Conversion adjustments

Conversion adjustments in Google Ads correct a purchase after it is recorded: a retraction removes the conversion, and a restatement changes its value.

By Berend Vrakking, founder of Product Metrics. Updated 13 November 2026.

Conversion adjustments example

Three orders and the adjustment each one needs
Order	What happened	Adjustment to send
#1041, €120.00	Kept	None: stays at €120.00
#1042, €80.00	One item returned, €30.00 refunded	Restate to €50.00
#1043, €60.00	Cancelled before shipping	Retract: value 0.00, out of the count

Google Ads first counts three conversions worth €260.00; after the adjustments, two worth €170.00. A restatement carries the new total, not the €30.00 refund. Illustrative data.

Put it into practice

Calculate it: POAS calculatorCompare profit and revenue on the same ad spend.
Read the guide: Google Ads refund conversion adjustmentsStep by step: correct Google Ads conversion value for refunds and returns.

Conversion adjustments: one product and the whole account

For one order, Google Ads matches an adjustment on “the combination of transaction ID and conversion action name”, so an online conversion can only be adjusted if it was sent with a transaction ID. A restatement changes the value but not the count. A retraction removes the conversion and its value, and affects CPA as well as ROAS strategies.

For an account, timing decides whether bidding learns. Google Ads Help advises uploading at least 24 hours after the conversion, gives autobidding 7 days from when it is first recorded, and allows adjustments within 54 days. Uploads go through a file, scheduled uploads, Data Manager or the Google Ads API, where the types are RETRACTION and RESTATEMENT.

Full Signal Tracking sends revenue and profit to Google Ads as separate conversion actions, and sends adjustments for refunded and cancelled orders. Because Google matches on the action name, a refund needs an adjustment on each action whose value it changes.

Conversion adjustments: common mistake

Retracting an order after a partial refund. Once a conversion is retracted or restated to zero, Google Ads silently ignores later adjustments to it, so restate partial refunds and retract only when nothing is kept.

Conversion adjustments: questions

How do you subtract refunds from Google Ads conversion value?

Upload a restatement with the order’s new total, matched by transaction ID and conversion action name; for a full refund, upload a retraction. Subtracting refunds in a report changes nothing for bidding.

Can Google Ads adjust conversions for refunds automatically?

Only when your systems send the adjustments, for example through scheduled uploads or a tracking tool: Full Signal Tracking sends them for refunded and cancelled orders. In the multi-source conversions beta, a Data Manager upload with the same transaction ID overwrites the tag’s value, and 0 is valid for a full refund. The Data Manager API restates values but cannot retract.

How do you upload conversion adjustments for returned orders?

Use the “Conversions adjustments” template under Goals, Conversions, Uploads: order ID, conversion name, adjustment time, RESTATE or RETRACT, and the new value for a restatement. The adjustment time must fall after the conversion and before the upload.

Google Ads counts cancelled orders as conversions: how do you fix it?

Retract each cancelled order with its order ID and conversion action name, within 7 days so automated bidding reads it. Later retractions still correct reports.

Sources

Keep reading

Transaction IDThe order ID an adjustment needs to find its conversion.
Conversion valueThe number a restatement changes.
Primary conversion actionWhich conversion actions bidding reads.
GCLIDThe click ID that identifies an offline conversion without an order ID.
Full Signal TrackingSend revenue, profit and refund adjustments to Google Ads.