Applies to editions of Google Workspace and other paid subscriptions in your Google Admin console.
Billing terminology can differ across countries, banks, and businesses. You can use these common words to better understand Google billing and payments.
On this page...Annual Plan
Applies to Google Workspace and Cloud Identity Premium
A billing plan where you commit to paying for a full year of service for a minimum number of user licenses.
Learn more: Annual Plan
Flexible Plan
A billing plan where you're billed only for the user accounts you used the previous month. You can add and remove users whenever you want and cancel service at any time without penalty.
Learn more: Flexible Plan
Billing country
The country you select when you first set up your Google billing account. Normally, this is the country where you or your business resides. It determines the payment methods and currencies you can use to pay for any subscription in your account. You can't change your account's billing country after setting up your first subscription.
Learn more: Payment options in my country
Billing address
The address associated with a specific payment method in your Google billing account. You can have a different billing address for each payment method. Depending on your location, however, a billing address might have to be in the billing country associated with your billing account.
Learn more: Country not available in a billing address
Business address
The business address you specify when you set up your Google billing account. You can have only one business address in your billing account and it applies for all subscriptions in that account. Note that your business address doesn't have to match any of your payment method's billing addresses. Your business address is printed on receipts generated from your account. After setting up your billing account, you can go back later to change any part of your business address except the country.
Learn more: Update your business address
Seat
Each seat you purchase represents a user to whom you can assign a license. For example, if your subscription includes 100 seats, you can assign licenses to 100 users. If you assign licenses to 50 users, you have 50 seats remaining.
Payment method
A credit card, debit card, or bank account you add to your Google billing account that you can use to make payments for any subscription in that account.
Learn more: Payment methods
Primary payment method
The credit card or bank account you use to make automatic payments for each subscription in your Google billing account. To ensure continued service, you must have a valid primary payment method associated with your billing account.
Learn more: Payment options
Backup credit card
A credit or debit card you add to your Google billing account, that's automatically charged if your primary payment method is ever declined. Adding a backup credit card helps ensure that your service isn't interrupted if your primary payment method ever fails.
Learn more: Add a backup credit card to avoid suspension
Bank account
A payment method in which we automatically debit payments from your bank account. Also called direct debit.
Learn more: Auto-pay with a bank account
Automatic payments
The regular payment we automatically charge to your primary payment method for a subscription in your Google billing account. For example, we automatically charge your primary payment method at the beginning of each month for services accrued the previous month.
Learn more: When automatic payments occur
Manual payment
A payment option where you can add credit to your billing account to use for your next automatic payment. You can also make a manual payment to pay off an outstanding balance, for example, to lift a billing suspension. You make a manual payment from your Admin console, not by sending payment directly to Google.
Learn more: Make a payment now
Declined or failed payment
A payment that has been declined by your bank or credit card company. In some cases, we'll be able to give you details about why the payment was declined. In other cases, you'll need to check directly with your bank or card issuer to learn why it was declined.
Learn more: Why payments fail
