When can Google employees trade Alphabet stock?
By Vaibhav Goel, registered financial advisor (SEC record) · Formerly a product director at DoorDash, ex-Google, ex-Microsoft · LinkedIn
Updated September 17, 2026
Your trading window normally opens on the second trading day after Alphabet announces quarterly results. When it closes depends on your level: level 8 and above lose it at the close of the first trading day of the quarter’s third month, level 7 and below keep it until the first trading day of the next quarter.
How the trading window works
Alphabet’s filed insider trading policy sets both ends of the window, and the closing rule is the half that catches people out.[11]
You
The quarterly window and any individual blackout apply to you, and material nonpublic information blocks a trade even inside an open window.
Your household
The policy reaches your spouse, partner, children, parents, and anyone living with you. The quarterly windows do not bind them; the information rule does, and you are responsible for their trades.
Entities you control
Trusts you control or benefit from, partnerships, and other entities you direct are treated as you.
Who the policy covers, from its own scope section.[11]
- Level 8 (Director) and above
- Includes officers and directors, and entities they control. Closes at market close on the first trading day of the current quarter’s third month.
- Level 7 and below
- Closes at market close on the first trading day of the following fiscal quarter.
| Window | Level 8+ | Level 7 or below |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | March | April |
| Q2 | June | July |
| Q3 | September | October |
| Q4 | December | January (next year) |
It is the first trading day, so weekends and market holidays push the date later.[32]
Q3 2026, worked out
Calculated from Alphabet’s July 22 earnings announcement and the Nasdaq calendar.[21][32]
Level 8 and above
- Window opens
- Blackout begins after close on
Level 7 and below
- Window opens
- Blackout begins after close on
An open window is not permission. Check Google’s internal trading notice first, and remember that material nonpublic information blocks a trade even when the window is open.
Selling in a closed window: the two routes the policy allows
- Alphabet’s Employee Trading Plan program. A standing plan you set up while the window is open; trades and gifts made through it can go ahead while the window is closed. This is the route for a regular sell-at-vest habit that does not depend on the calendar.
- A plan approved under Alphabet’s 10b5-1 guidelines. The formal version, with its own cooling-off and approval conditions.
- Google can put you in an individual blackout while the general window is open, and the closed-window rule covers gifts and donations, not just sales.
- Outside an approved 10b5-1 plan, Board members and Section 16 officers need pre-clearance. Limit and stop orders must not be likely to sit open into a restricted period.
Three dates to put on one calendar
The vest
Units, delivery date, and how many shares will actually arrive after withholding. Estimate cash across a range of prices, not one.
The window
Opens two trading days after earnings, closes by your level. A vest that lands inside a closed window is still yours; you just cannot sell it yet.
The tax checkpoint
Withholding is taken in shares at the statutory rate, which is often short at a high marginal rate. Revisit before a large vest.
A common question
How do I check whether I can trade Alphabet stock today?
Check Google’s current internal trading notice for your level and any individual restriction. The trading-window guide covers the usual timing, but an open window is not permission: material nonpublic information blocks a trade regardless.
Connect this to your wider plan
Meet your financial advisor
Simple Money Advisors LLC is a California state-registered investment adviser.
Vaibhav Goel
Co-founder of Simple Money · Registered financial advisor · SEC record
Investment adviser representative, registered with the State of California.
Vaibhav spent fifteen years building products at Google, DoorDash and Microsoft before becoming a licensed advisor. He works with people in tech on the whole picture, equity, taxes, investments and cash flow, as one plan rather than four.
Vaibhav Goel on LinkedInA complimentary conversation about your goals and whether our services are the right fit. No obligation.