The two levels of the Partner Program
YouTube’s Partner Program has two ways in. The higher one shares ad revenue with you; the earlier one, called the expanded program, opens the features your viewers pay for directly.
- 1,000subscribers to share in ad revenue
- 4,000 hqualified watch hours in the last 12 months
- 10Mor qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days
- 500subscribers for memberships, Supers and Shopping
| Ad revenue | Fan funding and Shopping | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | 1,000 | 500 |
| Uploads | No number given | 3 public uploads in the last 90 days |
| Long videos | 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months | 3,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months |
| Or Shorts | 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days | 3 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days |
| What you earn from | Ads on the watch page and in the Shorts Feed, YouTube Premium, plus everything in the next column | Channel memberships, Super Chat and Super Stickers, Super Thanks, Jewels and gifts, Shopping |
| Where | Countries where the Partner Program is available | The expanded program’s list: nearly 100 countries and regions |
You reach one path or the other: watch hours and Shorts views do not add up. A channel that joins at 500 subscribers moves up to ad revenue once it meets the 1,000-subscriber numbers.
The expanded program’s list includes Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Spain, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. YouTube’s page has the full list.
What every channel needs, whatever its numbers
YouTube’s Help Center lists these before any threshold:
- Follow the YouTube channel monetization policies. They are part of the partner agreement you accept.
- Live in a country or region where the YouTube Partner Program is available.
- Have no active Community Guidelines strikes. With a strike you can apply once it expires or after a successful appeal removes it.
- Turn on 2-Step Verification for your Google Account.
- Have advanced features access on YouTube.
- Have one active AdSense for YouTube account linked to your channel, or set one up in YouTube Studio.
- Be at least 18. For ad revenue, a younger creator can instead have a legal guardian over 18 who handles the payments through AdSense for YouTube; memberships, Supers and Super Thanks each ask for 18.
What counts as a qualified watch hour or Shorts view
The thresholds count only qualified hours and views. YouTube defines them like this:
- Watch hours count from long videos you set public.
- They do not count from private, unlisted or deleted videos, from ad campaigns, from Shorts, or from livestreams that are unlisted, deleted or not kept as a video.
- Shorts views count from public Shorts that appear in the Shorts Feed.
- They do not count from private, unlisted or deleted Shorts, from ad campaigns, or from image posts in the Shorts Feed.
So paid promotion does not move you closer, and deleting old videos takes their hours with them.
Reaching the numbers is not the same as getting in
- 1
Get notified
In YouTube Studio, under Earn, select Get notified. YouTube emails you once you meet a threshold.
- 2
Finish the sign-up
Sign the terms and link an AdSense for YouTube account. YouTube reviews a channel only after every step is done.
- 3
Wait for the review
A person reviews the channel as a whole against the monetization policies. YouTube says it typically takes about 1 month, and longer when there are many applications.
- 4
Keep the channel active
YouTube may turn off monetization on a channel that has not uploaded a video or posted for 6 months or more.
If your subscribers or hours drop below the line while you wait, it does not matter: YouTube still reviews the channel. Making videos private or deleting them can change the application.
The review is where most channels are turned down, for videos that are repetitive or reused rather than for their numbers. Our guide to AI videos YouTube will monetize covers what the reviewers look for.
The requirements for Shorts
Shorts have their own path in: 1,000 subscribers with 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, or 500 subscribers with 3 million for fan funding and Shopping. Watch time from the Shorts Feed never counts toward the 4,000 watch hours.
Once a channel is in, it shares in Shorts ad revenue: 45% of the revenue allocated to the channel from the Shorts Creator Pool, against 55% of the ad revenue on long videos. From February 1, 2027 a channel also needs 10 million Shorts views in 90 days to earn from Shorts in a given month.
What changes on February 1, 2027
YouTube’s Help Center says it is updating the Partner Program from February 1, 2027, and that partners must review and accept the updated terms in YouTube Studio by January 31, 2027 to keep monetizing fully.
The announcement of August 10, 2026 doubles the bar for new channels: 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 watch hours in 365 days or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days. Channels already in the program keep their place. If you are close to today’s numbers, reaching them before February counts under today’s rules.
- Today1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.
- January 31, 2027Last day for partners to accept the updated terms in YouTube Studio.
- February 1, 2027New channels need 8,000 watch hours in 365 days or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days.
Check your channel
- Under Earn in YouTube Studio, where are you against 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours, or 10 million Shorts views?
- Are you past 500 subscribers with 3 public uploads in the last 90 days? Memberships, Supers and Shopping may already be open to you.
- Is 2-Step Verification on, and is your channel free of active strikes?
- Is every video your own work, and not the same template with a new topic?