This issue comes up often when clients create a new ad account outside of Business Manager.
Why the new ad account isn't showing in Business Manager:
1. The ad account was created personally, not inside the Business Manager.
When a client clicks “Create Ad Account” from their personal Facebook profile (instead of from inside the Business Manager), the account becomes tied to their personal profile — not automatically to the Business Manager.
Result: It won’t appear under “Ad Accounts” in your Business Manager until it’s manually added.
How to fix it: Add the ad account to the Business Manager
You have 2 options, depending on who created it and where:
Option A: Request access to the ad account
If the ad account exists but isn’t owned by your Business Manager:
Go to Business Settings > Ad Accounts > Add
Choose “Request Access to an Ad Account”
Enter the new ad account ID (found under Ad Account Settings)
Then your client must approve the request.
Option B: Add the ad account if your client owns it and it’s not tied to another Business Manager
Go to Business Settings > Ad Accounts > Add
Choose “Add an Ad Account.”
Enter the ad account ID
Note: A single ad account can only be owned by one Business Manager. If it’s already claimed by another one, you’ll need to request access instead.
Sometimes, a very short delay (a few minutes to an hour) can occur before a new ad account shows up, but it won’t ever appear automatically in Business Manager unless it was created inside it. So most likely this is a structural issue, not just a delay.
Tip: How to check who owns the ad account
Ask your client to:
Go to Ad Account Settings
Scroll to “Business Info” or “Ad Account Owner” section
It will show whether the ad account is owned by their personal profile or by a Business Manager