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Who owns your Google Ads account? A 15-minute check of seven things your agency may be holding

Six screens to open, two questions to ask your agency, what ownership looks like on each, and what to ask for when it isn't yours.

By Lonta AIPublished Updated 17 min readHow we write

TL;DR

  • In our reading, you control your Google Ads account when an email your company controls has Admin access and no agency manager account is set as owner. Check both in the Admin menu under Access and security: the users list, then the Owner column on the Managers sub-page. Google says a client account "still owns its data" and an Admin on your side can always unlink an owner manager. While that manager has ownership, though, its admins can "Remove users from the client account," including you.
  • Check who pays before you unlink anyone. If the account is on monthly invoicing through the agency's manager account, Google says the ads stop serving once you unlink it.
  • On your Google Business Profile you want to be the primary owner. Managers can't add or remove users.
  • On Meta, the ad account should sit in your business portfolio with the agency listed as a partner, not in the agency's portfolio with you as a guest.
  • Tracking numbers belong to whichever CallRail account they sit in. If that is the agency's, its administrator has to sign off before they move, and porting them away typically takes 4–6 weeks.

Why Google Ads account ownership is a question at all

Every system below has a top role, and whoever holds it decides who else gets in, including you. When an agency builds your Google Ads account from its own manager account, Google makes that manager the owner automatically: "If a manager creates a new account, the manager will automatically become the owner of that account."

It matters the day you want to leave, when the account history, the reviews, the phone numbers and the domain are what you stand to lose. The check below covers seven systems. In our estimate, each screen you can log in to takes about two minutes, so the six screens fit in 15 minutes. Call tracking and hosting are questions for the agency. If you can't log in to a system at all, you don't hold its top role.

Where to look. In Google Ads, open Access and security in the Admin menu. The "Access level" column shows each user's level. The Managers sub-page lists manager accounts linked to yours. Google says admins of a linked manager account "can receive notification emails and manage your campaigns."

What the levels can do. From Google's access-level table, only Admin can:

  • give account access, change access levels and cancel other users' invitations;
  • accept and reject manager account link requests;
  • unlink manager accounts;
  • review each user's authentication method and last login time.

Standard can edit campaigns and grant email-only access, but can't give account access or change access levels. Read only can see users, managers and product links, but can't edit campaigns or give anyone more than email-only access. Email only receives notification emails and reports. Billing handles billing information. If the agency gave you anything below Admin, you can grant email-only access at most, and you can't change anyone's access level, accept or reject manager links, or unlink a manager account.

What "ownership" means. In Google Ads, ownership is a setting between a manager account and your account, and a client account "can only have one owner." Google's page is specific about what an owner gets and what it doesn't:

"Owners have full administrative access and data access privileges, which may include personally identifiable information attached to the client account, but do not take data ownership or administrative rights away from client accounts. The client account still owns its data and has the ability to remove ownership access by unlinking."

The same page lists what admins on an owner manager account can do in your account, including "Remove users from the client account" and "Grant or revoke administrative access for users on the client account." Google's own advice: "a manager should be made owner if and only if the manager account requires these privileges." Its instructions for turning ownership on point to an "Owner" column on the same Managers page.

What "you own it" looks like:

  • At least one email your company controls, not a person's who could leave, holds Admin. Google notes that an account with a single administrator can lose access to its tags if that user becomes unavailable, and suggests adding at least one more.
  • The payment method is yours. In the Google payments center, Settings → Payments users → Manage payments users shows who is on the payments profile. Each profile has one primary contact, who "receives all payments emails."
  • Every manager account on the Managers page is one you recognize.
  • The Owner column on the Managers page doesn't show an agency's manager account as owner.

What to ask the agency for. Admin access for your company email first: Google lets a manager turn ownership off only if the client account has at least one user with administrative access. Then, if the Owner column shows the agency's manager account, ask whether it will turn ownership off.

Unlinking is on the same page: Managers, then Remove access in the "Actions" column, then Unlink after Google shows a preview. It needs an Admin login. Google's page on what unlinking does covers four effects; three of them matter to a contractor:

  • History stays. Your account "won't lose its own account campaign history or access to any Google Ads features."
  • Billing can stop the ads. "If the Ads account is on monthly invoicing, and the manager account to be unlinked is the paying manager, the account will stop serving after you unlink it." Change the billing setup first.
  • Conversion tracking can stop. If your calls and forms were recorded by the manager account's cross-account conversion tag, it stops recording conversions for clicks after the unlink. If your own tag was on the site before, Google says it resumes.

2. Local Services Ads: the account administrator

Where to look. In the Local Services Ads dashboard, Access and security in the Admin menu. Only the Administrative level can manage users and access, and only it can edit bidding and budget.

Why it matters now. Google is moving Local Services Ads into Google Ads, and the migration emails go to "the account administrator listed on your profile": one 14 days before your date, a reminder 7 days later, and one after the move. Once your account has moved, it lives in Google Ads and the checks in section 1 apply. Manager links for Local Services Ads are set up in Google Ads too; Google says linking to a manager account "is required for features like consolidated monthly billing."

