How to Create a Facebook Ad Account in a Business Portfolio

A new ad account is made from your business portfolio’s settings in Meta Business Suite. Before you click anything, decide whether you really need a fresh account, or whether you should bring in one that already exists or borrow access to a client’s. Meta treats those as three separate routes, and a newly created account stays tied to the portfolio you create it in.

Which route fits your situation?

Option	When to use it	What happens to ownership
Create a new ad account	Your business needs a new account	It permanently belongs to your portfolio
Claim an existing ad account	You want to move an account into your portfolio	The move may be permanent
Request to share an ad account	You work on an account for another business, such as an agency client	It stays in their portfolio and access is shared with yours

How do you create a new ad account?

1. Go to Settings in Meta Business Suite.
2. Select the Accounts tab in the left menu, then Ad accounts.
3. Click the + Add dropdown menu and select Create a new ad account.
4. Enter the ad account name, time zone and currency, then click Next.
5. Choose My business, or Another business or client if you’ll advertise for a partner.
6. Tick the box agreeing to Meta’s terms and Advertising Standards, then click Create ad account.
7. Click Add payment info to set up billing now, or Done to do it later.

You’ll need a payment method before you can publish an ad, and you can add one later from the Payment methods tab in Billing & payments.

What limits apply to a new portfolio?

Meta says a new business portfolio can create only one ad account. That rises to 3 once a campaign delivers and a payment is made, and your ad account limit keeps increasing based on your advertising spend. Closing an ad account doesn’t remove it from the portfolio, and a closed account still counts toward your limit.

How do you bring in an account that already exists?

1. Go to Settings, then Accounts, then Ad accounts.
2. Click + Add and select Add an ad account.
3. Enter the ad account ID.
4. Tick the box agreeing to Meta’s terms, then click Claim ad account.

If another person owns the account, they must approve before you can use it. Meta blocks the claim if you don’t have full control of your portfolio, if the account already sits in another portfolio, or if you’ve reached your ad account limit. A prepaid ad account must have no prepaid balance to be added.

FAQ

Can I delete an ad account I created by mistake?

No. Meta says an ad account created in a business portfolio permanently belongs to it and can’t be deleted or transferred. You can close it, but a closed account still counts toward your portfolio’s ad account limit, so check the details before you click Create ad account.

How do I work on a client’s ad account without owning it?

Choose Request access to an ad account in another business portfolio under + Add, enter the account ID, and ask for partial access or full control. The account owner, or someone with full control of their portfolio, must approve before you can use it.

Who can add an ad account to a portfolio?

To claim an existing ad account into a portfolio, you need full control of that business portfolio. Meta says you can’t add an ad account if you don’t have full control, so ask a person who has full control of the portfolio to add the account or to raise your access first.