How to Transfer a Google Ads Client Account to a New Agency (Billing Transfer)

This guide outlines the steps required to transfer a client account from an existing manager account to a new manager account. For example, if an agency needs to transfer a client to a new agency, this process is the standard method.

If your Google Ads account is currently set up with monthly invoicing and you would like to transfer it to a new agency that also uses monthly invoicing, you will need to perform a Billing Transfer (also known as Change Who Pays).

The current agency must initiate the billing transfer, and the new agency must accept the request.

Step 1: Current Agency – Initiate the Billing Transfer

The current agency must be logged in as an Admin on the current paying manager account.

1. Navigate to the client account.
2. Go to Billing Transfers.
3. Select Change Who Pays.
4. Choose External Billing Transfer.

This option allows you to move the account to a manager account outside of your current account hierarchy.

Enter the Transfer Details

Fill in the following information carefully:

• The new agency’s 10-digit Manager ID
• The future payer’s name
• The effective transfer date

Note: The transfer start and end times are set to 12:00 a.m., based on your Google Ads account’s time zone.

Review all the information to ensure it is accurate, then submit the request.

After submission:

• A notification appears at the top of the Billing Transfers page showing the status of the request.
• You can cancel the request if necessary (before it is accepted).
• A notification email is automatically sent to all administrators of the new agency’s manager account.

Step 2: New Agency – Accept the Billing Transfer

The new agency must accept the transfer request within 7 days.

To do this:

1. Log in to the new manager account.
2. Navigate to Billing Setups.
3. Open the Change Who Pays Requests tab.
4. Locate the transfer request.
5. Click Proceed.

This opens the Request to Change Who Pays page.

Select the Paying Manager Account

Choose the appropriate manager account from the drop-down menu. This will become the new paying manager for the client account.

Choose a Billing Setup

You have two options:

Use an Existing Billing Setup

Selecting an existing billing setup will add the client’s advertising spend to the existing monthly invoice. This consolidates billing with your current invoice.

Create a New Billing Setup

Creating a new billing setup generates a separate invoice specifically for this client account.

Configure the Budget

Enter the required budget information.

Currently, only the Master Service Agreement (MSA) is available during this process.

If you require a Budget Service Agreement (BSA), you must contact Google Support directly.

The budget amount determines how much the account can spend.

• If the budget limit is reached, the ads will stop serving.
• If you choose Unlimited, there will be no spending cap at the billing level. However, campaign-level budgets will continue to control daily ad spend.

Select the desired start date and end date, then submit the request.

Step 3: Google Review

Once submitted, the request status changes to Pending Approval while Google reviews the transfer.

At this stage:

• The new agency cannot cancel the request.
• Only the previous agency or Google can cancel it.

If the new agency declines the request, they can send a message to the current agency explaining the reason for the decline.

Step 4: Update the Google Ads Account Hierarchy

Completing the billing transfer does not automatically update the Google Ads account hierarchy.

After the billing transfer has been executed, you must:

1. Unlink the client account from the current manager account.
2. Link the client account to the new manager account.

This must be completed within 7 days of the billing transfer taking effect.

Conclusion

A Google Ads Billing Transfer allows responsibility for monthly invoicing to move from one agency to another without changing the client account itself.

To complete the process successfully:

• The current agency initiates the Change Who Pays request.
• The new agency accepts the request and configures the billing setup.
• Google reviews and approves the request.
• Finally, the client account is unlinked from the old manager account and linked to the new manager account within seven days.

Following these steps ensures a smooth transition between agencies while maintaining uninterrupted billing and advertising operations. Looking for a Google Ads expert? Contact Muthu Digital today and let us help you grow your business with high-performing Google Ads campaigns.