Google Guaranteed Is Now Google Verified: 2026 Guide

Google Guaranteed is gone. In October 2025, Google began replacing it, along with Google Screened and License Verified by Google, with a single Google Verified badge. The Money Back Guarantee ended too, so customers could only claim a refund on jobs booked before December 7, 2025. The badge itself is free. Local Services Ads (LSA) still charge you per lead. For bidding, budgets and setup, see our Google Local Services Ads guide.

What Replaced Google Guaranteed?

Google Verified replaced it. In an August 20, 2025 announcement, Google said every Local Services Ads badge would be unified into one. Search Engine Roundtable reported the new badge was set to take effect October 20, 2025. All three old badges became Google Verified. The Money Back Guarantee was dropped, with nothing in its place.

So what does a customer see now? The new badge sits next to the specific checks a business passed, such as license, insurance and background checks. Which checks appear depends on the category.

Picture a homeowner in Elk Grove who booked a water heater install through LSA in October 2025 and was unhappy with the quality of the work. They had 30 days after completion to ask for reimbursement. Under the old terms, Google could, at its discretion, repay up to the invoice amount for the initial service. That was capped at $2,000 per US customer for life, and property damage was never covered.

Book the same job in January 2026 and there's no Google backstop. The dispute runs between the homeowner and the plumber, under whatever warranty the plumber offers.

Google Verified Timeline: The Dates That Matter

Why do different articles quote different dates? Each piece was retired on its own schedule. These are the dates from Google's announcement and help pages, plus the effective date reported at launch. For your customers, December 7, 2025 is the one that matters.

1. August 20, 2025: announced

   The Google Ads & Commerce Blog says Google Verified will replace all LSA badges and the Money Back Guarantee, starting in October.

2. October 20, 2025: set to take effect

   Search Engine Roundtable reported the single badge would roll out on this date.

3. October 30, 2025: Google Screened ends

   The About Google Screened help page lists the badge as discontinued from this date.

4. November 7, 2025: Google Guarantee ends

   The Google Guarantee help page lists the badge and the Money Back Guarantee as discontinued effective this date.

5. December 7, 2025: last eligible bookings

   Per About Google Verified badge, only jobs booked through LSA before this date qualify for a refund request, filed within 30 days of completion.

Google Screened Is Now Google Verified: Lawyers, Planners and Agents

Google Screened was the badge for professional services. It covered law firms, financial planners and real estate agents, plus providers in child care, preschool and a few other categories. It was discontinued effective October 30, 2025, and those firms now carry the same Google Verified badge as a plumber. Did the checks get lighter? No. If you searched "google screened," Google Verified is the badge you want now.

Here's what the current US requirements page lists for the biggest professional categories.

• •Lawyers: a state bar license check for each lawyer in the firm, owner and fieldworker identity verification, and professional liability insurance where local law requires it.
• •Financial planners and tax specialists: a license check for each professional in the firm, plus professional liability insurance where required.
• •Real estate agents: a license check for each agent. Where the state license already requires a background check, Google doesn't run a separate one.

People also search "google screened cost." That answer hasn't changed. The old Screened page said screening was free of charge for providers, and Google Verified works the same way. You pay per lead.

Take a hypothetical three-attorney family law firm in Roseville that hires a fourth lawyer. Each family lawyer in the firm gets a bar license check, so the new hire adds one to the list. Finish it before you feature that attorney on the profile. That way the listing never shows someone who hasn't been verified.

How Do You Get the Google Verified Badge?

Pass the screening and verification checks for your category, with a verified Google Business Profile linked to your account. The badge is issued once every requirement is met. Advertisers who were already verified got it automatically. The requirements page puts the average at three to four weeks after you submit documents, so start the paperwork early.

One naming trap is worth clearing up. A verified Google Business Profile and the Google Verified badge are different things. Profile verification proves you own or manage the listing. The badge says you passed LSA's screening. New advertisers still sign up at g.co/localservices. Pay-per-lead campaigns can't be created inside Google Ads yet, per the migration help page.

1. 1. Verify your Google Business Profile

   A public, verified profile is required. Match the name, address and phone number to your application. Our Google Business Profile guide covers the setup.

2. 2. Look up your category's checks

   Requirements differ by trade and state. The table below covers common categories.

3. 3. Upload documents and start background checks

   If your account is assigned background checks, every owner completes one. In categories that require it, so does every worker who performs the core service, subcontractors included. Office staff are exempt. Businesses aren't charged for the checks, according to the screening page.

