LinkedIn · LinkedIn Ads Agreement · View original document ↗

Agency Sequential Liability

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Document Record

What it is

For agencies approved for monthly invoicing, payment liability to LinkedIn is conditioned on the agency having received payment from the advertiser client, a structure the agreement terms Sequential Liability. If the agency cannot confirm its authorized relationship with the advertiser or if applicable law prohibits Sequential Liability, the agency becomes directly liable for all ad service orders.

This analysis describes what LinkedIn's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This provision establishes a conditional payment liability structure for agencies that is available only to those approved for monthly invoicing. The agency's ability to rely on Sequential Liability depends on maintaining documented confirmation of its authorized relationship with the advertiser and the absence of applicable laws prohibiting this structure.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Under this clause, agencies approved for monthly invoicing are only liable to LinkedIn for ad spend to the extent they have received payment from their advertiser client; however, if the agency cannot produce written confirmation of its authorized relationship with the advertiser, the agency becomes directly liable for all orders placed through the platform.

How other platforms handle this

ConvertKit Medium

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Kit shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, whether incurred directly or indirectly, or any loss of data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, resulting ...

Replicate Medium

Marketplace Models are not provided by Replicate and Replicate does not control and has no liability for any Marketplace Models, including their security, functionality, operation, availability, or interoperability with the Services or how the Marketplace Models use your Content. Use of any Marketpl...

Pinterest Medium

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Pinterest shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, whether incurred directly or indirectly, or any loss of data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, res...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
If you are an agency buying on behalf of an advertiser (an 'Agency') and have been approved for monthly invoicing, LinkedIn agrees to hold Agency liable for payments only to the extent that Agency has received payment from the advertiser for the Ad Services ('Sequential Liability'). For sums not cleared to Agency, LinkedIn agrees to hold advertiser solely liable. Agency agrees to make every reasonable effort to collect and clear payment from advertiser on a timely basis. In the event that Agency is unable to provide LinkedIn with such confirmation, or if applicable laws prohibit Sequential Liability, Agency will be directly responsible to pay for all Ad Service orders placed through the Advertising Platform.

— Excerpt from LinkedIn's LinkedIn Ads Agreement

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Sequential Liability is a recognized commercial practice in media buying and is not directly regulated by a single federal statute in the US. However, state commercial law and agency law govern the enforceability of the liability allocation between agency and advertiser. The requirement that agency maintain written confirmation of its authorized relationship with the advertiser engages standard agency law principles. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The Sequential Liability protection is available only to agencies approved for monthly invoicing, which limits its applicability. The condition that the agency produce written confirmation of its authorized relationship on LinkedIn's request creates an ongoing documentation obligation that agencies should operationalize as part of their client onboarding process. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: Some jurisdictions outside the US do not recognize Sequential Liability as a limitation on agency payment obligations; the agreement explicitly states that if applicable laws prohibit Sequential Liability, the agency is directly responsible for all orders. UK agencies should assess whether Sequential Liability is consistent with applicable UK commercial and agency law. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Agencies should ensure that their client agreements include provisions for advertiser payment obligations to the agency that are aligned with the timelines required to meet LinkedIn's billing cycles. The documentation requirement should be operationalized as part of agency client onboarding. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Finance teams at agencies should maintain current written confirmations of authorized relationships with all advertiser clients using the LinkedIn platform and establish procedures to provide that documentation to LinkedIn upon request.

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Applicable regulations

FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal

Provision details

Document information
Document
LinkedIn Ads Agreement
Entity
LinkedIn
Document last updated
May 20, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 20, 2026
Last verified
May 20, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-012403
Document ID
CA-D-00863
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
7f1df96a73c062f9d20aa84beb0dbef769aa923bc5ee01baa675619fc1a46a3a
Analysis generated
May 20, 2026 20:53 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: LinkedIn
Document: LinkedIn Ads Agreement
Record ID: CA-P-012403
Captured: 2026-05-20 20:53:24 UTC
SHA-256: 7f1df96a73c062f9…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/linkedin/linkedin-ads-agreement/agency-sequential-liability/
Accessed: June 8, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does LinkedIn's Agency Sequential Liability clause do?

This provision establishes a conditional payment liability structure for agencies that is available only to those approved for monthly invoicing. The agency's ability to rely on Sequential Liability depends on maintaining documented confirmation of its authorized relationship with the advertiser and the absence of applicable laws prohibiting this structure.

How does this clause affect you?

Under this clause, agencies approved for monthly invoicing are only liable to LinkedIn for ad spend to the extent they have received payment from their advertiser client; however, if the agency cannot produce written confirmation of its authorized relationship with the advertiser, the agency becomes directly liable for all orders placed through the platform.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with LinkedIn?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by LinkedIn.