diff --git a/litellm/llms/vertex_ai/common_utils.py b/litellm/llms/vertex_ai/common_utils.py
index 43e77f4fb75..5159c874db9 100644
--- a/litellm/llms/vertex_ai/common_utils.py
+++ b/litellm/llms/vertex_ai/common_utils.py
@@ -1082,6 +1082,7 @@ class VertexAITokenCounter(BaseTokenCounter):
                 vertex_project=vertex_project,
                 vertex_location=vertex_location,
                 vertex_credentials=vertex_credentials,
+                system=system,
             )
 
             if result is not None: