Google posted a new help document that says it will delete accounts without any campaigns after 6 months. "If an account does not have any campaigns, it’ll be permanently deleted by Google Ads 6 months after cancellation," Google wrote.
The new help page goes on to say:
This means that the account can’t be reactivated. You'll get a 30 day warning via email before the account is deleted.To prevent your canceled account from being deleted, you’ll need to reactivate it. Learn more about how to Reactivate a canceled Google Ads account.
I spotted this via Hana Kobzová who wrote on PPC News Feed, "This update is important for advertisers who may want to keep historical data or preserve account structure for future use."
Here is a screenshot of that help document:
Forum discussion at X.