How to dispute Google LSA leads: the current credit process

The short answer

As of October 2026, Google's Local Services help center no longer walks you through a manual lead dispute. Instead, Google screens leads at first contact, rechecks charged leads over time, and automatically credits ones it later judges low quality. Your part is to report bad leads through the Rate this lead survey on each lead, which helps Google's review and can earn a credit. Credits usually reach your account balance within 30 days.

Two limits matter. Google says it no longer supports credits for job type not serviced and geo not serviced leads, and lead credits aren't available for health care verticals, tax specialists, or advertisers in EMEA. So for most contractors, disputing LSA leads now means three things: rate every bad lead with the right reason, keep evidence, and tighten your settings so fewer bad leads get through.

What counts as a chargeable lead

Before you flag anything, know what Google counts as valid. According to Google's How leads work page, you are charged when:

• You answer a call, or call the customer back and speak with them.
• You miss a call during your business hours and the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds.
• You receive a text message or email from the customer.
• You receive a voicemail from the customer.
• You receive a booking request (United States and Canada only).

And Google says you are not charged for:

• Leads judged invalid or low quality at first contact.
• Spam and duplicate contacts that its systems filter out.
• Callers who hang up at a phone menu before pressing a key.
• Repeat contact from the same phone number or email within 15 days of a charged lead.
• Unanswered calls outside your business hours or active ad schedule.

Notice the missed-call rule. A caller who waits more than 20 seconds during your business hours counts as a lead even if nobody picked up. That's money spent on a conversation that never happened.

What changed: from disputes to automatic credits

Google's automated lead credits page describes the current process. Leads are assessed when the customer first makes contact, and invalid or low-quality ones are not charged. Charged leads are reassessed over time and may be credited automatically. Google says it tries to catch poor leads upfront, but you may still see some get auto credits within the first 24 hours.

Google's help center is not fully consistent. Its introduction page still says that if a lead isn't valid you can immediately dispute it, while the detailed pages only describe automatic credits and feedback. In practice: if your dashboard still shows a Dispute option on a lead, use it. If it only shows Rate this lead, use that.

Each lead in your report now shows one of four statuses:

• Not charged: Google did not charge you from the start, for example a low-quality or duplicate lead.
• Charged: you were charged.
• In review: Google is reviewing it, and will apply a credit if it was not a good match.
• Credited: charged and later credited, either automatically or as a bonus for leaving feedback.

Valid reasons to flag a lead

The feedback survey asks why you were unhappy with a lead. The reasons below come from the Google Ads API definition of the survey, which mirrors the options advertisers see. Google decides each credit; choosing a reason does not guarantee one.

A customer of a competitor who dialed you by mistake is not a named reason, so use Other and say exactly what happened. Calls asking you for free advice are a gray area, so don't count on a credit for those.

Step by step: flag a bad LSA lead

These are the steps on Google's current help page for the Local Services Ads dashboard on the web:

1. Sign in to your Local Services Ads account.
2. Open the menu in the top left.
3. Select Leads.
4. Open the lead you want to report.
5. Select Rate this lead in the top right, then select Open to start the survey.
6. Pick the reason that fits, add a short factual note if there is a field for it, and submit.
7. Check back later. The lead status will move to In review or Credited if Google agrees.

On the Local Services mobile app, look for the same Rate this lead option on the lead. Google's help page only spells out the web steps, and we have not confirmed the app layout, so if you can't find it in the app, use the web dashboard. Agencies and software vendors can also submit lead feedback through the Google Ads API.

Deadlines and limits

• Google assesses lead quality over a 30-day period, according to its How leads work page.
• Credits usually appear in your account balance within 30 days. The original lead charge still shows on your invoice.
• Google does not state a filing deadline for feedback on the current pages. Rate leads the same day or week anyway, while you still remember the call.
• Credits are not available for health care verticals, tax specialists, or advertisers in EMEA. Automatic credits are not available in EEA countries.
• Job type not serviced and geo not serviced leads are no longer credited.

Write survey notes Google can act on

Google reviews a lot of leads, and a vague note gives it nothing to check. Keep each note short, factual and tied to something it can verify, such as the call itself or the message thread.

• Weak: Bad lead, not a customer.
• Better: Caller was selling SEO services. Asked for the owner, pitched a marketing package, never mentioned a plumbing job.
• Weak: Spam.
• Better: Silent call, 34 seconds, no voice on the line. Same number called three times this week.
• Weak: Wrong number.
• Better: Caller was trying to reach a different company with a similar name and hung up once they realized.

Avoid rating real customers as bad leads just because they didn't book. A homeowner who wanted a price and went with someone cheaper was a real lead. Flagging those does not help your account and makes your feedback less useful.

If you think Google got it wrong

Automatic credits mean less paperwork, but also less control. If a clearly invalid lead stays charged after the review window, or you see a sudden run of spam calls, use the Contact us link in the Local Services help center and send your examples: lead dates, the numbers that called, and your notes or recordings. Keep it to the facts and a short list. Support can't act on a feeling that leads got worse, but it can look at specific leads.

Evidence to keep

Even with automatic credits, a written record helps. It makes your survey notes specific, gives you something to send if you contact Google support, and shows you which bad leads keep repeating.

• Call recordings, if recording is turned on for your account or your phone system records calls.
• Message and email logs for message leads, saved as screenshots.
• Your own call log: time, length, and the number that called.
• A one-line note per bad lead: what they wanted, and why it was not a real job for you.
• A monthly list of leads by status (charged, credited, not charged), so you can see your real cost per lead after credits.

Cut disputes upstream

Since Google no longer credits job type and service area mismatches, your settings are now your main defense. Google's troubleshooting guide for invalid leads says to review your service areas, job types and categories. Narrowing them can improve lead quality, but may also reduce how many leads you get.

Tighten your service area

Drop ZIP codes and cities you rarely win, even if they are technically in range. A 50-minute drive for a small repair is rarely worth the lead price.

Turn off job types you do not want

If you don't do drain cleaning, or you don't want small repairs, switch those job types off. Every job type left on is one Google can match you to.

Set honest business hours

Unanswered calls outside your business hours are not charged, but missed calls inside them can be. If nobody answers at 7 a.m., don't list 7 a.m. as open, or make sure someone (or something) picks up.

Answer every lead fast

Many wasted leads aren't invalid at all. They were real customers who called someone else while waiting for you. Google lists responsiveness and average response time among ranking factors and says missed calls may hurt your responsiveness. A lead you call back within minutes is far less likely to end up wasted. HelloSetter is one way to do that for LSA message and booking leads: it calls new leads within 60 seconds of arrival (leads connect through a webhook or Zapier on a setup call) and only calls leads that gave consent. For the research on response speed, see speed to lead for contractors.

A 15-minute monthly LSA lead review

1. Export or list last month's leads with their status.
2. Check that every bad lead you noted was rated through the survey.
3. Count spam and solicitation leads. If they jump, tell Google support with examples.
4. Count job type and area mismatches. Each one is a setting to fix, not a credit to chase.
5. Count missed calls during business hours. Those are charges for conversations you never had.
6. Work out cost per booked job: LSA spend minus credits, divided by jobs won from LSA. Compare with your other sources, as in our follow-up playbook.