YouTube Partner Program requirements (2026)

Getting paid by YouTube has an official name: the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). Until you are accepted, ads may run on your videos but you get no share of the revenue. The requirements change every few years, and one of the largest changes takes effect at the start of 2027. Every requirement in this guide was checked against YouTube's own help pages on 6 October 2026; the sources are listed at the end.

Two routes to ad revenue

Full membership requires completing one of two routes. Both share the 1,000-subscriber requirement.

Which views count?

Only views of public long-form videos count toward watch hours. Private, unlisted or deleted videos, views from ad campaigns and views in the Shorts Feed do not. That means deleting or hiding a video also removes the hours it brought in. On the Shorts route, only views of public Shorts in the Shorts Feed count; private, unlisted or deleted Shorts and ad campaigns do not.

The requirements that are not numbers

Clearing the thresholds is not enough by itself. YouTube also requires that:

• Your channel follows the YouTube channel monetization policies.
• You live in a country or region where the program is available.
• You have no active Community Guidelines strikes on your channel.
• 2-Step Verification is turned on for your Google Account.
• You have advanced features access on YouTube.
• You have one active AdSense for YouTube account linked to the channel.

During review, YouTube looks at the channel's main theme, its most viewed and newest videos, the videos that bring the largest share of watch time, titles, thumbnails and descriptions, and the About section. Two policies trip up applications most often:

• Inauthentic content. Mass-produced or template-based videos that are nearly identical; image slideshows with minimal narration; AI-generated content made with generic templates. YouTube renamed this policy from "repetitious content" to "inauthentic content" in July 2025.
• Reused content. Using someone else's material without significant original commentary, substantive modification, or educational or entertainment value. Reaction videos with commentary, critical reviews that use clips and sports replays with expert analysis are allowed; unmodified compilations are not.

The lower tier that opens at 500 subscribers

The expanded YouTube Partner Program starts at a lower bar: 500 subscribers, 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3,000 watch hours in the last 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. It is available in a long list of countries, Türkiye included.

This tier unlocks channel memberships, Super Chat and Super Stickers, Super Thanks and shopping features. Ad revenue and YouTube Premium revenue are not part of it; those need the 1,000-subscriber thresholds above. If your audience is small but loyal, fan funding can start paying before ads do, and YouTube leaves 70% of that revenue with the creator.

What changes on 1 February 2027?

YouTube has announced updates that take effect on 1 February 2027. It says they reflect how viewers watch today and are meant to keep the program sustainable in the long term.

Channels that fall below the activity requirement get an extended 90-day window to meet one of the view requirements and stay in the program. For large channels the requirement is no obstacle: the median channel among the 250 most-subscribed worldwide that we track uploads about 10 long-form videos a month, and a quarter upload more than 30 (data from 30 October 2026).

If you are close to the threshold, timing matters. Review typically takes about a month, and the new thresholds apply to channels entering the program from 1 February 2027. Check YouTube's page for how applications still pending on that date will be handled before you apply.

A worked example: how many views is 4,000 hours, and what does a channel at the threshold earn?

4,000 hours is 240,000 minutes. How many views it takes depends on how long viewers stay on your videos on average:

Put per day, 4,000 hours is about 11 hours of watch time every day of the year, and 8,000 hours is about 22. On the Shorts route, 10 million views in 90 days averages 111,000 a day, and 20 million averages 222,000.

Now look at what a channel sitting exactly at the threshold earns. With a 4-minute average view duration, 4,000 hours is 60,000 views a year, about 5,000 a month. By our rate table, an entertainment channel with a US audience would make 5,000 × ($1–$3.50) ÷ 1,000 = $5–$17.50 a month. A finance channel would make $25–$100. With a mostly international audience, entertainment drops to about $1.75–$6.

The AdSense payment threshold for US dollar accounts is $100, so an entertainment channel whose views do not grow would wait six months or more for its first payment. Joining the program is the moment the meter starts running, not the moment income starts. For ad revenue to matter, views have to reach many times the threshold; you can test your own numbers in the YouTube money calculator.

How to apply, and how long review takes

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio and open the Earn section in the left menu. It shows how far you are from each threshold.
2. Once you are eligible, select Apply Now.
3. Review and accept the Base terms.
4. Set up a new AdSense for YouTube account or link your existing active one.
5. YouTube reviews the channel. You typically get a decision in about one month.

If your application is rejected the first time, you can appeal within 21 days or reapply after 30 days. If you have been rejected before, you must wait 90 days to reapply. Use that time to fix or remove the videos that conflict with the policy cited in the rejection. Reapplying with the same channel and the same content will not change the outcome.

After you are accepted

Once in, you are paid according to the modules you accept: 55% of net revenue from ads on your long-form videos, 45% of the revenue allocated to you from the Shorts pool, and 70% of net revenue from channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers and Super Thanks. Payments go through AdSense and are issued between the 21st and the 26th of the month once your balance has reached the payment threshold.

Do not put off the tax form. If you submit no US tax information, Google may be required to withhold 24% of your total worldwide earnings. If you submit it and live outside the US, withholding applies only to earnings from US viewers, at a rate between 0% and 30% depending on your country's tax treaty. Our 1,000 views guide covers payment timing in more detail.

FAQ

Sources