Housing, Employment, and Credit ("HEC") Ad Policy

Last updated: April 2026

TikTok’s Housing, Employment, and Credit (HEC) Ad Policy is designed to ensure compliance with anti-discrimination laws and to prevent the platform from being used to exclude people from essential opportunities based on protected characteristics.


Advertisers based in the United States, or advertisers targeting audiences in the United States or Canada must use the Special Ad Category Toggle to self declare when they are running housing, employment or credit ads. The Special Ad Category Toggle removes the following targeting options automatically and help protect our users on TikTok from unlawful discrimination.


In the United States and Canada, housing, employment, and credit ads cannot target audiences using the following categories:

  • Age

  • Gender

  • Zip code

  • Marital or parental status 

  • Any options describing or appearing to relate to protected characteristics (this may include key words that have a high correlation to protected categories)


This HEC Ad Policy is in addition to existing Anti-Discrimination Ad Policy that prohibits unlawful discrimination, including without limitation, through the use of Custom Audiences or the use of other tools and audiences available on our platform.

What are Housing, Employment, and Credit ("HEC") ads?

Here are some examples of what may constitute an HEC ad:

  • Housing: Any ad that promotes a housing product, service, or opportunity, including but not limited to rental or sale listings, realtor services, homeowners insurance, mortgage insurance, mortgage loans, or property appraisal services. This excludes ads aimed at educating the public about their legal rights under fair housing laws in their region. 

  • Employment: Any ad that promotes an employment opportunity, including but not limited to part or full-time jobs, freelance or “gig job” listings, recruiting opportunities, internships, accredited certification programs, job fairs, or employment-seeking services.

  • Credit: Any ad that promotes a credit opportunity, including but not limited to credit card offers, personal loans, educational loans, business loans, mortgage loans, auto loans, and any other loans.