0-$1 verification hold; trial restrictions (no GPUs, no quota increases, no Marketplace, no crypto mining); Gemini API costs not covered; 30-day grace period then deletion if not upgraded.","kind":"official"},{"id":"resolve","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/resolve-issues","title":"Resolve Cloud Billing issues","accessed":"2026-10-25","supports":"Declined payments, suspension stops all services in all linked projects, overdue balance restrictions, payment processing within one business day after re-enabling, removed resources unrecoverable.","kind":"official"},{"id":"quota","url":"https://support.google.com/cloud/answer/6330231","title":"Why are there limits to how many projects I can create?","accessed":"2026-10-25","supports":"Project quota per billing account; request form; typically handled within 2 business days; possible payment.","kind":"official"},{"id":"budgets","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/budgets","title":"Create, edit, or delete budgets and budget alerts","accessed":"2026-10-25","supports":"Budgets do not cap usage or spend; cost reporting is delayed.","kind":"official"},{"id":"link-api","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/reference/rest/v1/projects/updateBillingInfo","title":"Method: projects.updateBillingInfo","accessed":"2026-10-25","supports":"Linking/unlinking a project to a billing account via API; needs ownership of both.","kind":"official"},{"id":"create-api","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/reference/rest/v1/billingAccounts/create","title":"Method: billingAccounts.create","accessed":"2026-10-25","supports":"API creation is only for subaccounts under a parent provisioned for them (resellers use Channel Services).","kind":"official"},{"id":"decline-thread","url":"https://discuss.google.dev/t/urgent-unable-to-resolve-google-cloud-billing-and-payment-issues/179786","title":"Google Developer forums: Unable to resolve Google Cloud billing and payment issues","accessed":"2026-10-25","supports":"One user's report of repeated card declines while charges kept accruing (anecdote).","kind":"community"}],"allowed_domains":["console.cloud.google.com","payments.google.com"],"account_model":{"summary":"A Google Account signs in. Under it sits a Google payments profile (Individual or Business, chosen once and permanent), which holds the payment method and legal/tax details. A Cloud Billing account uses that payments profile, and Cloud projects are linked to the Cloud Billing account. If you use a Google Cloud Organization, the billing account belongs to the Organization.","accounts":[{"name":"Google Account","kind":"personal","owned_by":"the person (ideally a work address on your own domain for a company)","required":true},{"name":"Google payments profile","kind":"billing","owned_by":"the person (Individual) or the company (Business)","parent":"Google Account","required":true,"note":"Account type Individual vs Business is permanent and may be used for tax and identity verification. Individual allows only one user."},{"name":"Cloud Billing account","kind":"billing","owned_by":"the person or the Organization","parent":"Google payments profile","required":true,"note":"Country and currency cannot be changed later; a different country means a new billing account."},{"name":"Google Cloud Organization","kind":"organisation","owned_by":"the company (Workspace or Cloud Identity domain)","required":false,"note":"When present, you need the Billing Account Creator role on the Organization node to create a billing account."},{"name":"Cloud project","kind":"project","parent":"Cloud Billing account","required":true,"note":"A project links to exactly one billing account at a time; one billing account can pay for many projects."}],"notes":["Companies should choose a Business payments profile. Choosing Individual for a company is hard to undo because the setting is permanent.","Maps Platform terms forbid creating multiple Maps-related billing accounts (see google/maps-platform)."]},"prerequisites":[{"need":"A Google Account with two-step verification on","note":"A work Google Account on the company domain is better for companies than a personal Gmail."}],"have_ready":[{"kind":"payment_card","description":"A credit or debit card (or other payment method allowed in your country) in the billing name.","why":"Required to create a billing account and to start the Free Trial; a temporary $0-$1 hold is placed.","needed_for":["payments-profile"],"auto_check":"none","source":"trial"},{"kind":"proof_of_address","description":"The billing address exactly as your bank holds it.","why":"The billing country sets currency and cannot be changed later; a mismatched address is a common decline reason.","needed_for":["payments-profile"],"auto_check":"none","source":"create"},{"kind":"tax_id","description":"Tax details (for example VAT number) if your country asks for them.","why":"Some countries require extra tax information on the payments profile.","needed_for":["payments-profile"],"auto_check":"none","source":"create"},{"kind":"company_documents","description":"India only - registration certificate (organisations) or proof of identity and address (individuals).","why":"Identity verification is mandatory for India billing addresses within 30 days or the account may be suspended.","needed_for":["verify-identity"],"auto_check":"none","source":"create"},{"kind":"phone_for_2fa","description":"A phone for Google two-step verification.","needed_for":["sign-in"],"auto_check":"none"}],"steps":[{"id":"sign-in","title":"Sign in to Google Cloud console","summary":"Sign in with the Google Account that will own billing. For a company, use an account on the company domain.","route":"guided","depends_on":[],"gate":"human_login","url":"https://console.cloud.google.com/billing","preflight":["mfa_enabled"]},{"id":"create-account","title":"Start a new billing account","summary":"On Manage billing accounts, choose Create account, give it a name (no sensitive data), and pick