How-to · Updated October 11, 2026
Check for invalid clicks and get credited for them
Updated October 11, 2026
15 minutes
To check for invalid clicks, add the Invalid clicks column to your campaigns table: those clicks were never billed. Credits for invalid clicks caught after billing are automatic and show as Invalid activity under Billing, Summary. If you have evidence of clicks Google missed in the last 60 days, file the Click Quality Form.
Before you start
- Read-only, Standard or Admin access to the Google Ads account. Billing access alone cannot run campaign reports.
- The dates you suspect, within the last 60 days, and the campaigns involved.
- Your website server logs for those dates, if you will ask Google to investigate. Your web host or developer can export them.
See the clicks Google already filtered
Clicks in the Invalid clicks column were removed from your metrics and your bill before you paid, so there is nothing to claim for them.
- In Google Ads, click the Campaigns icon, then Campaigns, and set the date range to the days you suspect.
- Click the Columns icon above the table, then the Search icon next to Modify columns for campaigns.
- Search for Invalid clicks, select it, then click Apply.
- Compare the new column with Clicks and Cost. Google says a higher number means its filters caught and removed more invalid clicks.
Google says third-party click-fraud tools often flag traffic its filters already caught and excluded from your bill, and that analytics can still record a visit Google Ads removed. Compare against this column before concluding you paid for those clicks.
Find the credits for clicks caught after billing
Credits are issued automatically, where Google judges it appropriate and possible, and appear as Invalid activity adjustments; there is nothing to request.
- Click the Billing icon, then Summary. In the Month card, open the Adjustments drop-down and look for lines labeled Invalid activity.
- To see which campaigns the credits belong to, click the Campaigns icon, open Report editor, and under Template gallery select Invalid Activity Credit Report: Search & PMax. Google offers this report for Search and Performance Max campaigns only.
- Read Credited clicks, Credited amount and Adjusted cost, which is the invoiced cost minus the credit. To judge cost per lead after credits, drag in Adjusted cost / conv.
Google freezes campaign metrics at month end, so a credit for a past month does not change the campaigns table. A large Invalid clicks figure beside a small credit is normal: Google says the two are not directly related.
Ask for an investigation only with evidence
If you believe invalid clicks were missed and charged within the last 60 days, send the evidence Google asks for through the Click Quality Form.
- Note your 10-digit Customer ID, the exact dates, and the campaigns, ad groups and keywords involved.
- From your server logs, list the IP addresses with repeated clicks or clicks without conversions, the browser and device details, and the GCLID (Google click identifier) of each suspicious click.
- For fake leads, add a spreadsheet of each lead's GCLID and what happened when you contacted them.
- Add a sentence on why the traffic looks wrong, such as a sudden spike in clicks with no more leads, or clicks from outside your targeted locations.
- Sign in to the Click Quality Form from the Google Ads Help Center and submit it with that information.
Google says the review typically takes several business days and ends with an email. It will tell you about any credit, but it will not confirm whether a specific click was judged valid or invalid.
Check it worked
A credit appears as an Invalid activity adjustment under Billing, Summary, and on your invoice. Google issues it in the billing cycle after it detects the traffic, so clicks late in one month can be credited on the next month's invoice.
For a campaign-level view, rerun the Invalid Activity Credit Report for the same dates and compare Adjusted cost with the cost you saw before.
Do zero-second visits and repeated IP addresses mean fraud?
Not on their own. Google says many analytics tools need a second click to measure visit length, so a zero-second visit can be someone who stayed on the landing page. One IP address can also be shared by hundreds of devices on an office, campus or mobile network.
Why fake form leads keep arriving when invalid clicks are low
Google's filters run after an ad is shown and decide what you pay for. They cannot stop a bot or a person submitting your website form, so a dental office or a software company can get fake leads while Invalid clicks is low.
Google's own advice for the form is reCAPTCHA, validation on your server that checks email domains and phone formats, and a double opt-in email that the person must click to confirm. On the Google Ads side, it suggests focusing campaigns on goals such as qualified or converted leads.