Google Cloud startup credits: tiers, eligibility and how to apply

If you’ve raised a round, this is the biggest pool of Google Cloud credit you can get, and it’s the one founders most often leave on the table. The Google for Startups Cloud Program pays out in three tiers: $2,000 for unfunded companies with a working MVP, up to $200,000 over two years for startups with Pre-Seed to Series A equity funding, and up to $350,000 over two years for AI-first startups at the same stage. Credits land in your existing billing account within about a week of approval, and they cover Google-built services billed pay-as-you-go, including Gemini models on Vertex AI.

Everything here was checked on cloud.google.com/startup, the AI program page at cloud.google.com/startup/ai and the program FAQ on November 2, 2026. Google rewrites the tier names and thresholds roughly once a year, and its own FAQ says “program qualifications change annually.” Current numbers for every provider’s startup program sit on our startup credits page, and the full set of Google offers is in the free credits hub.

The three tiers

Here are the tiers, keeping Google’s own wording for the thresholds.

Start tier, $2,000 in credits. For startups founded in the past two years, with a working MVP, a clear business model and plans to seek venture funding soon. No funding required.
Scale tier, up to $200,000. Year one covers 100% of eligible usage up to $100,000; year two covers 20% of usage up to an additional $100,000. For startups with verifiable Pre-Seed to Series A funding.
Scale tier for AI startups, up to $350,000. Year one covers 100% of usage up to $250,000; year two covers 20% up to an additional $100,000.

Read the year-two line carefully. It isn’t a second lump sum. Google pays a fifth of your bill in year two, so reaching the full $100,000 means spending $500,000 of eligible usage. Most companies that hit the year-one cap draw far less than the maximum in year two, and we’d budget on that assumption.

The program also adds non-cloud perks through separate applications: 12 months of Google Workspace Business Plus, provided your domain hasn’t been on a paid Workspace plan within 31 days of applying, and monthly Google Maps Platform credits. A Web3 track offers up to $200,000 over two years for Google Cloud and Firebase usage.

What counts as funding

Google defines startup equity funding as equity investments from institutional investors and venture capital firms. SAFE agreements are eligible. Verifiable token raises and blockchain foundation grants are accepted for Web3 companies.

What doesn’t count is just as clear. Private equity, government innovation grants, prize funding, crowdfunding, bank loans, angel investment and friends-and-family rounds don’t qualify a company for the Scale tier. A company with that kind of money is evaluated for the Start tier instead. Google asks for links to public sources documenting the investment, and stealth companies are verified through their investor rather than a pitch deck.

Who gets the AI tier

The AI tier has four requirements. The company raised a Pre-Seed or Seed round within the last five years, or a Series A within the last 12 months. It was founded within the last five years. It hasn’t yet received more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits. And eligibility is at Google’s discretion.

That $5,000 line is the one that catches founders who used credits from an accelerator perk or a previous enrollment. Google doesn’t say whether the $300 trial counts, so add up any program, event or perk credits you’ve received before applying. The main program page frames the window as “founded within the last 3-5 years, depending on program tier,” so a four-year-old company may still qualify for Scale while missing the AI tier on age.

AI-first is judged from your product and website rather than a checkbox. The AI tier adds Model Garden access and specialized resources, and credits cover Gemini and Gemma. Third-party models in Model Garden are billed directly to your card and are never covered.

What gets a company rejected

Google doesn’t accept companies that have had an IPO or been acquired, educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits, personal blogs or content sites, dev shops, consultancies or agencies, cryptocurrency mining companies, or companies distributing tokens contrary to regulatory guidance in their jurisdiction. Businesses in regulated industries and businesses that fall outside the Google Acceptable Use Policy are also out.

Two practical conditions apply as well. You must be located in a region where Google Cloud is generally available and purchasable through self-service, without a specialized contract. And your website is screened: Google may reject applications whose sites contain a high volume of AI-generated text or images, and empty or placeholder sites aren’t considered.

Credits are tied to the applicant. They can’t be shared, split or resold, and doing so ends both the credits and your enrollment. If you see startup credits offered for transfer, that’s a violation of the program, not a deal.

What you need before applying

You need three things, and missing any of them is the most common reason for a slow or rejected application.