the Organization or country if asked. Country and currency are permanent.","route":"guided","depends_on":["sign-in"],"gate":"none","url":"https://console.cloud.google.com/billing/create","sources":["create"]},{"id":"payments-profile","title":"Choose or create the payments profile and add a payment method","summary":"Pick an existing Business payments profile or create one. Choose Individual or Business carefully (permanent), enter legal name, address and payment method, then the person presses Submit and enable billing.","route":"guided","depends_on":["create-account"],"gate":"human_payment","url":"https://console.cloud.google.com/billing/create","lead_time":{"official":{"text":"A temporary authorisation hold may appear; it typically clears within a week (allow up to 7 business days).","source":"create"},"typical_minutes":10},"recovery":[{"hiccup":"Card declined when adding the payment method or paying.","fix":"Check the decline reason on the Transactions page, make sure the billing address matches your bank, contact your bank, re-enable the payment method, then make a payment. If it has not processed within one business day, make a manual payment or add a new payment method.","source":"resolve"},{"hiccup":"Picked Individual but the company needs several users.","fix":"The account type is permanent; create a new Business payments profile and a new billing account, then move projects across.","source":"create"},{"hiccup":"Billing country is wrong.","fix":"Country and currency cannot be changed; create a new billing account in the right country and relink projects.","source":"create"}],"sources":["create"]},{"id":"verify-identity","title":"Complete any identity or email verification Google asks for","summary":"Google may ask you to verify the payments contact email. With an India billing address, identity verification is mandatory within 30 days. The person uploads documents straight to Google.","route":"guided","depends_on":["payments-profile"],"gate":"human_identity","url":"https://payments.google.com/","lead_time":{"official":{"text":"India identity verification must be completed within 30 days of account creation; no timeframe given for email verification.","source":"create"}},"optional":true,"sources":["create"]},{"id":"link-project","title":"Link a project to the billing account","summary":"In Billing > Account management (or the project's Billing page) link each project. This can also be done with the Cloud Billing API by someone who owns both the project and the billing account.","route":"api","depends_on":["payments-profile"],"gate":"none","url":"https://console.cloud.google.com/billing/projects","lead_time":{"official":{"text":"Project quota requests are typically handled within 2 business days.","source":"quota"}},"recovery":[{"hiccup":"Cannot link or create more projects - project quota reached.","fix":"Fill in the project quota request form the console offers (billing account ID, number of projects, use). Google may ask for a payment that is credited to future charges.","source":"quota"}],"sources":["link-api"]},{"id":"budget-alerts","title":"Set a budget alert","summary":"Create a budget with email alerts. Budgets only alert; they do not stop spending, and cost data arrives with a delay.","route":"guided","depends_on":["link-project"],"gate":"none","url":"https://console.cloud.google.com/billing/budgets","optional":true,"sources":["budgets"]}],"outputs":[{"name":"GOOGLE_CLOUD_BILLING_ACCOUNT_ID","description":"Cloud Billing account ID, used when linking projects (shown on the billing overview page).","secret":false,"from_step":"create-account"}],"terms_notes":[{"kind":"rules_say","severity":"red","title":"Suspension stops everything","text":"If a billing account is suspended (payment problem or unusual activity), all services in all projects linked to it stop. Long-unpaid accounts can have resources removed, and removed resources are not recoverable.","source":"resolve"},{"kind":"rules_say","severity":"red","title":"No crypto mining on the Free Trial","text":"Cryptocurrency mining with Google Cloud during the Free Trial is prohibited.","source":"trial"},{"kind":"rules_say","severity":"amber","title":"Budgets do not cap spend","text":"An alerts-only budget does not cap Google Cloud or Maps Platform usage or spending; leaked keys can run up real charges.","source":"budgets"},{"kind":"rules_say","severity":"amber","title":"Free Trial ends with deletion unless upgraded","text":"The Free Trial ($300 for 90 days, new customers only) closes when credit or time runs out. Resources stop, there is a 30-day grace period to upgrade, then trial resources are permanently deleted. Gemini API costs are not covered by the credit.","source":"trial"},{"kind":"rules_say","severity":"yellow","title":"Free Trial limits","text":"During the Free Trial you cannot add GPUs, request quota increases, use Cloud Marketplace or create Windows Server VMs.","source":"trial"},{"kind":"people_report","severity":"yellow","text":"Some users report repeated card declines while charges keep accruing and no clear fix from support (single forum thread, anecdotal). Try another card or payment method early rather than waiting.","source":"decline-thread"}],"pricing_notes":{"free_tier":"Free Trial $300 credit for 90 days for new customers; Free Tier usage limits continue afterwards.","costs":"The billing account itself is free; you pay for usage in linked projects.","source":"trial"},"api_provisioning":{"available":"partial","notes":"Projects can be linked and unlinked with projects.updateBillingInfo. Creating a normal billing account is console-only; billingAccounts.create only creates subaccounts under a parent provisioned for them (resellers).","docs":["https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/reference/rest/v1/projects/updateBillingInfo","https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/reference/rest/v1/billingAccounts/create"],"source":"create-api"},"detect":{"env_names":["GOOGLE_CLOUD_BILLING_ACCOUNT_ID"]}}}