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To earn money through YouTube’s Partner Program (YPP), you must meet the eligibility threshold for the features you want, apply in YouTube Studio, and pass a review of your channel. The lower, expanded-YPP threshold can unlock fan-funding and Shopping features in eligible regions; it does not qualify you for ad revenue sharing. For Watch Page ads, Shorts Feed ads, and YouTube Premium revenue, the higher threshold is 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 qualified public watch hours in 12 months or 10 million qualified public Shorts views in 90 days. Meeting a threshold does not guarantee approval.
What are the YouTube Partner Program requirements?
YouTube has two main eligibility levels. The figures below are YouTube Help criteria checked on October 3, 2026; availability and feature-specific rules can vary by country or region.
| Requirement | Expanded YPP access | Ad and YouTube Premium revenue sharing |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | 500 | 1,000 |
| Recent public uploads | Three valid public uploads in the last 90 days | No separate recent-upload requirement stated for this threshold |
| Watch-hour route | 3,000 qualified public watch hours in the last 12 months | 4,000 qualified public watch hours in the last 12 months |
| Shorts route | 3 million qualified public Shorts views in the last 90 days | 10 million qualified public Shorts views in the last 90 days |
| What the threshold can unlock | Fan-funding and Shopping features, subject to their own rules | Watch Page ads, Shorts Feed ads, and YouTube Premium revenue |
| Availability | Only in supported countries and regions | YPP availability and feature-specific rules apply |
Confirm availability in YouTube’s expanded YPP country and region information and in the Earn area of YouTube Studio. The requirements are eligibility criteria, not a promise of admission or income.
What counts as qualified watch hours and Shorts views?
Watch-hour route
The 3,000- or 4,000-hour route counts qualifying watch time from public long-form videos. YouTube excludes watch time from private, unlisted, and deleted videos; ad campaigns; and Shorts. Livestream watch time does not qualify if the stream is unlisted, deleted, or not converted to video on demand. See YouTube’s YPP overview and eligibility rules.
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Shorts route
The 3-million or 10-million figure refers to qualified views of public Shorts shown in the Shorts Feed during the stated 90-day period. Private, unlisted, or deleted Shorts and ad-campaign views are excluded. Shorts Feed watch time does not count toward the 4,000 public watch-hour route.
Do not rely on total Analytics figures alone
Your channel’s total watch time or views in Analytics may not match the qualifying totals shown for YPP. Paid promotion views do not count toward the thresholds, apart from qualifying organic follow-on views described by YouTube. Check the Earn tab in Studio for the figures YouTube is using.
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How to apply for YPP
Before applying, YouTube requires that your channel follow its monetization policies, be based in a country or region where YPP is available, have no active Community Guidelines strikes, have 2-Step Verification enabled, and have access to advanced features. You also need one active AdSense for YouTube account, or must create one through YouTube Studio.
- Check your progress: Open YouTube Studio and select Earn to see your eligibility status and qualifying totals.
- Meet the relevant threshold: Reach the subscriber requirement and either the watch-hour or Shorts-view requirement for the level you want. For expanded access, also meet the three-public-upload requirement.
- Complete account prerequisites: Turn on 2-Step Verification, confirm access to advanced features, resolve any active Community Guidelines strikes, and make sure the channel and content comply with YouTube policies.
- Apply in Studio: In Earn, follow the application prompts, accept the applicable base terms, and link an active AdSense for YouTube account or set one up through Studio.
- Wait for channel review: YouTube says it reviews the channel as a whole using automated systems and human reviewers. A threshold only lets you apply; it does not guarantee acceptance.
Review YouTube’s channel monetization policies before applying. YouTube continues to check channels after acceptance, and policy violations can lead to monetization being removed even if the channel still meets the numerical thresholds.
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How can you earn money on YouTube?
Available earning features depend on eligibility, location, content, and the terms you accept in Studio. YouTube’s monetization overview and feature eligibility details describe these routes:
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| Route | How it works | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Watch Page ads | Ads shown on eligible videos watched on YouTube’s watch pages. | Requires the higher YPP eligibility level and applicable terms. |
| Shorts Feed ads | Revenue sharing from ads shown between Shorts in the feed. | Requires the higher eligibility level; reused, non-original, artificial, or advertiser-ineligible views may be excluded under the Shorts rules. |
| YouTube Premium | A share of revenue when Premium subscribers watch your content. | Payments depend on viewing and applicable terms; they are not guaranteed. |
| Channel memberships | Recurring payments from members in exchange for creator-provided perks. | Feature availability and channel rules apply; fan-funding features generally require creators to be at least 18, live where the feature is available, join YPP, and accept the Commerce Product Module. |
| Super Chat and Super Stickers | Eligible viewers can pay to highlight messages or send stickers during live chats. | Location, age, channel, and feature rules apply. |
| Super Thanks | Viewers can make a one-time payment on eligible videos and Shorts. | Location, age, channel, and feature rules apply. |
| Shopping | Eligible creators can promote their own merchandise; some can also feature products from other brands. | Shopping availability and eligibility vary. The YouTube Shopping affiliate program may pay commission on third-party purchases, but it is not available to every creator; check Studio for current terms. |
YouTube’s earnings overview says the partner agreement does not guarantee how much you will earn, or that you will be paid. Under the terms described by YouTube, memberships and Supers pay creators 70% of net revenue; for Shorts, creators receive 45% of the revenue allocated to them through the Shorts Creator Pool mechanism. These are feature-specific terms, not estimates of an individual channel’s income.
YouTube may show ads on content even when its creator is not eligible for the higher YPP ad-revenue level. The presence of ads does not mean the creator receives a share. YouTube also says it may turn off monetization on channels that have not uploaded a video or posted to the Posts tab for six months or more.
Policies that can affect approval and earnings
- Channel-wide review: Reviewers assess the channel as a whole, not just the video that helped you reach the threshold.
- Originality and reused content: Reused or non-original material can affect channel monetization eligibility. For Shorts revenue sharing, reused, non-original, artificial, or advertiser-ineligible views can be excluded.
- Copyright and Community Guidelines: YPP participants must follow copyright rules and Community Guidelines, along with the channel monetization policies.
- Advertiser suitability: Ad revenue is also subject to advertiser-friendly content guidelines and the applicable monetization module terms.
- Ongoing compliance: A channel can lose monetization after acceptance if it violates relevant policies; subscriber and view totals do not override those rules.
For the detailed rules, consult YouTube’s channel monetization policies and Shorts monetization policies.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesUpcoming YPP terms date: February 1, 2027
YouTube’s overview, checked October 3, 2026, says updated YPP terms begin February 1, 2027, and creators should review and accept them in YouTube Studio by January 31, 2027 to continue fully monetizing. As that date is in the future, check the current Earn page and YouTube’s partner earnings overview for any updated terms or timing as the deadline approaches. YouTube’s Shorts monetization policy also describes a future change to the revenue-sharing eligibility calculation from February 1, 2027; verify the current policy before relying on that detail.
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Keep a YouTube livestream running while you build your channel
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Or let it run in the cloud
- Upload a recording or build a playlist.
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- Go live; StreamNeo loops the uploaded video from the cloud.
Your computer and home connection do not need to stay on, and StreamNeo automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. Uploaded content streams as made, up to 4K 60fps, with no re-encode or quality tiers. The first day is free with no card. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month. You can also use the free copyright safety checklist to review content before streaming. Start your free StreamNeo day.
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