Ad Budget Pacing
Where a campaign budget should be on a given day, the variance against actual spend, the daily rate needed for the rest of the period, and the projected total.
Ideal spend to date under even (or weekday-weighted) pacing, over/under in amount and percent, required daily spend, projected total, and the day the budget runs out at the current rate.
Example: 3,000 for September, day 20, 1,800 spent: ideal 2,000, so 10 % behind; 120 a day for the last 10 days, or 2,700 in all at the current 90 a day. Weekends at half weight shift the ideal to 1,962.
A straight line
to compare spend against.
How the ideal is drawn, what the three forward numbers mean, and why it is not a forecast.
The ideal line
Even pacing spends the budget in proportion to elapsed days: ideal to date = budget × days elapsed ÷ days in the period, counting the reporting day as complete. Optional weekday weights (seven numbers, Monday to Sunday) make the ideal proportional to the weight of the days elapsed instead — a way to plan lighter weekends.
Forward numbers
Required daily = what is left divided by the days left; projected total = the current daily average carried to the end; the run-out date is when the remaining budget goes at the current rate. Variance is spend so far minus the ideal, in amount and as a percentage.
Not a forecast
Auction prices, delivery caps and accelerated delivery all move real spend; the line is a yardstick, not a prediction. Spend is taken as through the end of the reporting day. Nothing leaves the browser; the same four anonymous usage counts as the rest of the site apply.
SOURCES
- Linear (or weight-proportional) pacing: ideal = budget × elapsed weight ÷ total weight; required = remaining ÷ days left; projection = current daily × total days — arithmetic, no forecast model
Last reviewed 20 September 2026. How results are checked: How we verify.