When you can sell Alphabet stock
You can sell during an open trading window, which starts on the second trading day after Google reports earnings. How long it stays open depends on your level.
It helps to put the window dates on your calendar next to your vest dates, especially if you’re counting on stock to pay for something with a deadline, like a closing or a tax payment. If shares vest while the window is closed, they’re still yours, but you’ll have to wait to sell them.
- Level 8 (Director) and above
- This also covers officers, directors, and entities they control. Your window closes at the end of the first trading day of the quarter’s third month.
- Level 7 and below
- Your window closes at the end of the first trading day of the next quarter, which is about a month later than it does for Level 8 and above.
| Window | Level 8+ | Level 7 or below |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | March | April |
| Q2 | June | July |
| Q3 | September | October |
| Q4 | December | January (next year) |
The window closes on the first trading day of the month, so weekends and market holidays can push the date back.
Always check Google’s internal trading notice before you trade, because it’s the final word on whether the window is open. Google can also restrict you individually, and you can’t trade on material nonpublic information whether the window is open or not.
How to sell when the window is closed
- Alphabet’s Employee Trading Plan. You set this up while the window is open, and it then sells or gifts shares on your instructions even after the window closes. If you want to sell every time you vest without watching the calendar, this is what I’d use.
- A 10b5-1 plan. This is the more formal option. It comes with a cooling-off period and needs approval.
- Gifts and donations of stock are treated like sales, so they’re also off-limits in a closed window unless they go through a plan. Google can also put you in an individual blackout while the general window is open.
- Board members and Section 16 officers need pre-clearance for trades outside a 10b5-1 plan. And if you place a limit or stop order, make sure it can’t still be open when the window closes.
When Alphabet reports
Alphabet usually reports in late January or early February, late April, late July, and late October, and your window opens two trading days later. It posts upcoming dates on its investor relations site.
| Year | Q4 (prior year) | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | February 4 | April 29 | July 22 | Not yet reported |
| 2025 | February 4 | April 24 | July 23 | October 29 |
| 2024 | January 30 | April 25 | July 23 | October 29 |
- Q4 (prior year)
- February 4
- Q1
- April 29
- Q2
- July 22
- Q3
- Not yet reported
- Q4 (prior year)
- February 4
- Q1
- April 24
- Q2
- July 23
- Q3
- October 29
- Q4 (prior year)
- January 30
- Q1
- April 25
- Q2
- July 23
- Q3
- October 29
The dates Alphabet filed its earnings release with the SEC.
The most recent window
Alphabet reported second-quarter results on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, so the window opened that Friday, July 24. It closed on Tuesday, September 1 for Level 8 and above, and it closes on Thursday, October 1 for everyone else. I worked these dates out from the policy and the market calendar, so go by Google’s internal notice for the official ones.
Who the policy covers
You
You’re subject to the quarterly window and any blackout Google puts on you individually. You also can’t trade on material nonpublic information, even in an open window.
Your household
The policy also applies to your spouse or partner, your children, your parents, and anyone who lives with you. They aren’t bound by the quarterly windows, but they can’t trade on inside information either, and you’re responsible for their trades.
Entities you control
Trusts you control or benefit from, partnerships, and other entities you direct are treated the same as you.
