{"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"},"id":"google/cloud-billing","name":"Google Cloud Billing account","vendor":"Google","status":"researched","last_verified":null,"last_researched":"2026-10-25","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.","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."}],"identity_requires":[],"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_url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features"},{"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_url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/create-billing-account"},{"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_url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/create-billing-account"},{"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_url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/create-billing-account"},{"kind":"phone_for_2fa","description":"A phone for Google two-step verification.","why":null,"needed_for":["sign-in"],"auto_check":"none","source_url":null}],"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","gate":"human_login","human_only":true,"gate_label":"You sign in","depends_on":[],"optional":false,"url":"https://console.cloud.google.com/billing","lead_time":null,"preflight":["mfa_enabled"],"captures":null},{"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","gate":"none","human_only":false,"gate_label":null,"depends_on":["sign-in"],"optional":false,"url":"https://console.cloud.google.com/billing/create","lead_time":null,"preflight":[],"captures":null},{"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","gate":"human_payment","human_only":true,"gate_label":"You add payment details","depends_on":["create-account"],"optional":false,"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_url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/create-billing-account","source_title":"Create a new Cloud Billing account"},"reported":null,"typical_minutes":10},"preflight":[],"captures":null},{"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","gate":"human_identity","human_only":true,"gate_label":"You prove your identity","depends_on":["payments-profile"],"optional":true,"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_url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/create-billing-account","source_title":"Create a new Cloud Billing account"},"reported":null,"typical_minutes":null},"preflight":[],"captures":null},{"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","gate":"none","human_only":false,"gate_label":null,"depends_on":["payments-profile"],"optional":false,"url":"https://console.cloud.google.com/billing/projects","lead_time":{"official":{"text":"Project quota requests are typically handled within 2 business days.","source_url":"https://support.google.com/cloud/answer/6330231","source_title":"Why are there limits to how many projects I can create?"},"reported":null,"typical_minutes":null},"preflight":[],"captures":null},{"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","gate":"none","human_only":false,"gate_label":null,"depends_on":["link-project"],"optional":true,"url":"https://console.cloud.google.com/billing/budgets","lead_time":null,"preflight":[],"captures":null}],"gates":[{"step":"sign-in","gate":"human_login","label":"You sign in"},{"step":"payments-profile","gate":"human_payment","label":"You add payment details"},{"step":"verify-identity","gate":"human_identity","label":"You prove your identity"}],"lead_times":[{"step":"payments-profile","what":"Choose or create the payments profile and add a payment method","official":{"text":"A temporary authorisation hold may appear; it typically clears within a week (allow up to 7 business days).","source_url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/create-billing-account","source_title":"Create a new Cloud Billing account"},"reported":null},{"step":"verify-identity","what":"Complete any identity or email verification Google asks for","official":{"text":"India identity verification must be completed within 30 days of account creation; no timeframe given for email verification.","source_url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/create-billing-account","source_title":"Create a new Cloud Billing account"},"reported":null},{"step":"link-project","what":"Link a project to the billing account","official":{"text":"Project quota requests are typically handled within 2 business days.","source_url":"https://support.google.com/cloud/answer/6330231","source_title":"Why are there limits to how many projects I can create?"},"reported":null}],"outputs":[{"name":"GOOGLE_CLOUD_BILLING_ACCOUNT_ID","description":"Cloud Billing account ID, used when linking projects (shown on the billing overview page).","secret":false,"example_format":null,"environments":null}],"renewals":[],"estimated_minutes":10,"guide_url":"https://verapli.com/guides/google/cloud-billing"}