Who should own your ad accounts: you or your agency?

What you should own

Account	You own	Your agency gets
Google Ads	The account, created in your name	A manager account link, with Owner left off
Google Ads billing	The payments profile and the card	Nothing, or Billing access if they handle invoices
GA4 and Tag Manager	The account, with Administrator for your team	Editor (GA4) and Publish (Tag Manager)
Meta	The business portfolio, ad account, Page, Instagram and dataset (Pixel)	Partner access to those assets
Meta billing	The payment method on your ad account	Nothing
Website	Hosting, domain and the admin account	Their own login or collaborator access

Why it matters

• Google’s guide for advertisers says a third-party agency must set up a separate Ads account for you, and that you have the right to know your clicks, impressions and total cost.
• Google says a linked client account “still owns its data”, and a manager should be made owner only if it needs those privileges.
• Google Tag Manager’s help says to make sure your account is managed by someone in your organization, not an external agency.
• Meta lets only the business that owns an asset share it. A partner can manage your ad account, but it can’t hand it to someone else.

How to check what you own today

1. Google Ads: open Admin › Access and security › Managers. If the agency’s manager shows “Yes” in the Owner column, set it to “No”.
2. GA4 and Tag Manager: check that at least two people from your business have Administrator.
3. Meta: in your business portfolio’s Settings, look at your ad accounts, Page and dataset. Each should belong to your business, not be shared with you by another business.
4. Billing: check whose name is on the payments profile and the card.

Our notes

• We work this way by default. You own every account, and we work with access you can remove in a few clicks.
• If an agency set it up in their name, ask them in writing to give your business ownership or Administrator access before you start anything new.