We’re pleased to announce that we have added currency support for Brazilian Real (BRL). Now that BRL is supported, developers are able to set prices and offer items in BRL. Also, Brazilian developers will be able to receive payouts in BRL.
Instead of seeing prices in U.S. Dollars (USD) on Google Play, Brazilian customers will be able to purchase apps and in-app products using BRL.
Note: You’ll still be able to price your applications in other supported buyer currencies.
If you’re a Brazilian developer and only publish free apps without in-app purchases, there’s no action required on your part.
If you’re a Brazilian developer and currently publish or plan on publishing paid apps or apps with in-app purchases, we strongly recommend that you review the information below about migrating your Developer account to use BRL. New Brazilian Developer accounts will automatically use BRL as their default currency.
Required taxes for merchants
To comply with Brazilian law, beginning November 4, 2014, merchants offering content in Brazil that receive payouts in any currency other than Brazilian Real (BRL) will have a required 25% tax withheld for purchases made by Brazilian customers. This tax will be remitted to the Brazilian government.
If you're a Brazilian merchant, we recommend that you migrate your account to receive payouts in BRL.
See an example| Before required tax withheld from content purchases in Brazil | After required tax (25%) withheld from content purchases in Brazil |
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Assuming app price is 1 USD Developer payout after 70/30 split: 70 cents
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Assuming app price is 1 USD Required tax: 1 USD * 0.25 = $0.25 Developer payout after 70/30 split & required tax (25%):
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By law, this tax is required for all merchants that receive payouts in any currency other than Brazilian Real (BRL) and will be automatically withheld from developer payouts. Brazilian law does not allow Brazilian Reais to be paid outside of Brazil. In order to be paid in Brazilian Reais, you must have a bank account located in Brazil.
Migrate your Developer account (applies to Brazilian developers)
If you’re a developer in Brazil who offers paid apps or apps with in-app purchases, you’re strongly encouraged to migrate currencies to use BRL. If you’re a Brazilian developer and continue to use USD as your payout currency, a 25% tax for purchases by Brazilian customers will be withheld from your payouts.
Step 1: Create a new accountFirst, make sure that you’re signed out of any existing Google accounts. Then, create a new Google account and sign up for a Google Play Developer account.
Before signing up, make sure you're signed out of your existing Developer account. You can sign up for a new Developer account at play.google.com/apps/publish/signup.
Important: When you create a new Developer account, you must pay for registration using a local form of payment with a billing address located in Brazil.
Make sure the following conditions are satisfied, then contact our support team to transfer your existing apps, app data, and payment history to your new account:
- Your new Google Play Developer account has been created using a different email address than your original account.
- The $25 developer registration fee has been paid successfully.
- You've signed in to your new Developer account.
- You've signed up for a new payments profile using the email address used for your new Developer account.
To request a transfer, review the information and submit your transfer request below:
Request a transferOnce your apps are transferred, our support team will cancel your original account and refund the registration fee. After the refund is processed for your original account, you won’t be able to sign in to the Play Console using your original Developer account.
Note: Merchant balances can’t be transferred to a new account. Any outstanding balance in the USD denominated account will be settled in the usual disbursement cycle. You will continue to have access to other Google services, including financial reports for your original Google Play Developer account.
Here's how to check and set prices for your apps on your new Developer account.
- Using your new account, sign into your Play Console.
- Select an app.
- On the left menu, click Store presence > Pricing & distribution.
- Set prices in BRL for Brazilian customers.
- Save your changes.
Frequently asked questions
I'm a Brazilian developer. Why do I need to migrate my original account?You need to migrate your original account because Brazilian Developer accounts using US Dollars (USD) will no longer be supported.
BRL denominated accounts receive payouts in BRL and therefore are not subject to the 25% withholding tax imposed by the Brazilian Central Bank. In addition, BRL denominated accounts have the ability to set local pricing in 65 countries.
Only Brazil-based Developer accounts need to be migrated to new accounts that use BRL.
The only change for developers who aren’t based in Brazil is the 25% tax withheld from payouts for purchases made by Brazilian customers. This tax is required by law and will be remitted to Brazilian tax authorities.
By law, the 25% tax for purchases made by Brazilian customers applies to all developers that receive payouts in any currency other than Brazilian Real (BRL).
Because the tax is required, the only way to opt-out of this Brazilian tax is to remove your app from distribution in Brazil.
If you only have free apps (without in-app purchases), you don't need to migrate. Your free apps will remain available.
However, if you plan to offer paid apps or offer in-app purchases in the future, you’ll need to migrate your account.
Once your migration has completed successfully and you’ve received a confirmation email, we will process a refund to your credit card for your account registration fee.
After the refund is processed, it may take a few business days for your card to show the credit to your account.
If you migrate to a new account, you will receive the money in your existing account in the next monthly disbursement cycle along with any future payouts earned on your new account.
For example, if you receive payouts at the beginning of each month, you’ll receive the final disbursement for that account at the beginning of November.
After you migrate your apps to a new account, your ratings, reviews, downloads, payment history, and other app information will be migrated as well. You won’t lose any existing information from your Developer account.
Contact support
If you have other questions, contact our support team.
Contact support