Google may now charge you for LSA calls you miss

Updated October 21, 2026. Receptn is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.

Starting October 1, 2026, Google can charge Local Services Ads advertisers for some calls they don't answer during business hours. If you're paying for the call either way, it's worth making sure someone picks it up.

What Google announced

Google's August 2026 email to advertisers, as quoted by Search Engine Roundtable on August 25, 2026, says:

“Missed calls during business hours will now be charged as valid leads if a user stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, with a few exceptions.”

What Google's help page says now

Google's How leads work page, as of October 21, 2026, says:

• A call you miss during business hours is charged as a lead if the caller stays on the line more than 20 seconds.
• A call that goes to voicemail or an automated greeting during business hours counts as connected. It's charged if the caller stays on the line more than 20 seconds, whether or not they leave a message.
• If your phone system asks callers to press a key, the 20 seconds start at their first key press. Callers who hang up without pressing a key aren't charged.
• Once a lead is charged, follow-up calls or messages with that customer aren't charged again while there is contact within 15 days from the same phone number or email address.
• Business hours are the hours in your Google Business Profile. If your ad schedule is different, unanswered calls are charged only when they fall inside both.

If a charge looks wrong: Google says leads it judges invalid or low quality aren't charged, and charged leads it later finds low quality are usually credited within 30 days (About automated lead credits).

Missed calls and your ad ranking

Separately, Google's About ad rankings page lists your responsiveness to customer inquiries as a ranking factor and says: “Missed calls may negatively affect your responsiveness.”

Estimate what missed calls cost you

Three ways to pick up more of those calls

1. Check when calls go unanswered. Look at when calls come in and when nobody picks up, often early morning, lunch, and when the crew is on a job.
2. Forward unanswered calls instead of letting them ring out. Most mobile carriers and office phone systems can forward a call when nobody answers. On Verizon, dial *71 followed by the 10-digit number you're forwarding to; dial *73 to turn it off (Verizon). AT&T and T-Mobile publish their own steps: AT&T, T-Mobile. Office and VoIP systems set this in their admin settings, usually as “forward on no answer.”
3. Decide who answers the forwarded call. That can be a person on your team, an answering service, or an AI receptionist.

Where Receptn fits

Receptn is an AI phone receptionist for HVAC and home-service businesses. You keep your number and forward only the calls you don't pick up. Receptn answers calls routed to it, takes down the caller's name, number, and what they need, and sends you the details.

Receptn doesn't change what Google charges. An answered LSA call is still a charged lead. The difference is that the call reaches someone who takes down the job.