How do I get invoices from Microsoft Advertising, and can we switch from card charges to monthly invoicing?

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Yes, if your business qualifies for a Microsoft credit line. Microsoft lists a credit check, a business registered for a year, a year in good standing and, in the US and Canada, $5,000 a month in spend over the last 12 months. A Super Admin applies under Billing, then Payment methods. Approval takes up to two business days. Then you switch, create an insertion order, and pay by bank transfer, usually within 30 days. Until then, your card is charged at your billing threshold or monthly billing date. Billing documents download as PDFs under Billing, then Transactions.

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As of November 2026.

Where do I download Microsoft Advertising invoices?

Under Billing, then Transactions, which opens Billing documents. Select one or more documents, select Download documents, and save the zip of PDFs. If the table is empty, pick a different date range.

What you'll find depends on how you pay:

  • Monthly invoice accounts get an invoice, typically by the 2nd business day of each month for the previous month. The Status column shows paid, open or overdue.
  • Prepay accounts get a Payment receipt each time they add funds, not an invoice.
  • Card (postpay threshold) accounts: Microsoft's help doesn't say which document each card charge creates, though its credit rules mention "postpay threshold invoices." For a monthly email that links to last month's payments, turn on Billing alerts under Settings, then Email preferences.

For month-end close: statements and invoices are "always based on Pacific Time," and new charges can take up to 4 hours to show. For agencies: the account owner always sees billing documents, and a direct manager sees them only if the owner or that manager is the bill-to customer.

Why does Microsoft Ads charge my card before the end of the month?

Card accounts are "postpay threshold" accounts. Microsoft charges your card when charges reach your billing threshold or on your monthly billing date, whichever comes first.

  • Monthly billing date: the day of the month you signed up. You can't change it. It's skipped if a payment succeeded in the past 10 days.
  • Billing threshold: it starts at $50 for accounts billed in US dollars and rises as payments succeed (it falls if you have trouble paying). So a new account that spends fast can be charged several times a month.
  • A cap on each charge: under Billing, then Billing settings, select Limit each charge to and enter an amount. Charges can run slightly over it. Only Super Admins and Standard Users can set it.
  • Tax on top: the threshold covers ad costs only.

Microsoft may also hold the estimated charge on your card, usually for up to 7 days; not every account has this yet.

What's the difference between prepay, threshold and monthly invoice billing?

Postpay thresholdPrepayMonthly invoice
When you payAfter, at your threshold or billing dateBefore, from funds you addAfter, one invoice a month
How you payCredit or debit cardCard, bank transfer, PayPal in some currenciesBank transfer (wire or ACH, by location)
What you getBilling documents (type not spelled out)Payment receiptsInvoices
Credit approvalNo (identity verification needed)NoYes
When ads stopCard fails with no backup payment methodFunds run out (unless auto-recharge is on)No active insertion order, or a hold for unpaid charges

You can switch between prepay and postpay threshold at any time. New-advertiser coupons are covered in how Microsoft's new-advertiser promo credit works.

Can we switch from card charges to monthly invoicing?

Only if Microsoft approves your business for credit. Its requirements:

  • A credit check.
  • A business registered for at least one year, and an account in good standing for at least one year.
  • All postpay threshold invoices paid, and no excessive chargebacks.
  • At least one account through advertiser identity verification as Business or Business & Individual, not Individual only.
  • Spend at least this much a month over the last 12 months:
MarketSpend per month
US and Canada$5,000 USD/CAD
Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom$3,000 USD equivalent
Other markets, including APAC, Brazil, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, the Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe$2,000 USD

Microsoft may ask for more information. Its docs disagree on new accounts: the application article wants a year in good standing, but the billing options article says "New accounts can also qualify for invoicing." If your account is newer, ask Support or your account manager.

How do we apply, and how long does approval take?

A Super Admin applies:

  1. Hover over Billing, select Payment methods, and pick the account.
  2. Select Payment Methods from the main menu, then Apply for monthly invoicing.
  3. Choose I'm applying for credit the first time, or I want to use an existing credit line for this manager account to reuse an SAP ID (your monthly invoice billing number).
  4. Complete the form and submit it.

The legal name and address can come only from accounts verified as a business; manual entry "is no longer supported." They become the bill-to entity on your invoices, so check them first. Small businesses can't add a second SAP ID without contacting Support. Approval can take up to two business days. Check its status under Billing, then Payment methods.

What happens after we're approved?

  1. Switch. Under Billing, then Billing summary, select Change how you pay in the How you pay tile, choose monthly invoice, and select Make the switch. Pay what the card account owes, or carry it to your first invoice if it fits your credit limit.
  2. Create an insertion order (IO). An IO is the most you agree to spend in a period, and ads serve only while one is active. Go to Billing, then Insertion orders, then Create order. You pay only for what you spend.
  3. Size the credit line. You keep spending during the 30 days you have to pay, so Microsoft's example pairs a $5,000 monthly IO with a credit line of about $10,000. It emails you 14 days before you're likely to reach the line. If you don't pay, the account can go on hold. That's not a policy suspension (for those, see why Microsoft Advertising suspends accounts).
  4. Pay by bank transfer. Microsoft requires bank transfer for monthly invoices; its payment tables mark cards "Not accepted." Terms are usually 30 days (60 in Japan). Put the invoice number and account number on each payment, or processing can take longer than the usual 5 days.

How do we get a purchase order number on Microsoft Ads invoices?

Add it to the insertion order. Under Billing, then Insertion orders, create or edit an order, fill in Purchase order, and select Save. The PO "will only appear on future invoices," not ones already issued.

Under Billing, then Billing settings, you can also:

  • Add accounts payable contacts (a Super Admin does this, on the SAP ID Information tab). They get invoices by email plus a Statement of Account, and they don't need a Microsoft Advertising login.
  • Set an Invoice attention line for a person or department, on the same tab.
  • Turn on consolidated billing (Super Admins only): one invoice for accounts that share the bill-to customer, currency, sold-to location, SAP ID and tax details. You can also choose whether invoices show campaign details.

To change the bill-to company or address, use Manage credit settings under Billing, then Payment methods. Approved changes show from your next invoice. For an invoice already issued, update the details first, then ask Support to credit and rebill it. Support also provides vendor or supplier forms.

How do VAT and tax details show on Microsoft Ads invoices?

They follow your business location: the country where your business (for agencies, the client) is legally registered.

  • Which Microsoft company: Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd. bills Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. Bank details for US-based accounts name Microsoft Online, Inc. as the account holder.
  • EU countries other than Ireland, plus the UK, Monaco and New Zealand: with a valid VAT number, invoices show it and a "VAT 0% reverse charge." Without one, Microsoft charges VAT at your local rate.
  • Ireland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland: VAT is charged unless you provide a VAT exemption certificate.
  • To add a VAT number: go to Settings, then Account settings, then the pencil icon. Enter it with no spaces and the country code first (for example, DE123456789). Validation takes up to 3 days. Monthly invoice customers change these details through their account manager or Support.

IO budgets, like the billing threshold, cover ad spend only, so leave room for tax.

Can we go back to card payments later?

Yes. Microsoft's monthly invoice article says to contact your account manager or Support. Its payment settings article says eligible accounts can switch under Change how you pay. Either way, you pay a final invoice, ready on the 1st of the next month, and need a card on file.

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