Your 18-character Google Cloud billing account ID. Find it under Billing, then Manage your billing account. Credits are deposited into this exact account, so pick the one attached to the projects you’ll use.
A business email on your company’s domain. If your site is coolstartup.com, you apply from an address at coolstartup.com, and the billing account must be administered by a user on that domain.
An active, reachable website that describes the company, the team and the product.

If you don’t have a billing account yet, start the free trial first. That creates the billing account, and the trial’s $300 doesn’t affect your eligibility. Set up Workspace or Cloud Identity on your domain so the admin email matches.

How to apply and how long it takes

Applications go through the form at cloud.google.com/startup/apply. Google auto-populates your billing account ID from the Google Cloud account tied to your business email; if it picks the wrong one, enter the correct ID by hand. List your investors and accelerator affiliations, since that speeds up processing, especially for stealth companies.

Most applicants get an acceptance or rejection email within 5 to 7 days. Applications with missing information or manual review can take 10 days or more. Responses are automated, so check your spam folder. On approval, credits are deposited into the billing account you named and appear on the Credits page in the Cloud Billing console. There’s no code to redeem.

Rejections come with next steps. For some companies it’s a quick fix to account settings or identity records. For others, Google points to the $300 trial or AI Studio and suggests reapplying once the company reaches a funding threshold. You may also reapply if you were enrolled in an earlier year and never used your credits, as long as you meet the current year’s criteria.

What the credits pay for

Program credits apply to Google-owned products billed on a pay-as-you-go or consumption basis. That includes Compute Engine, GKE, BigQuery, Cloud Run, Vertex AI and Gemini models served through Vertex AI. The exclusions are anything billed by subscription, prepay or annual license, and all third-party products, including everything listed in Google Cloud Marketplace or Model Garden from a partner.

Gemini API usage through AI Studio is a separate billing path with its own prepay and postpay system, which we explain in the Gemini API free tier and pricing guide. If you want program credits to cover your Gemini spend, route it through Vertex AI on the billing account that holds the credits. Credits run on a two-year schedule, and the Always Free limits in our free tier guide continue to apply underneath them.

Partner referrals

Accelerators, banks and incorporation services advertise Google Cloud credits as a perk. Those perks are entry points into this program and are subject to the same tiers and eligibility. Mercury’s perk page for Google Cloud currently says the offer is temporarily unavailable with a new one coming later in the year, and Stripe Atlas lists Google among its partners without a cloud figure. A referral can help an investor vouch for a stealth company, but it can’t raise your tier.

For a side-by-side of this program against AWS Activate, see Google Cloud vs AWS. Our view on whether the platform is worth building on once the credits run out is in the Google Cloud review, and current offers are on the Google Cloud credits page.

The short version

Start tier is $2,000 with no funding requirement; Scale is up to $200,000 and AI startups get up to $350,000, both over two years.
Year two covers only 20% of usage, so the second $100,000 requires $500,000 of spend.
Scale and AI tiers require equity funding from institutional investors or VCs; grants, loans, crowdfunding and angel rounds don’t count.
You need a billing account ID, a matching business email and a real website; most decisions arrive in 5 to 7 days.
Credits cover Google-built pay-as-you-go products including Gemini on Vertex AI, never Marketplace or partner models.

FAQ

How much are Google Cloud startup credits

The Start tier is $2,000. The Scale tier is 100% of usage up to $100,000 in year one and 20% up to $100,000 in year two. AI startups on the Scale tier get 100% up to $250,000 in year one and the same year-two terms, for up to $350,000 total.

Who is eligible for Google Cloud startup credits

Companies with verifiable Pre-Seed to Series A equity funding founded within the last three to five years, depending on tier. The AI tier requires a Pre-Seed or Seed round within five years or a Series A within 12 months, and no more than $5,000 in prior Google Cloud credits. Unfunded companies with an MVP can apply for the Start tier.

How long does Google for Startups Cloud Program take

Most applicants get a decision by email within 5 to 7 days. Applications needing manual review, including stealth companies verified through investors, can take 10 days or more.

Can I use Google Cloud startup credits for Gemini API

Program credits cover Gemini and Gemma through Google Cloud services such as Vertex AI on the billing account that holds the credits. Gemini API usage billed through AI Studio runs on a separate prepay or postpay plan and isn’t covered, and neither are third-party models in Model Garden.

Do Google Cloud startup credits expire

Yes. Credits are issued on a two-year program schedule with a year-one and a year-two allocation. The welcome email and the Credits page in the Cloud Billing console show the dates that apply to your award.