Google Guaranteed in 2026: what changed and how to get Google Verified

Is Google Guaranteed still available?

No. Google replaced it with Google Verified. In a post on its blog dated August 20, 2025, Google said that starting in October it would unify all Local Services Ads badges, and that "Google Verified will replace other LSA badges and programs, like Google Guaranteed, Google Screened, License Verified by Google and the Money Back Guarantee."

Google's help page for the guarantee now opens with this notice (checked October 20, 2026): "Effective November 7, 2025, the Google Guarantee badge, and the associated Money Back Guarantee, have been discontinued."

If you already had a badge, Google says eligible advertisers who had completed verification received Google Verified automatically, and that "Local Services Ads ranking won't be affected by this change." The old names still appear on agency sites and in a few corners of Google's own help pages.

What is the Google Verified badge?

Google Verified is a checkmark badge on Local Services Ads profiles that tells customers Google has screened and verified the business. Google's getting-started page says it signals "that your business has passed Google's proprietary screening process."

• It shows what was checked. Google says the badge appears alongside details of which verification checks the business has passed.
• It isn't always visible. Google shows it "dynamically" when it predicts the badge will help a customer decide.
• Unverified listings sit lower. Google's "pre-badge ads" can run after preliminary checks, but appear below providers who've completed all onboarding requirements.
• Not every category gets it. The badge is unavailable for dining businesses such as restaurants and coffee and dessert shops.

What happened to the Google Guarantee money-back guarantee?

It ended with the badge. Google's Local Services help center says customers could request reimbursement only for services booked through Local Services Ads before December 7, 2025, and had to submit the request within 30 days of the initial service completion date. Jobs booked through your ads now carry no refund promise from Google.

Google's guarantee page, still online under the discontinuation notice, describes how it worked: Google could, at its sole discretion, reimburse an unhappy customer up to the job invoice amount for the initial services, with a lifetime limit of $2,000 per customer in the United States. It excluded add-on or future projects, property damage, complaints about price or responsiveness, and cancellations.

Which businesses can get Google Verified?

Businesses in the service categories Local Services Ads supports can get it, and availability depends on your category and location. Google's Local Services Ads page lists home services, business services, health, learning, care, wellness, beauty and automotive services.

• Home services: plumbers, electricians, HVAC and roofing, plus general contractors, locksmiths, garage door, water damage, pest control and house cleaning on Google's US requirements page.
• Other services: lawyers, accountants, real estate agents, dentists, tutors, child care, veterinarians, personal trainers, hair salons, auto repair and towing, among others.

Restaurants and coffee shops are in a limited pilot and can't get the badge.

What does Google check before you get verified?

Every Local Services Ads business goes through screening and verification, and the checks depend on your category and location. For plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing and general contractors, Google's US requirements page lists business and owner background checks, business registration checks, general liability insurance, and state business and owner licenses, each "for select users."

Where background checks apply, all owners complete a criminal background check, and so do service professionals who work directly with customers, including employees, contractors and vendors. Office and clerical staff are not checked. Google says "Businesses aren't charged for the background check."

Some trades get extra screening. Google says electricians, plumbing, HVAC, garage door and locksmith businesses "undergo an additional level of screening," and garage door and locksmith businesses also go through Advanced Verification, which can include a review of your Google Ads account, public data and video interviews. Water damage businesses need IICRC certification.

How do I get Google Verified? Step by step

Sign up for Local Services Ads, submit your documents, pass the checks for your category and wait for Google's review.

1. Check that your category and area qualify

   Local Services Ads are "available only for certain service categories," so run the eligibility check on Google's Local Services Ads page before you gather anything.

2. Verify your Google Business Profile

   You need a public, verified profile, and the person doing the checks must be its owner or manager. Its status can take up to 24 hours to update in Local Services.

3. Sign up and set a budget

   Add your business name, service type, location and details, choose the services you offer, then complete billing setup and set a budget.

4. Gather your documents

   Have your D-U-N-S number or state registration, an unexpired photo ID, your state and local licenses, and a current certificate of insurance. Make sure the names match your ad name exactly.

5. Complete the background and identity checks

   If your category requires them, every owner and each customer-facing service professional completes a background check through Google's partners, at no charge.

6. Wait for review and keep it current

   Answer any follow-up requests quickly, keep licenses and insurance up to date, and expect Google to ask you to repeat some checks from time to time.

How long does Google verification take?

About 3 to 4 weeks. Google's US requirements page says that "on average, this process takes 3–4 weeks to complete after submitting your documents," and recommends starting as soon as possible.

• A new D-U-N-S number can take up to 30 days from Dun & Bradstreet, so request one early.
• Accelerated verification: after a risk review, some US advertisers get the badge early, then have 14 days to finish the remaining steps to keep their ads running.
• Ongoing reviews: Google re-evaluates advertisers, and missing a requested review can mean losing the badge, paused ads or a suspended account.

How much does Google Verified cost?

There is no fee for the badge itself in Google's pages, and Google says businesses aren't charged for the background check. The cost is the advertising: Local Services Ads are pay-per-lead listings, and you set a budget based on how many leads you want each week.

Google says lead prices "may vary depending on your location, the job type, the type of lead, or your bidding mode," and that message leads are typically priced lower than phone leads, though not always. Google doesn't publish a price list on these pages; its Local Services Ads page links to a cost estimator instead.

How do Local Services Ads charge for calls and rank businesses?

You pay for each valid lead, and missed calls can count (the full picture of costs, ranking and credits is in our Local Services Ads guide). Google's "How leads work" page says you are charged when you answer a call or call back and reach the customer, for messages and booking requests, and when "you missed a phone call during your business hours and the customer stays on the line for more than 20 seconds."

The same page says a call that reaches voicemail or an automated greeting during your business hours "is treated as a connected call" and is charged if the caller stays on for more than 20 seconds, "whether or not they leave a message." Follow-up calls or messages with the same customer aren't charged again, as long as there is interaction within 15 days.

Ranking depends on your bid and how likely your ad is to produce a lead, which includes responsiveness: "Missed calls may negatively affect your responsiveness," Google's ranking page says. Profile quality counts too: your rating, number of reviews, average response time, photos and the verification checks you have completed.

Why answering every call matters once you're verified

Once your listing is live, a call you miss during business hours can still cost you a lead fee, and Google says missed calls may hurt your responsiveness. The badge brings the call; someone still has to answer it.

Calls from your ad go to a Google forwarding number that rings your business phone, so whatever answers that phone answers your ad calls. If you are on jobs most of the day, the options are office staff, a 24-hour answering service or an after-hours answering service for evenings and weekends. You can forward only the calls you don't answer and keep picking up when you can.

Julius Answer by DealsFlow is one option: an AI receptionist that answers your business calls 24/7, says it is an AI assistant, asks home service callers for the service address and what the problem is, books estimate visits for you to confirm, and flags urgent calls such as an active leak or no heat in extreme weather. It has no connection to Google or your Local Services Ads account, and Google doesn't publish how it scores calls answered by an answering service. See how it works for plumbers, HVAC, electricians and roofing contractors.