diff --git a/google/resource_google_project.go b/google/resource_google_project.go
index c5765905c9a..54b21ea114f 100644
--- a/google/resource_google_project.go
+++ b/google/resource_google_project.go
@@ -588,12 +588,12 @@ func forceDeleteComputeNetwork(projectId, networkName string, config *Config) er
 func updateProjectBillingAccount(d *schema.ResourceData, config *Config) error {
 	pid := d.Id()
 	name := d.Get("billing_account").(string)
-	ba := cloudbilling.ProjectBillingInfo{}
+	ba := &cloudbilling.ProjectBillingInfo{}
 	// If we're unlinking an existing billing account, an empty request does that, not an empty-string billing account.
 	if name != "" {
 		ba.BillingAccountName = "billingAccounts/" + name
 	}
-	_, err := config.clientBilling.Projects.UpdateBillingInfo(prefixedProject(pid), &ba).Do()
+	_, err := config.clientBilling.Projects.UpdateBillingInfo(prefixedProject(pid), ba).Do()
 	if err != nil {
 		d.Set("billing_account", "")
 		if _err, ok := err.(*googleapi.Error); ok {
@@ -602,20 +602,18 @@ func updateProjectBillingAccount(d *schema.ResourceData, config *Config) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("Error setting billing account %q for project %q: %v", name, prefixedProject(pid), err)
 	}
 	for retries := 0; retries < 3; retries++ {
-		err = resourceGoogleProjectRead(d, config)
+		ba, err = config.clientBilling.Projects.GetBillingInfo(prefixedProject(pid)).Do()
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if d.Get("billing_account").(string) == name {
-			break
+		baName := strings.TrimPrefix(ba.BillingAccountName, "billingAccounts/")
+		if baName == name {
+			return nil
 		}
-		time.Sleep(3)
+		time.Sleep(3 * time.Second)
 	}
-	if d.Get("billing_account").(string) != name {
-		return fmt.Errorf("Timed out waiting for billing account to return correct value.  Waiting for %s, got %s.",
-			d.Get("billding_account").(string), name)
-	}
-	return nil
+	return fmt.Errorf("Timed out waiting for billing account to return correct value.  Waiting for %s, got %s.",
+		name, strings.TrimPrefix(ba.BillingAccountName, "billingAccounts/"))
 }
 
 func expandAppEngineApp(d *schema.ResourceData) (*appengine.Application, error) {
diff --git a/google/resource_google_project_test.go b/google/resource_google_project_test.go
index 0834a248421..dad6333d8d4 100644
--- a/google/resource_google_project_test.go
+++ b/google/resource_google_project_test.go
@@ -215,6 +215,35 @@ func TestAccProject_appEngineBasic(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
+func TestAccProject_appEngineBasicWithBilling(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	org := getTestOrgFromEnv(t)
+	pid := acctest.RandomWithPrefix("tf-test")
+	billingId := getTestBillingAccountFromEnv(t)
+	resource.Test(t, resource.TestCase{
+		PreCheck:  func() { testAccPreCheck(t) },
+		Providers: testAccProviders,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			{
+				Config: testAccProject_appEngineBasicWithBilling(pid, org, billingId),
+				Check: resource.ComposeTestCheckFunc(
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrSet("google_project.acceptance", "app_engine.0.name"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrSet("google_project.acceptance", "app_engine.0.url_dispatch_rule.#"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrSet("google_project.acceptance", "app_engine.0.code_bucket"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrSet("google_project.acceptance", "app_engine.0.default_hostname"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrSet("google_project.acceptance", "app_engine.0.default_bucket"),
+				),
+			},
+			resource.TestStep{
+				ResourceName:      "google_project.acceptance",
+				ImportState:       true,
+				ImportStateVerify: true,
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
+
 func TestAccProject_appEngineUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
@@ -472,6 +501,23 @@ resource "google_project" "acceptance" {
 }`, pid, pid, org)
 }
 
+func testAccProject_appEngineBasicWithBilling(pid, org, billing string) string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`
+resource "google_project" "acceptance" {
+  project_id = "%s"
+  name       = "%s"
+  org_id     = "%s"
+
+  billing_account = "%s"
+
+  app_engine {
+    auth_domain    = "hashicorptest.com"
+    location_id    = "us-central"
+    serving_status = "SERVING"
+  }
+}`, pid, pid, org, billing)
+}
+
 func testAccProject_appEngineUpdate(pid, org string) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf(`
 resource "google_project" "acceptance" {