Meta to add location fees for advertisers

Meta will begin applying location fees to advertising costs in six countries starting July 1, 2026, passing on Digital Service Taxes to campaign budgets for the first time.

The fees range from 2% in the United Kingdom to 5% in Austria and Turkey. France, Italy, and Spain each have a 3% rate. The charges apply based on where ads are served to users, not where the advertiser is based. A US company targeting UK audiences will pay the 2% surcharge.

Meta's own documentation confirms the platform has absorbed these costs since the taxes were introduced, stating: "Until now, Meta has covered these additional costs." The reversal means advertisers running campaigns in affected markets will face net new costs.

A key operational detail is that Meta's campaign budget optimisation does not account for location fees. An advertiser setting a $10,000 budget targeting UK users could see invoiced charges exceeding $10,200 once the fee is applied. For Austria or Turkey, where the rate is 5%, a $10,000 budget could generate invoices of $10,500 before VAT is added on the combined total.

Advertisers targeting users in any of the six countries will need to recalculate return projections and may require manual budget adjustments, as automated systems do not factor in the fees, explains the Meta official announcement.