October 9, 2026. Google Local Services Ads now charges for a missed call if the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds during your business hours, even if nobody calls back, according to Google's updated How leads work page. A call that reaches voicemail or an automated greeting is charged the same way, whether or not the caller leaves a message. A June 15, 2026 archived copy of the page had no such rule: back then a missed call without a voicemail became a valid lead only after you returned it. Search Engine Roundtable flagged the rewrite on October 8.
Key numbers
| Item | Number |
|---|---|
| Missed-call charge threshold (during business hours) | more than 20 seconds on the line |
| Phone menu timer starts (no charge if the caller hangs up before it) | at the first key press |
| Voicemail or greeting without a key press (message or not) | charged after 20 seconds |
| Repeat-contact window (same number or email, no second charge) | 15 days |
| Lead quality assessment (automatic credits) | 30 days |
| Lead charge statuses (Charged, Not charged, In review, Credited) | 4 |
| Automatic credits not available | EEA accounts |
| Lead credits not offered | tax specialists, health care |
| Booking leads | US and Canada only |
| Missed call rule in the June 15, 2026 capture | valid only once returned |
Rules read on 9 October 2026 from Google's Local Services Help article How leads work and its Internet Archive capture of 15 June 2026.
What the page now says
- The 20-second rule. A missed call during business hours becomes a chargeable lead once the caller has stayed on the line for more than 20 seconds.
- Phone menus. If your system asks callers to press a key, the timer starts at the first key press. A caller who hangs up without pressing a key is not charged, however long the menu played, and later key presses do not reset the clock.
- Voicemail and greetings. A call that reaches voicemail or a greeting without a key press is treated as connected and charged after 20 seconds, message or not.
- Business hours. These are the hours in your Google Business Profile. If your ad schedule differs, unanswered calls are charged only when they fall inside both.
- Answered calls. Ring time stops mattering once someone picks up; the call is judged on the conversation.
- Repeat contacts. Follow-up calls or messages from the same number or email are not charged again while there is interaction within 15 days.
- Credits. Google keeps assessing each lead for 30 days and automatically credits poor-quality, duplicate or invalid ones; every lead shows as Charged, Not charged, In review or Credited. Automatic lead credits are not available in EEA countries, and lead credits are not offered to tax specialists or health care advertisers.
Why a missed call now costs money
Local Services Ads bills per lead, not per click, and Google says lead prices vary with your location, the job type, the lead type and your bidding mode, so there is no single published rate. Under the old wording a missed call cost nothing until you returned it. Now the charge lands while the phone rings out. For a plumber or HVAC contractor on a busy morning, every caller who waits 20 seconds and hangs up is a lead you have paid for and may never speak to, and that caller is free to ring the next ad on the page.
What it means for operators
- Answer inside 20 seconds, every time. The cheapest fix is a line that never rings out during business hours. An AI receptionist that picks up on the first ring turns a charged missed call into a conversation and can book the job; see what after-hours call answering costs for HVAC and plumbing, and our comparison of AI answering services for HVAC.
- Audit your phone menu. A menu that asks for a key press protects you from hang-ups before the press, but the clock runs after it, so route that first press straight to a person or an agent that answers.
- Align hours and schedule. If nobody can take calls at a given hour, remove it from your Business Profile hours or your ad schedule rather than paying for calls that ring out.
- Call back inside 15 days. Follow-ups within 15 days are not charged again, and a returned call is your only way to recover a lead you already paid for.
- Check charge statuses weekly. Compare leads marked Charged with your call logs and use the feedback survey on poor ones; automatic credits come during the 30-day assessment, except in the EEA.
If missed calls are where your ad budget leaks, our AI automation team sets up answering and booking that never lets a paid call ring out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if the call comes in during your business hours and the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds. You are charged even if you never call back. Calls outside your business hours, or outside your ad schedule when it differs, are not charged as missed calls.
Yes, during business hours, if the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds after reaching voicemail or a greeting, whether or not they leave a message. With a phone menu, the 20 seconds start at the caller's first key press, and a caller who hangs up without pressing a key is not charged.
Not within 15 days. Once a lead is charged, follow-up calls or messages from the same phone number or email are not charged again while there is interaction within 15 days. After 15 days with no activity, a new contact can be charged as a new lead.
Google assesses each lead for 30 days and automatically credits leads it judges poor quality, duplicate or invalid. Each lead shows as Charged, Not charged, In review or Credited. Automatic credits are not available for accounts in EEA countries, and lead credits are not offered to tax specialists or health care advertisers.