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AdSense Account Selection

Individual or Business?

         

Zipper

5:42 am on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



How do you determine which account type you need? Are there any specific criterea for this..

annej

7:05 am on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



It looks to be just a choice between having your check mailed to your business or to an individual.

But the dire warning that it could never, never be changed is what worries me. Maybe setting it up as a business would be better as if one spouse dies the other would still have the business. Geez, I don't know. What if I wanted to pass the business on to my son?

What about couples with small children who depend on AdSense for their living. If the person who recieves the checks died would the family be left with nothing?

The Cricketer

8:27 am on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



With the recent adsense changes, Google has asked me to clarify the type of my account - Individual or Business.

Google seems to infer that this change will only determine who my payment is made out to - me or the company name.

Are there any other ramifications when I choose an account type?

Dayo_UK

8:42 am on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)



This has caught me out too.

I am currently an individual but will become a business in a few months (waiting on companies house etc.)

No doubt a quick email to Google will sort out any necessary changes in the future (I hope!)

Visit Thailand

9:53 am on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Could this be G's attempt to try and prevent websites selling domains with AdSense as part of the package?

Must admit the warning that this can never be changed was quite an eye opener!

annej

1:38 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



No doubt a quick email to Google will sort out any necessary changes in the future (I hope!)

Be sure to let us know what they say. It seems like they are throwing out the baby with the bathwater on this one.

[added]Is there any way to legally transfer your account now? If not will they approve a new account on an existing site? I can see how they might want more than just someone going in and changing the account online but there needs to be a way. If they want serious business people and not just fly by night types they need to have procedures for things like this.

fidibidabah

1:50 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



THIS CAN NEVER BE CHANGED!

I found this particularly amusing. It's like god is speaking to us and we're shriveling in the corner. See, this is the type of relationship a good program should have with it's webmasters ;)

bpresent

2:03 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)



Why does it matter to them?

Are they about to start paying more or less on this basis?

Will they offer elitist services for companies and not individuals?

..... discount shares for the struggling individuals ..... it's so confusing ....

(And by the way - you can't tell me what you are if you use Firefox - they won't let you past the login - M$ or nothing from here on in please!)

bpresent

2:07 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)



Damn - in all the excitement I chose the "Individual" option but entered my business name - now what?

(I have a one word business name - lucky it's not "John")

Stardancer

4:21 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Well, I guess Google wasn't thinking of someone dying when they made that decision...

I debated with myself for a while, whether they would process business accounts with a higher priority, or would they apply some additional taxing to the business accounts, but ended up making a decision when I read the final comment: defining the name the check will be written to. I remembered that in my country processing a check is more expensive for a business name rather than an individual name. So I switched to individual.

depiction

6:30 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Can't you just e-mail Google Adsense support and ask them to change it? If they need some documentation, that's ok with me. What's the big deal?

midlman

3:49 pm on Jun 19, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I was suprised when i didnt see a thread about this already, maybe i missed it.

Apon logging into Adsense on June 17th I was prompted to pick an account type, bussiness or individual. Any payments are pending until one of the radio buttons has been submited, but I wanted a little more information before selecting. Mainly, what is the difference? Just the name on the check?

cyberair

5:08 pm on Jun 19, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I have a corporation, but a sale of its name and most of its assets is close. The G account can't be transferred, and now the name can't ever be changed... so if I sell the business and company name and keep some websites my account is obsolete.

While I own the corporation, if I am getting checks to my name... what are the legal and tax complications?

Oh Google, why can't I EVER change the account name?

midlman

5:38 pm on Jun 19, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I can imagine the business and individual account types to branch into their own seperate workings. New specific features for either group, different earnings, and whatever else google wants to test with two distinct groups. Who knows, maybe they will be come seperate programs by this time next year. Maybe all or most of the individual accounts get axed.

suidas

9:50 pm on Jun 19, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



There seems to be some confusion about what "business" means. Business does not mean corporation. So long as your "business" is not a corporation, I'm not sure there are any tax consequences. In most cases, "business" just means that you've filled out a Doing Business As form at the town hall, which allows you cash checks suchnot by that name as well as your own. The income (and risk), however, are still entirely yours, not of a separate (ie., corporate) entity.

zulufox

1:37 pm on Jun 20, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I'd like a adsenseadvisor clarification to this...

Myself, like many amny people here are individuals but HOPE to become businesses in the future... but if we can't change it... what then?

howiejs

3:12 pm on Jun 21, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



If they setup different rates for indi. vs. biz accounts they should disclose this moving forward (once they are a public company - they will be forced to "tell" more) . . .

oldskool79

1:44 am on Jun 22, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I just emailed Google because I just formed a corporation and need to have future checks sent to my corporation instead of me personally.

I will update you with their reply.

bpresent

3:34 am on Jun 22, 2004 (gmt 0)



I emailed them about my stuff up (earlier in this thread) about 3 days ago - no reply yet.

midlman

3:52 am on Jun 22, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



google corporation ~= bush administration

oldskool79

4:56 am on Jun 22, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I just recieved a response from Google:

Thank you for your email.

"Our program policies do not allow publishers to transfer account ownership - this includes changing the payee name associated with your account. For tax purposes, as well as to protect your security, a new application needs to be submitted. Please also note that publishers are not permitted to maintain multiple accounts."

So it appears there is no way to update your existing account, however you can cancel your account and sign up for a new one using your business information.

Dayo_UK

7:35 am on Jun 22, 2004 (gmt 0)



"Our program policies do not allow publishers to transfer account ownership - this includes changing the payee name associated with your account. For tax purposes, as well as to protect your security, a new application needs to be submitted. Please also note that publishers are not permitted to maintain multiple accounts."

I really think that Google has to find a procedure so an individual can change an account to a business account.

I will wait until I have my articles of association which will show me as the Co Director and then scan this in so they can see it online somewhere.

Otherwise you have to set up a new account with adsense which may get rejected because you will be maintaining multiple accounts and if accepted you will have to update your pages with the new code :(

The Cricketer

8:14 am on Jun 22, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



The site I run adsense on is a sports club and so is not a business. Thus I do not want any commercial ramifications which will come as a result of choosing a business account. But I don't want it paid to me as an individual either. Maybe I just change my name to the sports club's name and choose an individual account?

Dolemite

1:59 pm on Jun 22, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



This whole issue deserves a clarification if it is to determine anything beyond what's printed on our checks.

AdSenseAdvisor

4:08 pm on Jun 22, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



After speaking with the AdSense team, I can confirm that there are no differences in services or in payout between these two selections. We've asked publishers to select one or the other to help with payments - basically, Individuals have their 'Payee Name' on the check, while Businesses are paid out to the 'Company Name.'

With regards to changing from one selection to the other, currently there's no way to do so other than reapplying for the program. The AdSense team will work with you to cancel your current account and get your new account going as quickly as possible.

I've passed your comments on to the team, so that they're aware of the issues around this.

ASA.

Marcia

4:12 pm on Jun 22, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



I figure personal is better. You can always sign the check and the company can then sign it underneath to deposit. Some people have several businesses or business accounts, personal would work well in those cases.

Taxes are still filed accordingly, though a corporation might be different. I'd ask a CPA if my situation weren't very simple and straightforward. In fact, in the US the Internal Revenue Service has a number to call to ask questions and it's easy to get through this time of year.

bpresent

8:59 am on Jun 23, 2004 (gmt 0)



I got a response to my email (with an apology for the delay):

There will be another opportunity in the future to change your account type. We will send an email once we have more information, or you will see another message in your account.

So there ya go.