How to Transfer Facebook Ad Account Ownership

Need to hand over the keys to your Facebook ad account to an agency, a new team member, or a business partner? This transition can feel a little stressful, as ad accounts contain valuable data, payment information, and active campaigns. This guide provides a clear, step-by-step walkthrough on how to transfer Facebook ad account ownership and access securely and efficiently using Meta Business Suite.

First, A Quick Reality Check: What "Transferring Ownership" Actually Means

Before we jump into the steps, it's important to clarify what most people mean by "transferring ownership." In the Meta ecosystem, ad accounts are owned by a Meta Business Account (formerly Business Manager). You can't just hand an ad account from one person's personal profile to another. The process involves granting access or moving the ad account between different Business Accounts.

There are two primary scenarios this article will cover:

Granting Access: This is the most common and recommended method, especially when working with agencies or freelancers. The original Business Account retains ownership, but you give another Business Account (the "partner") administrative rights to manage the ad account on your behalf.
Changing Ownership: This involves moving an ad account from one Business Account to another. This is a more permanent move, often used during a business acquisition or a major internal restructuring.

For over 95% of situations, especially for client-agency relationships, granting partner access is the correct, safest, and most professional method.

The Essential Prerequisite: Meta Business Suite

Everything we're about to do happens inside Meta Business Suite (what many still call Facebook Business Manager). If your ad account is still tied only to your personal Facebook profile, your very first step is to create a Business Account and claim your ad account within it. Skipping this step is not an option.

Think of Meta Business Suite as the central corporate office for all of your business's Meta assets. It holds your Facebook Pages, Instagram accounts, Pixels, and, most importantly, your ad accounts. Managing permissions from here keeps your personal profile separate and secure, providing a professional way to control who has access to what.

If you don't have one set up yet, go to business.facebook.com and follow the prompts to create your Business Account. It’s a straightforward process that will ask for your business name, your name, and your work email.

Understanding Roles and Permissions

Inside Business Suite, permissions operate on two levels. Getting this right is the key to a smooth transfer.

1. People in Your Business Account

These are permissions for individuals you add directly to your own Business Account.

Admin Access: Can control everything, including adding or removing people, changing settings, and managing all assets (Pages, ad accounts, etc.). The person adding a partner must be an Admin.
Employee Access: Can only work on the specific assets they've been assigned to. They cannot change core business settings or manage user permissions.

2. Permissions on the Ad Account Asset

Once you've given someone access to your Business Account, you then assign them a role on the specific ad account.

Admin (Manage Ad Account): This is the highest level of access. They can run campaigns, see reports, edit payment methods, and assign other people roles on the ad account. This is the role you'll typically give to an agency partner.
Advertiser (Create & Edit Ads): They can create and edit ads, view ad performance, and access reports. They cannot change the payment method or manage permissions.
Analyst (View Performance): This is a read-only role. They can view ads and access reports to see performance data but cannot make any changes.

How to Grant Ad Account Access to an Agency or Partner (The Right Way)

This is the most common scenario: you want a marketing agency, contractor, or partner to run ads for you. They will have their own Meta Business Account, and you'll give it secure access to your ad account asset.

You will need one crucial piece of information from them: their Business ID number. An agency should be able to provide this to you instantly. It's found in their own Business Suite under Business Settings > Business Info.

Ready? Let's go step-by-step.

Log in to Meta Business Suite: Go to business.facebook.com/settings. Make sure you are using an account that has Admin access to the Business Account that owns the ad account.
Navigate to Ad Accounts: In the left-hand navigation pane, under "Accounts," click on Ad Accounts.
Select the Correct Ad Account: You will see a list of the ad accounts your Business Account owns. Click on the specific ad account you want to share.
Assign a Partner: At the top of the details pane for that ad account, you will see tabs like "People," "Partners," and "Connected Assets." Click on Assign Partners.
Choose the Access Method: A pop-up window will appear. You'll see two options. Choose "Business ID".
Enter the Partner's Business ID: This is where you paste the Business ID number your agency or partner gave you. After you paste it, click "Next."
Assign Permissions: Now you decide what the partner can do. Meta makes this simple with toggles. For most agency relationships, you will want to give them "Full Control," which is the "Manage Ad Account" privilege. This allows them to do everything from creating campaigns and managing billing to assigning their own team members to work on your account. Once you've selected the permission level, click "Save Changes."

That's it! Your partner will receive a notification that you have given them access. The ad account will now appear in their Business Suite, ready for them to manage, while you retain ultimate ownership.

What if the Agency Wants to Request Access Instead?

Sometimes, an agency may prefer to initiate the process. The steps are very similar but done from their end.

They will go to their business settings and select your ad account.
Instead of "Assign," they will choose "Request Access."
They will need your Ad Account ID number.
Once they submit the request, you will receive a notification in your Business Suite under the "Requests" section. You just need to approve it and assign the appropriate role.

How to Change Ad Account Ownership to Another Business

What if you need to perform a full transfer of ownership - for instance, if you sold part of your business? This is a more permanent step that moves the ad account entirely from your Business Account to another.

Important Note: An ad account can only be moved to a new Business Account if the new owner has not yet created their payment information. Essentially, it must be a "clean" ad spend slate for that business. Transferring ownership cannot be used as a way to circumvent ad account bans or payment issues.

The new owner must create a Meta Business Account if they don't already have one.
They must add you as an Admin on their new Business Account.
Log into your own Business Account, go to Business Settings > Ad Accounts.
Your ad account and its payment method need to be in good standing.
Because the specifics of this process change and have strict prerequisites, Meta now directs most of these high-level ownership changes through their business support channels to ensure they are handled correctly. You would typically initiate this request through the "Help" section of your Business Account.

For nearly all collaborative work, sticking to the Partner Access model described in the previous section is far simpler and more secure.

Best Practices for a Smooth & Secure Handover

To avoid potential headaches, follow these simple rules:

The Client Should Always Own the Ad Account: Agencies, never create an ad account for a client inside your Business Account. If you part ways, untangling that mess - including the pixel data - is a nightmare. The client business should always be the primary owner.
Also Have the Client Own the Pixel: The Meta Pixel stores all the valuable website conversion data. It is one of the most important assets a business has. It should live within the client’s Business Account and be shared with you as a partner, just like the ad account.
Use the "Partner" Model: It's the cleanest way to work together. It uses Business IDs, keeping personal Facebook profiles completely out of the equation.
Have a Clear Offboarding Process: When your contract with a partner ends, simply go back into your Business Settings > Ad Accounts > Partners, click on the partner's name, and click "Remove." Their access is instantly revoked.

Final Thoughts

Navigating Meta Business Suite and account management can feel a little confusing, but transferring access is straightforward once you understand the core principles. By using the partner access model, you maintain full ownership while securely allowing your agency teams the access they need. Always ensure the business itself owns its primary assets - the account and the pixel.

Sorting out permissions is the gateway to getting work done, but it is only the beginning. After all the doors are opened, you can get actionable and valuable insights. At Graphed, we see that happen when working with your data instead of digging through CSVs to understand performance across various platforms. One platform provides the bird's-eye view you need to stay in the action.