What "you own it" looks like. Your company email at the Administrative level.

What to ask for. Administrative access for that email, before your migration date.

3. Google Business Profile: owner, manager, primary owner

Where to look. Go to your Business Profile, then More → Business Profile settings → People and access.

What the roles can do. Owners have full control: they can add and remove users and delete the profile. Managers have "mostly the same access," except they "can't add or remove users or remove the profile." A profile can have several owners but "only one primary owner," and only the primary owner can transfer that role.

What "you own it" looks like. Your company's Google Account shows as primary owner.

What to ask for. Add your account as an owner, then transfer primary ownership to it. The steps on Google's page: select the user, next to "Access" select Edit, then Primary owner → Save. A profile needs at least one other owner or manager before primary ownership can move. New owners and managers wait 7 days before they can delete the profile, remove other users or transfer primary ownership.

If the agency won't or can't. Google has a request process: go to business.google.com/add, enter the business name and address, choose your business, and when you see "Someone else may manage this Business Profile," select Request Access and fill out the form. The current owner is emailed and "has 3 days to respond." If there's no answer, you may be able to claim the profile, though Google adds that "the option to claim a profile isn't always available." One catch for shops whose techs go to the customer: that form is for storefront and hybrid businesses. For a service-area business with no shop customers visit, Google's page says to contact Google and select "Transfer ownership of listing" as the issue.

4. Meta: whose business portfolio holds the ad account

Where to look. In Meta Business Suite, open Settings for your business portfolio. People in the left menu lists the people in the portfolio and lets you open each one's access; Meta's page adds, "If you cannot see People, you may not have full control of the business portfolio." Partners in the left menu lists agencies. The Ad accounts tab shows the ad accounts.

What the roles can do. People with full control "can manage everything in the business portfolio, including business portfolio settings, people, tools and business assets." People with basic access work only on the assets they're assigned.

What "you own it" looks like. Someone at your company has full control of the portfolio, the ad account is in that portfolio, and the agency appears under Partners. That is the arrangement Meta describes for agencies: "you work for an agency, and the ad account belongs to a client. The account will remain in their portfolio, but access will be shared with your portfolio." Inside the ad account, Meta suggests the Advertiser role for "an agency managing your campaigns": it can run ads but can't change the payment method or who has access.

The sign it isn't yours. Meta: "If a partner (e.g. an agency that you work with) shares a business asset with your organisation, then you're limited to the specific permissions that your partner assigned." The partner's settings "may prevent you from giving someone full control of that particular business asset." If that happens with your own ad account, it lives in someone else's portfolio.

What to ask for. Meta's page says you can't add an ad account to your portfolio if it "is in another business portfolio." An account created in a portfolio "will permanently be a part of that portfolio," and claiming an existing one "may permanently move it into the portfolio." Our reading: an ad account in the agency's portfolio may never move to yours. The options are to have the agency share it with your portfolio, which leaves you with the permissions it assigns, or to open a new ad account in your own portfolio. Ask for the share in writing; Meta's steps for the agency are Assign Partner on the Ad accounts tab, then your business portfolio ID. If nobody at your company has full control of your own portfolio, Meta takes ownership claims through Business Support Home under "Business Manager admin dispute." It asks for ID, a document proving you own the business and a signed attestation letter. One of the listed grounds is a person with full control who "is a former employee or contractor with no ownership rights."

5. Call-tracking numbers: whose account they sit in

Where to look. Ask two things: which CallRail account the numbers are in, and who the administrator of that account is. The CallRail pages cited here don't point a business owner to a screen that shows this, so the question goes to whoever set the numbers up.

Why it matters. CallRail's rule is about the account: "You own the numbers you create in CallRail, and we won't block or reject any port-out requests that have been approved by an administrator on your account." If the numbers were created in the agency's account, that sentence protects the agency. CallRail's guide for agencies also describes porting a client's existing business number into CallRail, so check where your main line ended up, not only the tracking numbers.

What "you own it" looks like. The numbers sit in a CallRail account in your company's name, which you pay for and administer. CallRail supports this for agencies: its Account Center lets clients "own and pay for their individual accounts directly" while the agency keeps access to run them.

What to ask for. One of two moves:

  • Move the numbers to your own CallRail account. CallRail's support team does it with confirmation from an administrator on each account. The call history moves with the numbers, but "call tags that have been applied to calls to the tracking number will not be transferred." Your account then pays for them.
  • Port them away to another provider. The administrator authorizes it, the process "typically takes 4-6 weeks," and porting a U.S. or Canadian number away is free. CallRail asks you not to deactivate the numbers or close the account until the port is confirmed.

6. The domain: registrar and registrant

Where to look. Search your domain at lookup.icann.org. The "Registrar" field shows which company it's registered with. Then try logging in there.

What "you own it" looks like. You can log in to the registrar account that holds the domain, and your company is the registrant, the "registered name holder" in ICANN's terms. Under ICANN's rules, only the registered name holder, the administrative contact or someone they explicitly authorize can start a transfer to another registrar.

