oogle is joining the fight to help small businesses continue to operate during the COVID-19 outbreak brought on by the SARS-CoV-2 virus by offering small- to medium-sized businesses $340 million in Google ad credits. Google will also donate $25 million in ad credits to the World Health Organization to help disceminate critical medical information, launching an official Google COVID-19 resource page, $5 million in matching donations to the UN Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization and chipping in computing power to process large data to help health experts find answers faster.

How Do I Get The COVID-19 Google Ads Credit?

At the moment, there is nothing that you need to do to receive a credit. SMBs who have been advertising with Google since January 2019 should find a credit automatically added to their Google Ads account.

The ad credits will be available to small and medium businesses¹, who advertise directly with us or through partners, around the world with active accounts since the beginning of 2019.

Credits will be provided to SMB advertisers that have been active advertisers since Jan 1, 2019 and comply with all Google Ads T&Cs.

While some of our clients have begun to receive account credits, in the amount of a few hundred dollars, not all of our clients have received any credit, even if they have been operating non-stop with ads since January 2019. What's more, some of the accounts that have received a credit, have been running ads since January 2019, but only sporadically.

It is not clear whether Google will offer a credit to all SMBs or only certain SMBs. They do say on their site that they will be issuing Google Ad credits over the next few months, so stay tuned.

How Do I Check to See If I Have Received a COVID-19 Google Ads Credit?

There are two ways to check to see if you have received a COVID-19 Google Ads credit:

1. You will receive a notification
2. Log in to your Google Ads account
3. Click the bell icon in the top right corner.
4. If you have received a credit, you should have a notification here telling you that you have received a credit and the value of that credit.
5. You can check manually
6. Log in to your Google Ads account
7. Click 'Tools & Settings' in the top right corner
8. Under 'Billing' click 'Billing Summary'
9. Click 'View Transactions & Documents'
10. You should see a credit on or around April 12 if you have received one.

We will continue to update this article as more develops.

Q&A

Why is Google Offering Ad Credits?

"Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of our communities. They represent about 90 percent of all businesses and more than half of employment worldwide, according to the World Bank. COVID-19 has posed a particular challenge to these businesses, who may be facing closures and declining revenue even as they find ways to support and protect their employees. Through ad credits, we hope to alleviate some of the cost to stay in touch with their customers."

Whow is eligible for the COVID-19 Google Ad credit?

"The ad credits will be available to small and medium businesses, who advertise directly with us or through partners, around the world with active accounts since the beginning of 2019. Credits will be provided to SMB advertisers that have been active advertisers since Jan 1, 2019 and comply with all Google Ads T&Cs."

How will I receive my COVID-19 Google Ad credit?

The COVID-19 Google Ad credit will be deposited directly into ad accounts.

When will eligible customers receive COVID-19 Google Ad credits?

Some credits have already been distributed, but Google says on their website that more should be coming over the next few months.

How long are COVID-19 Google Ad credits valid?

"This Google Ads credit can be used at any point throughout the year and will expire on 31st Dec 2020. Any unused portion will be removed from Google Ads accounts." Our research shows that they are being automatically applied to active accounts.