Google Local Services Ads update: Google now charges for some missed LSA calls. Here's what to do.
Updated · By the Dael team
The short answer
- The change took effect October 1, 2026.
- A missed call during business hours can be charged as a valid lead if the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds.
- If the first call is not charged, later calls with the same customer can be, when they meet Google's valid lead criteria.
- Phone menus get an exception: the timer starts after the key press.
Search Engine Land and Search Engine Watch reported the change on August 25, 2026. We are not Google, so check your LSA account and Google's help center for the rules that apply to you.
What changed
- Missed calls can be charged. During business hours, a missed call is charged as a valid lead when the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds. Some exceptions apply.
- Later calls can be charged.If an initial call does not qualify as a charged lead, follow up calls between your business and the same customer can be charged if they meet Google's valid lead criteria.
- Phone menus get an exception. If your phone system makes callers press a key to reach a department, the 20 second timer starts after the key press. If the caller never presses a key, there is no charge.
- New spam protections. Google says it is adding protections against robot and spam calls. It has not published details.
- Google's reason.LSA customers have immediate needs and expect to connect quickly. Google says it wants to reward businesses with "excellent responsiveness".
What it means for a shop
A missed call during business hours can now cost you twice. The job goes to the next shop, and the call can still be charged as a lead. A homeowner with no heat does not leave a message. They call the next name on Google.
Missed calls were already a leak. As an illustration: 400 calls a month, 25% missed, half of those new work, 60% would book, a $450 first ticket. That is about $13,500 a month. Put your own numbers into the missed call calculator. A lead fee on top of a lost job is the new part.
If you do not buy LSA leads, this change does not touch your account. The lesson still holds for every lead source: answer fast.
What to do this week
- Check your business hours. Open your LSA profile and confirm the hours listed there. The reported change applies to calls during those hours, so they need to match when you really answer.
- Answer every business hours call. Your team picks up first. When they are busy, an overflow line catches the call so it does not ring out.
- Know your phone menu. If callers press a key to reach a department, the 20 second timer starts after the key press. A caller who never presses a key is not charged.
- Call back missed LSA leads fast. Later calls with the same customer can also count as the charged lead, so make that call count. Have your calendar open and offer a specific slot.
- Review your LSA lead list regularly.If you believe a lead is invalid, use Google's own dispute process. Check your LSA account and Google's help center for how it works.
- Get a free missed-call audit. We call your shop at lunch, after hours and on Saturday and report who answered. Request your audit.
How Dael helps
Dael is a done for you AI front desk for HVAC and plumbing shops. In overflow mode you keep your number and your team answers first. Unanswered, busy and after hours calls forward to Dael.
- It answers as an AI assistant, announces that the call is recorded and books the job into your calendar.
- It texts you for every booking and sends a Monday report with every recording.
- It calls new leads back in under 60 seconds. Ask us on the setup call which of your lead sources it covers.
We do not speak for Google. How Google counts a forwarded or AI answered call is a question for your LSA account and Google's help center. What we can tell you is what happens on our side of the phone: the call gets answered by an agent that can book the job.
Front Desk is $297 a month with no setup fee, up to 1,000 minutes, for the first 10 HVAC and plumbing shops. At a $450 ticket, less than one recovered job covers a month. For HVAC and plumbing there is a guarantee of 10 recovered jobs in 60 days (see the six conditions). See pricing, hear the agent on a live call or book a 15 minute setup call.
Choosing between a person and an AI for the phones? Read what an HVAC answering service costs.
Questions owners ask
Does Google charge for missed calls now?
For some, yes. Starting October 1, 2026, Search Engine Land and Search Engine Watch report that a missed call during business hours is charged as a valid lead when the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, with some exceptions.
How long does a caller have to stay on the line?
More than 20 seconds. The reports describe this as the point where a missed business hours call can be charged as a valid lead.
Do phone menus count?
There is an exception. If your phone system makes callers press a key to reach a department, the 20 second timer starts after the key press. If the caller never presses a key, there is no charge.
What about calls after hours?
The reported change covers business hours. Check your LSA account and Google's help center for how your account and your listed hours are treated.
Can a later call be charged too?
Yes. If an initial call does not qualify as a charged lead, later follow up calls between your business and the same customer can be charged if they meet Google's valid lead criteria.
Will Dael stop these charges?
No one can promise that, and we do not speak for Google. Dael answers the calls your team misses and calls new leads back in under 60 seconds. How Google counts a forwarded or AI answered call is a question for your LSA account and Google's help center.
