Manager Account

A Manager Account is Google’s official term for what was historically known as an MCC (My Client Center) account. It is a Google Ads account type that provides centralized management of multiple client accounts, including cross-account reporting, shared resources, consolidated billing, and unified user access control.

Key Takeaways

• “Manager Account” is the current official Google term; “MCC” is the widely used legacy name
• Provides a single dashboard for managing multiple Google Ads accounts
• Supports hierarchical structures with sub-manager accounts for organizational grouping
• Enables shared resources, consolidated billing, and centralized user management
• Required for agencies seeking Google Partner status

What Is a Manager Account

Manager Account and MCC Account refer to the same thing. Google rebranded “My Client Center” to “Manager Account” to clarify its function, but the industry overwhelmingly still uses “MCC.” The account type is identical regardless of the name used.

Terminology	Context
Manager Account	Official Google Ads interface and documentation (2026)
MCC	Industry standard, common in agencies and tools
My Client Center	Original Google name, still referenced in older documentation
Parent account	Sometimes used in hierarchical contexts

How It Works

Manager Accounts are created separately from regular Google Ads accounts at a dedicated signup page. Once created:

1. Link accounts — Send invitations to existing Google Ads accounts or create new client accounts directly from the Manager Account
2. Set permissions — Define what each manager account user can do across linked accounts (Admin, Standard, Read-only, Email-only)
3. Organize — Use labels and account groupings to organize accounts by team, client type, or region
4. Manage centrally — Access any linked account with a single click from the dashboard

Manager Account hierarchy:

• A Manager Account can manage up to 85,000 accounts (with Google approval for higher limits)
• Manager Accounts can link to other Manager Accounts, creating a hierarchy
• A single client account can be linked to up to 5 Manager Accounts simultaneously
• Each level in the hierarchy can have its own users and permissions

Key administrative features:

• Account creation — Create new Google Ads accounts directly within the Manager Account
• Budget management — Set account-level budget caps and alerts
• Shared Library — Create negative keyword lists and audiences that apply across accounts
• Performance alerts — Configure notifications for performance changes across accounts
• Cross-account reporting — Build reports spanning multiple accounts

Practical Example

A mid-size agency uses a three-tier Manager Account structure:

Top-level Manager Account (Agency HQ)

• Executive dashboards across all 120 client accounts
• Consolidated billing for invoicing

Sub-Manager: E-commerce Team (40 accounts)

• Team lead has admin access to all 40 accounts
• Shared negative keyword lists for retail verticals

Sub-Manager: Lead Gen Team (50 accounts)

• Separate team with access only to their accounts
• Shared conversion tracking templates

Sub-Manager: Enterprise Team (30 accounts)

• Dedicated account managers with individual assignments
• Custom reporting templates

When a team member moves from E-commerce to Lead Gen, their access is updated at the sub-manager level without affecting other teams.

Why It Matters

Manager Accounts are the structural backbone of scaled Google Ads operations. Whether you call it an MCC or Manager Account, the functionality is critical for anyone managing more than a few accounts. It centralizes what would otherwise be dozens of separate administrative tasks, provides the cross-account visibility needed for portfolio-level optimization, and is a prerequisite for Google Partner certification, API-based automation, and enterprise-grade account management.