Support

Request a refund from Google Ads for invalid clicks

On this page

You file an invalid click claim yourself, by hand, on Google's own form. Tapper gives you the evidence: a CSV report of the invalid clicks it blocked.

Before you start

  • Your Tapper refund report. Download it from the Refunds page before its link expires after 7 days. See Generate a Google Ads refund report.
  • Your Google Ads customer ID. Google Ads shows it at the top left, next to the account name. Through a manager account, the number at the top right, next to your sign-in email, is the manager account's. The ID is also in the report's customer_id column and file name.
  • Access to the Google Ads account the clicks were charged to.
  • The report's period. You enter the same dates on Google's form. They are in the Date range column on the Refunds page and in the file name.

Open Google's form

The quickest way is Google's click quality form, signed in with the Google account you use for Google Ads. Or, from inside Google Ads:

  1. Click Help (the question mark icon) at the top right. The Quick help panel opens.
  2. Scroll to Need more help? and click Contact us.

The Quick help panel in Google Ads with Contact us outlined

  1. In Tell us what you need help with, type Invalid Clicks, then click Next step.

Invalid Clicks typed into the Contact us panel

  1. Under Choose the best description of this issue, select Other, then click Next step.

The issue descriptions with Other outlined

  1. Under Contact options, pick the account in Select a Google Ads Customer ID. Through a manager account, pick the manager account there (the number at the top right of Google Ads), then the advertiser's account in Select the affected sub-account.
  2. Choose Email, so you can attach the report and keep a written record.

Contact options with the customer ID and Email outlined

Fill in the form

FieldWhat to enter
Contact NameYour full name
End Customer Company NameThe advertiser's company name, not the agency's
Criticality & Impact on BusinessOne factual line, for example: invalid clicks increased spend and distorted campaign reporting
Account Login Email IDThe email you sign in to Google Ads with
Contact EmailWhere Google should send updates; often the same address
Email CC (optional)Colleagues to follow the case, separated by commas
Request TypeCampaign Specific if the clicks hit selected campaigns, Not Campaign Specific if they are spread across the account. The report's campaign column tells you which
Date Range When the Issue AppearedYour report's start and end dates, in MM/DD/YYYY format
Preferred Contact MethodEmail me
Summary of the IssueYour claim, see below
Attach an uncropped screenshot or fileThe Tapper refund report CSV
Upload HAR File (optional)Leave empty unless Google asks for it
Feedback Consent (optional)Tick only if you agree to feedback requests from Google

What to write

Lead with what Google can check: the GCLIDs (Google's own click IDs, the report's first column) and objective network facts, such as data center, VPN and known-attacker IP addresses. Time on site or page reloads carry less weight. Stay factual and use the same dates as the form.

Adapt this example to your report:

Between [start date] and [end date], our Google Ads account [customer ID] received clicks we believe are invalid. The attached CSV lists each click by its GCLID with its UTC timestamp, IP address, campaign, landing page, user agent and the reasons it was flagged. Many of these clicks come from data center, VPN or known-attacker IP addresses, as shown in the is_datacenter, is_vpn and is_known_attacker columns. We ask you to review these clicks and credit the invalid clicks we were charged for in this period.

Click Submit. Keep the case number from Google's confirmation email.

What happens next

  • Google reviews the claim by hand and may email you for more evidence. Answer with the same report and dates.
  • A review can take several weeks.
  • If Google approves, it credits your Google Ads account, only for clicks you were charged for. Clicks Google already filtered are not refunded, even when they appear in Tapper's report.
  • If Google declines, read its reason. A new claim still has to cover clicks from the last 60 days.

If something goes wrong

  • The download link has expired. Generate the report again on the Refunds page; the link lasts 7 days.
  • The advertiser's account is in neither Select a Google Ads Customer ID nor Select the affected sub-account. Sign in to Google Ads with a Google account that has access to it, then start again.
  • The report has no rows. No click matched your period and tiers; see Generate a Google Ads refund report.

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