What happens to a Google Ads account when someone dies

“In certain circumstances we may provide content from a deceased user's account. In all of these cases, our primary responsibility is to keep people's information secure, safe, and private.”¹

After cancellation all ads stop within 24 hours, and refundable credit typically reaches the original payment method within 4 to 12 weeks.²

When a Google Ads account is canceled, Google automatically initiates a refund of unused prepaid funds or other refundable credits to the original payment method, only after official cancellation; promotional amounts are excluded.²

Funds tied to the underlying Google Account can be requested through the troubleshooter's request-for-funds path.³

Google's billing help gives about 2 weeks for a refund to a card or direct debit plus up to 10 more business days for the bank to post it; a bank-transfer refund takes longer and may need bank details in Billing Settings.⁷

If 4 weeks have passed since the initial refund request, Google directs the requester to Google Support.⁷

Google makes any decision on a deceased-user request only after a careful review.³

Through the Account Access Request form, access is provisioned after proof of account ownership is received and validated by Google Ads support; the request is reviewed, not granted automatically.^{4, 5}

Google cannot provide passwords or other login details on any path.³

The deceased-user troubleshooter offers three options: close the account, request funds from it, or obtain data from it. Once the Google Account is closed, Google cannot process a later request to turn over its contents.³

Where the user with administrative access is gone and the account needs canceling, Google Ads directs the requester to Google Ads support with the Customer ID, the login email address and the account billing information.³

Canceling a client account linked to a manager (MCC) account requires administrative access to the manager account and ownership of that client account.^{6, 2}

On a prepay account remaining funds are refunded to the original card or bank account; on a postpay account unpaid advertising costs show as Balance under Summary in the Billing menu, and on monthly invoicing as Amount due.⁷

A postpay account still owes accrued advertising costs, which Google charges to the primary payment method within the following 31 days.⁷

Nothing about a death stops the advertising on its own: campaigns keep showing ads and billing the payment method until they are paused or the account is canceled.⁸

Pausing a campaign stops its ads from showing and prevents further charges, and keeps its settings and history.⁸

An account with no recorded spend for more than 15 months is considered inactive and automatically canceled.²

About a month after cancellation, the account's remarketing lists have their membership duration set to one day, removing all users from them.²

Requests a permission change on a Google Ads account, including one with no active admin: adding a user, changing a user's access level, or turning administrative ownership on or off.^{4, 5}

Completed online.