Google Guaranteed no longer exists. On October 20, 2025 Google replaced the Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and License Verified badges with one badge, Google Verified, for every Local Services Ads advertiser. The money-back guarantee ended with it: Google refunded only services booked before December 7, 2025.
If your business already had the badge, Google switched it to Google Verified for you. If you are applying now, you go through the same screening and verification as before, and the badge costs nothing beyond the leads you pay for.
Most of the articles that rank for «Google Guaranteed», including one on Google’s own business site from January 2023, still describe the refund as active. Below is what changed, what the badge means for your customers today, what it costs and how to get it. Every rule was checked against Google’s help pages on November 2, 2026. For the wider changes to Local Services Ads, including the move into Performance Max and new charges for missed calls, see Google Local Services Ads in 2026.
Google Guaranteed vs Google Screened vs Google Verified
| Badge | Who had it | What it promised | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Guaranteed | Home service businesses: plumbers, roofers, cleaners, HVAC and others | The business passed Google’s checks, and Google could refund an unhappy customer | Replaced October 20, 2025 |
| Google Screened | Professional services: lawyers, financial planners, real estate agents | The business passed Google’s checks. No refund | Replaced October 20, 2025 |
| License Verified by Google | Advertisers whose license Google had checked | Google checked the license | Replaced October 20, 2025 |
| Google Verified | Every Local Services Ads advertiser that passes verification | The business passed Google’s checks. No refund | Current |
The date and the list of retired badges come from Google’s announcement to advertisers, quoted by Search Engine Roundtable on August 21, 2025. Google’s help page on the new badge describes it as «a single badge for all advertisers».
So the old question «Google Guaranteed or Google Screened?» no longer has an answer. Your category decides which checks you go through, not which badge you get.
Is the Google Guarantee Still Active?
No. Google’s help page says it is «discontinuing the Money Back Guarantee associated with the Google Guarantee badge» (Google). The last refunds covered:
- services booked through Local Services Ads before December 7, 2025;
- requests sent within 30 days of the day the job was finished.
You will still find articles that promise a refund of up to $2,000. That figure came from the old guarantee terms. Google’s current Google Guarantee page no longer lists a limit and says the guarantee is being discontinued.
Google also says the change does not affect how Local Services Ads rank, and advertisers who had completed verification did not need to do anything.
What the Google Verified Badge Means for Your Customers
For someone hiring a plumber or a lawyer, the badge now means one thing: the business passed the screening and verification checks Google requires for its category. It is not a promise about the quality of the work, and Google will not pay if a job goes wrong. Problems are settled with the business directly.
Google says the checks a business has passed «will also be called out on verified profiles», so a customer can see what exactly was verified. The badge appears on the Local Services Ads profile and «may dynamically appear on other surfaces» (Google).
If you hired a business through a Local Services Ad after December 7, 2025, there is no Google refund to claim, whatever badge it showed.
How Much Does Google Guaranteed Cost?
The badge itself costs nothing. Google states plainly: «Businesses aren’t charged for the background check» (Google). Google’s help pages list no fee for the badge. The «$50 a month» figure that still circulates has no source in Google’s documentation.
What you pay for is Local Services Ads. The badge comes with them, and you pay per valid lead: a call, a message or a booking request, not a click. Lead prices depend on your trade, your city and your bidding. Our article on Google Local Services Ads in 2026 has 2025-2026 cost per lead for 12 trades and the rules for which calls you are charged for. If you are comparing Local Services Ads with regular Search ads, the Google Ads cost calculator estimates cost per click and per lead by industry.
How to Get the Google Verified Badge (Formerly Google Guaranteed)
The badge is issued once you pass Local Services screening and verification. The steps, from Google’s screening and verification guide:
- Start a Local Services Ads account at g.co/localservices and pick your service categories and areas.
- Connect your Google Business Profile. The person completing the checks must own or manage the profile that matches the business.
- Confirm the business is registered. In the US Google uses your D-U-N-S number. State registration, an EIN or a Department of Revenue registration can be used instead. Getting a D-U-N-S number can take up to 30 days.
- Verify the business representative. Dun & Bradstreet confirms you are affiliated with the business, and Evident checks your identity with a government-issued photo ID.
- Pass background checks if your category requires them. Google’s partners check the business, the owners and, in some trades, each service professional. The results stay between you and the partner.
- Upload licenses and insurance where your category and location require them. The certificate of insurance must be signed, show the policy number and match your business name. It has to stay valid for at least 14 days after you submit it.
- Complete Advanced Verification if your category needs it. Google reviews your Google Ads account, if you have one, and public data, and may hold video interviews.
Google says the process takes 3-4 weeks on average in the US after you submit your documents (Google). Some advertisers qualify for accelerated verification and get the badge sooner. They then have 14 days to finish the remaining steps or their ads stop.
Google Verified Requirements by Business Type (US)
Requirements depend on the category. Google marks many checks as applying to «select users», so not every business in a category goes through every check.
| Business type | What Google checks |
|---|---|
| Most home services | Business and owner background checks, business registration, general liability insurance, state business and owner licenses where the trade is licensed |
| Electricians, plumbers, HVAC | All of the above, plus background checks on service professionals |
| Garage door and locksmith | Home service checks plus a business license and Advanced Verification |
| Water damage restoration | IICRC certification in addition to the home service checks |
| Lawyers | Owner identity check, professional liability insurance, a state bar license check for each lawyer in the firm |
| Financial planners and real estate agents | Owner identity check, professional liability insurance, a license check for each planner or agent |
| Health care | Provider and practice background checks |
Source: Google’s US screening and verification requirements, checked November 2, 2026. Check your own category there before you start: the list changes, and a check marked «select users» may or may not apply to you.
If You Fail a Check
A business that fails a background check is not eligible for the program. After a final disqualification you can reapply in 30 days. After a second denial the wait is 180 days (Google).
Verification is not a one-time event. Google re-evaluates advertisers regularly and may ask you to repeat a check. Ignoring that request can cost you the badge, pause your ads or get the account suspended.
One requirement has eased. Accounts that have moved from the old Local Services dashboard into Google Ads no longer need to re-verify insurance and licenses, though Google may still ask for other checks. The badge moves with the account (Google Ads Help).
Google Verified vs a Verified Business Profile
These are often confused. Verifying your Google Business Profile, by phone, text, email, video or postcard, proves you manage the listing and lets you edit it (Google). It does not give you a badge.
The Google Verified badge is only for Local Services Ads advertisers who passed the checks above. A business can have a verified Business Profile and no badge, but not the other way around: the profile is one of the steps. Our Google Business Profile optimization guide covers the profile itself.
What to Do If Your Marketing Still Says «Google Guaranteed»
Search your own materials for the old name:
- website pages, the footer and trust badges;
- vehicle wraps, yard signs and business cards;
- Google, Facebook and Yelp ad copy;
- quotes, invoices and email signatures;
- replies to reviews.
Replace «Google Guaranteed» with «Google Verified» only if your Local Services Ads profile shows that badge, and drop any line that suggests Google will refund the customer. A customer who reads «guaranteed by Google» and asks Google for money after a bad job will find no guarantee behind it, and the complaint will come back to you.
We set up and run Local Services Ads next to Search campaigns, in one account that stays in your name. See our Google Ads management page.