What to ask for. If the domain is registered in the agency's name, ask for a change of registrant to your company. The registrar confirms it with both the old and the new registrant. Two rules shape the order you do things in:

  • After a change of registrant, the registrar must lock the domain against moving to another registrar for 60 days, unless the registrant opted out beforehand where the registrar offers that. ICANN advises doing the registrar transfer first if moving registrars is the end goal.
  • A registrar transfer needs the transfer code, which ICANN calls the AuthInfo code. If the registrar doesn't let the registrant generate it online, it must provide the code "within five (5) calendar days" of the request. A transfer "cannot be denied due to non-payment of this transfer fee."

7. The website: admin logins, code and hosting

If the site runs on WordPress. Open the Users screen in the WordPress dashboard. The table has a "Role" column, and filter links above it show the users in each role. An Administrator is "somebody who has access to all the administration features within a single site." You own it when your company email is one of the Administrators.

If the site's code is in a GitHub repository. GitHub writes a repository as OWNER/REPOSITORY-NAME; the first part of the address is the account that owns it. Transferring it needs administrator access: Settings, then Transfer in the "Danger Zone" section. A transfer to a personal account sends the new owner a confirmation email, and the invitation expires if it isn't accepted "within one day." The original owner is then added as a collaborator on the moved repository, so remove the agency afterwards if you're parting ways.

The hosting account. Ask whose name and payment card it's under. If the agency hosts the site on its own account, ask what it takes to move the site to an account you pay for.

The check at a glance

SystemWhere to lookYou own it whenAsk the agency for
Google AdsAdmin → Access and security, Managers sub-pageYour company email is Admin; no agency manager is ownerAdmin access, then ownership turned off
Local Services AdsAdmin → Access and securityYour email is AdministrativeAdministrative access before migration
Business ProfileMore → Business Profile settings → People and accessYour account is primary ownerOwner access, then primary ownership
MetaSettings → People, Partners, Ad accountsYour portfolio holds the ad account; the agency is a partnerThe ad account shared with your portfolio, or a new one in yours
Call trackingAsk: whose CallRail account, who administers itNumbers in an account you pay for and administerNumbers moved to your account, or ported
Domainlookup.icann.org → Registrar, then log inYour registrar login; your company as registrantChange of registrant, or the AuthInfo code
WebsiteWordPress Users → Role; GitHub repo owner; hosting accountYour email is Administrator; you own the repo and the hostingAdmin login, repo transfer, hosting move

What this doesn't cover

  • Your contract. Who owns the site design, the code or the ad copy is a contract question, not a settings question. Read yours before you ask for a transfer.
  • Google Analytics, Tag Manager and Search Console. They have their own access settings and aren't checked here.
  • Other vendors. The call-tracking section follows CallRail's rules only. Google's Local Services Ads access page says its instructions don't apply if you advertise through a partner affiliate. ICANN's transfer rules apply to registrars accredited for generic endings such as .com; if your domain ends in a country code, check which rules apply to it.
  • What the agency charges. Who owns the accounts and how the agency is paid are separate questions. How HVAC marketing agencies charge covers the second one.

Do this today

  1. Open the six screens in the table, ask the agency the two questions (call tracking, hosting), and write down who holds the top role on each.
  2. Start with Google Ads. If your company email isn't Admin, that is the first request.
  3. Before anyone unlinks anything, find out who pays for the ads and which conversion tag records your calls and forms.
  4. Put a company account at the top of the Business Profile (primary owner) and the Meta portfolio (full control).
  5. Send one email. List every system where you're not the top role and ask for all of them in the same message, while you're on good terms. If you're already on your way out, leaving your marketing agency covers the order of the rest.

Once you have Admin access, the rest of a self-check, from location settings to call conversions, is in the Google Ads audit checklist for contractors.

FAQ

Can you transfer ownership of a Google Ads account? Yes, if you mean the ownership setting between a manager account and yours. An Admin on the owner manager account can "transfer ownership to a different manager." Users of your own account can't, Google says, but they "can always unlink a manager with ownership" and then turn ownership on for a different manager. Moving the whole account to a new agency is a separate job, covered in leaving your marketing agency.

How do I remove my agency from my Google Ads account? Sign in with an Admin email, open Access and security, go to Managers and select Remove access, then Unlink. Remove the agency's individual users on the users list the same way. Before you do, read Before you unlink a manager account above.

Will I lose my campaign history if I unlink the agency? No. Google says the account keeps its own campaign history and features after it unlinks from a manager account.

Can my agency remove me from my own Google Ads account? Yes, if its manager account has ownership. Google lists removing users from the client account among what an owner manager's admins can do. Check the Owner column on the Managers page. If the agency's manager is the owner, unlink it or ask the agency to turn ownership off, after you've checked billing and conversion tracking.

What if my agency won't give back my Business Profile? Use Google's ownership request at business.google.com/add. The current owner has 3 days to respond. If you run a service-area business with no storefront, Google's page says to contact Google directly and select "Transfer ownership of listing."

Sources

Every page below was read in full on September 24, 2026. Every quotation above is from one of them.

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