Create and manage your customer accounts using the Cloud Channel API
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As of January 2021, you can use the Cloud Channel API to create customers,
entitlements, and Cloud Billing subaccounts. If you currently use the
Cloud Billing API to handle these tasks, we recommend that you use the Cloud Channel API instead.
This guide introduces the basics of customer and entitlement creation
using the Cloud Channel API.
Before you begin
Complete the Cloud Channel API codelab
before you continue. This will make sure your development
environment is set up to follow code samples and other codelabs.
Summary of changes
If you currently use the Cloud Billing API
billingAccounts.create
endpoint to create a customer's Cloud Billing subaccount, you must
start using the
customers.create()
endpoint, followed by the
entitlements.create()
endpoint, to create a new Cloud Billing subaccount for a customer.
To manage IAM roles, you must use
existing Cloud Billing API endpoints.
Creating a customer
When you're ready to create a new customer with the Cloud Channel API, use the
customers.create()
endpoint. Make sure to have the following customer information before you start.
Primary domain
Organization name
Address
Postal code (if applicable)
Country code
After you create a customer, you need to keep the response's name
field secure as it is a unique identifier for your customer.
Creating an entitlement
After you create a customer, you can provision entitlements for them by
specifying an offer with the entitlements.create() and operations.get()
endpoints. The Cloud Billing subaccount's name, returned as
provisionedService.provisioningId, can be used with Cloud Billing API
and BigQuery export.
Creating an entitlement with a Google Cloud offer will also create a Cloud Billing subaccount.
For more detailed instructions on customer and entitlement creation, including
code samples in multiple languages, complete the Google Cloud
end-to-end-provisioning codelab.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-25 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eThe Cloud Channel API is now the recommended method for creating customers, entitlements, and Cloud Billing subaccounts, replacing the Cloud Billing API for these tasks.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eCreating a new customer via the Cloud Channel API requires information such as primary domain, organization name, address, postal code, and country code, and the response's \u003ccode\u003ename\u003c/code\u003e field should be kept secure.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eTo create an entitlement for a customer, you must specify an \u003ccode\u003eoffer\u003c/code\u003e using the \u003ccode\u003eentitlements.create()\u003c/code\u003e and \u003ccode\u003eoperations.get()\u003c/code\u003e endpoints.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eCreating an entitlement with a Google Cloud offer will also create a Cloud Billing subaccount, and its name can be used with Cloud Billing API and BigQuery export.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eIf managing IAM roles is a necessity, you will need to continue using the current Cloud Billing API endpoints for these tasks.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Create and manage your customer accounts using the Cloud Channel API\n\nAs of January 2021, you can use the Cloud Channel API to create customers,\nentitlements, and Cloud Billing subaccounts. If you currently use the\nCloud Billing API to handle these tasks, we recommend that you use the Cloud Channel API instead.\n\nThis guide introduces the basics of customer and entitlement creation\nusing the Cloud Channel API.\n\nBefore you begin\n----------------\n\nComplete the [Cloud Channel API codelab](/channel/docs/codelabs/google-cloud/provisioning)\nbefore you continue. This will make sure your development\nenvironment is set up to follow code samples and other codelabs.\n\nSummary of changes\n------------------\n\nIf you currently use the Cloud Billing API\n[billingAccounts.create](/billing/docs/reference/rest/v1/billingAccounts/create)\nendpoint to create a customer's Cloud Billing subaccount, you must\nstart using the\n[customers.create()](/channel/docs/reference/rest/v1/accounts.customers/create)\nendpoint, followed by the\n[entitlements.create()](/channel/docs/reference/rest/v1/accounts.customers.entitlements/create)\nendpoint, to create a new Cloud Billing subaccount for a customer.\n\nTo [manage IAM roles](/billing/docs/how-to/billing-access), you must use\nexisting Cloud Billing API endpoints.\n\nCreating a customer\n-------------------\n\nWhen you're ready to create a new customer with the Cloud Channel API, use the\n[customers.create()](/channel/docs/reference/rest/v1/accounts.customers/create)\nendpoint. Make sure to have the following customer information before you start.\n\n- Primary domain\n- Organization name\n- Address\n- Postal code (if applicable)\n- Country code\n\nAfter you create a customer, you need to keep the response's `name`\nfield secure as it is a unique identifier for your customer.\n\nCreating an entitlement\n-----------------------\n\nAfter you create a customer, you can provision entitlements for them by\nspecifying an `offer` with the `entitlements.create()` and `operations.get()`\nendpoints. The Cloud Billing subaccount's name, returned as\n`provisionedService.provisioningId`, can be used with Cloud Billing API\nand BigQuery export.\n\nCreating an entitlement with a Google Cloud offer will also create a Cloud Billing subaccount.\n\nFor more detailed instructions on customer and entitlement creation, including\ncode samples in multiple languages, complete the Google Cloud\n[end-to-end-provisioning codelab](/channel/docs/codelabs/google-cloud/provisioning)."]]