4. 4. Confirm your business registration

   For select US verticals, registration is checked through your D-U-N-S number from Dun & Bradstreet. Applying for one can take up to 30 days. Without one, a Secretary of State registration, your EIN from the IRS or a Department of Revenue registration can stand in.

5. 5. Meet any review minimum

   Screening can include a minimum review requirement in some categories. Reviews also carry more of the trust load now, so build a steady review request process.

Google Verified Checks by Category

What Happens After You're Verified?

Is verification a one-time job? No. Some US advertisers qualify for accelerated verification, which grants the badge quickly after an initial risk review. They then have 14 days to finish the remaining steps to keep their ads serving.

Advertisers are also re-evaluated on a regular basis. If a review flags a change in risk, you'll be asked to complete a follow-up review. Skipping it can cost you the badge, pause your ads or suspend the account, per the screening and verification page. A failed background check takes longer to undo. After a final disqualification you wait 30 days to reapply, and a second denial means 180 days before each later attempt.

Which Documents Hold Up Approval?

Insurance documents have more ways to fail than licenses. The Google Ads API names 13 specific insurance rejection reasons and 6 for licenses, not counting catch-all codes. The insurance list works as a checklist before you upload.

• • Business name doesn't match the ad account
• • Coverage doesn't include your category
• • Amount below the minimum for your area and trade
• • Expired, or missing an expiration date
• • Missing a policy number or signature
• • Commercial general liability box not marked
• • Editable file, non-final, or looks edited
• • A quote or proposal instead of a certificate
• • Blurry or low-quality scan

The certificate also has to stay valid for at least 14 days after you upload it. Consider a hypothetical HVAC company in Rancho Cordova with an owner, two office staff and six techs. HVAC is an urgent category, so the owner and all six techs need background checks, while the office staff don't. Its certificate reads "Smith Heating LLC," but the profile says "Smith Heating & Air." That's a name-mismatch rejection waiting to happen.

What If Your Account Moved Into Google Ads?

In August 2026, LSA began moving into Google Ads as pay-per-lead Performance Max campaigns. The first wave covers select US home services such as plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing and pest control. If you were already verified, your status and badge transfer automatically, and insurance and license reverification are no longer required. A new advertiser still goes through the checks above.

Does Google Verified Cost Anything?

No. There's no fee for the badge, and businesses aren't charged for the background checks. You pay for leads instead, such as a call, message or booking request. Each valid lead is priced by an auction that weighs your bid and profile quality. That holds in the LSA dashboard and in pay-per-lead campaigns in Google Ads.

So what does a lead actually cost? There's no price list, but two 2026 datasets give a range. SearchLight Digital tracked 888 contractors in February 2026 and found an average of $53 per lead. 99 Calls data for April to June 2026 put plumbing at $66.17 and roofing at $106.87.

The cost section of our LSA guide breaks that down by trade, and our cost per lead benchmarks compare LSA with other channels. A fee someone quotes you to "get Google Guaranteed" pays for their time. It isn't a Google charge.

What Should You Remove From Your Marketing?

Remove anything that says "Google Guaranteed" or promises a refund from Google. The guarantee ended, so a truck wrap or quote that says "Backed by the Google Guarantee" now promises protection your customer can't claim. Replace it with claims you control and can prove, like your license number, your insurance, background-checked techs, your own warranty terms and your review rating.

Start with your website. It's the fastest fix and the page prospects check before they call. Rewrite the trust section around proof you own and link your real Google reviews. Our pages on plumber SEO and HVAC SEO cover what that section should hold.

Is LSA Still Worth It Without Google Guaranteed?

Usually, if the per-lead math worked before. The badge change itself didn't affect LSA ranking. The ads still show on Search and Maps, and you still pay only for valid leads. The pitch is what changed. The badge now says "checked," not "refunded," so your reviews do more of the selling.

Verification still feeds placement, though. The ad rankings page counts the verification checks you've completed toward profile quality, alongside your rating, number of reviews, response time and photos. Placement then comes from your bid and how likely your ad is to produce a lead.

Where does LSA still fall short? Small tickets that can't cover the lead price, phones nobody answers, and brand-name searches you'd have won anyway. Our guide covers when LSA isn't worth it. If you're weighing it against lead marketplaces, see Angi vs Thumbtack vs Google LSA.

Frequently Asked Questions About Google Verified