Starting 1 August 2023, Google Ads accounts using Argentinian pesos as payment currency will be subject to operating charges if ads are served to users outside of Argentina. Note this charge will apply to accounts with monthly invoicing and Banelco as payment methods only.
This new charge is associated with operating costs related to Argentinian market fluctuations.
The new 'Operating charges' will be levied only on the spend accrued from ad impressions or clicks from users located outside of Argentina. Example: If you spend $100 in Google Ads in August, of which $90 are from ads served in the Argentine territory and the remaining $10 are from ads served outside of Argentina, then the 'Operating Charge' will only be levied on the $10. Further, if the rate of 'Operating charge' in August is, for example 100%, the value of the additional new charge will be $10, bringing the total payable for the month of August to $110 plus any applicable taxes.
What will be the rate of operating charge
The rate of this charge may be adjusted as needed, based on Argentinian market fluctuations. The up-to-date operating charge rate for subsequent months will be available below (updated monthly).
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 12/2023: 20% | 01/2024: 20% | 01/2025: 10% |
| 02/2024: 20% | ||
| 03/2024: 20% | ||
| 04/2024: 20% | ||
| 05/2024: 20% | ||
| 06/2024: 20% | ||
| 07/2024: 20% | ||
| 08/2024: 20% | ||
| 09/2024: 20% | ||
| 10/2024: 20% | ||
| 11/2024: 20% | ||
| 12/2024: 20% |
When will the operating charge be billed?
Monthly invoicing
If your ads account uses Argentinian pesos and serves ads outside of Argentina, you will see a charge, called 'Operating Charge', added to your Google Ads costs once at the end of each month once your invoice is generated. Details of this charge will appear on your commercial invoice and will also be available at the end of the month on the 'Transactions' page of your Google Ads account under the 'Operating Charge' line item.
These charges will also be added on top of your account budget if you’ve set one up. For example, if you have a budget of $100 and accrue $90 in operational charges, you’ll be billed $190 (plus any taxes, such as VAT, that apply in your jurisdiction). Learn more about adjusting your account budget
Note: Any taxes, such as VAT, that may apply in your jurisdiction will also apply to the new charge.
Manual payments or prepayments
If your ads account uses Argentinian pesos and serves ads outside of Argentina, you will see a new charge, called 'Operating Charge', added to your Google Ads costs once at the end of each month. The 'Operating charge' may be added to your account after your prepayment has been fully spent and you may be left with an open balance that will be deducted from your next prepayment.
This charge will be shown in the 'Summary' page of your Google Ads account under 'Estimated taxes and fees' as an 'Operating Charge' line item. Note that any taxes, such as VAT, that may apply in your jurisdiction will also apply to the new charge.Additional information
It's possible for a campaign that targets a particular jurisdiction, for example Argentina, to show ads to users outside of Argentina because your business might be in a location of interest for those users. Therefore, it’s the advertiser’s responsibility to ensure that your campaign target settings are correct and the ads are served in the intended jurisdictions. Google will not refund or credit operation charges that were levied due to legitimate clicks and impressions served according to your campaign target settings.
To check which jurisdictions your ads are served in, create a custom report in the location and distance reports using the following steps:
- Create a predefined 'Distance' report.
- Remove all default rows.
- Add a row for 'Country/Territory (user location)'.
- Search for costs outside of Argentina.
If you do not intend your ARS account to serve ads outside of Argentina, update your location options to target only 'Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations' if your account was set up incorrectly. Update your location options
If you are not domiciled in Argentina and do not intend your Google Ads account to use ARS (Argentinian peso) as your payment currency, migrate your campaigns to a new account with a currency other than Argentinian pesos (You can't change the currency of an existing account).
Note: By changing currency, you will no longer be billed out of the Google Argentina entity and therefore won’t receive local documents. The new currency/country will determine the documents and taxes applicable to the new account.
- See how to copy your campaigns to a new account
- See how to add account budgets to your new accounts in bulk (for monthly invoicing accounts)
