YouTube Partner Programme requirements, explained

To earn from ads on YouTube you need to be in the YouTube Partner Programme (YPP), and as of October 2026 that means 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 qualified public watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million qualified public Shorts views in the last 90 days. A lower tier opens earlier: 500 subscribers, three valid public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3,000 watch hours in 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days. That lower tier does not share ad revenue, but it does switch on fan-funding tools. The numbers will change for new applicants on 1 February 2027, which is covered below.

You need to meet only one route (watch hours or Shorts views), not both. Google’s own pages for the figures are listed under Sources, and YouTube adjusts these numbers from time to time, so check the date on whatever you read, this page included.

People say a channel is “monetised” when it has been accepted into YPP and at least one earning feature is switched on for it. That is not one switch. Acceptance at the lower tier unlocks channel memberships, Super Chat and Super Stickers, Super Thanks, Jewels and gifts, and shopping features. Acceptance at the ads tier adds the share of advertising and YouTube Premium revenue that most people mean when they say “YouTube pays”.

India is named by YouTube among the countries where the expanded programme, the one with the lower tier, is available to eligible creators. That matters because a 500-subscriber channel in India can apply for fan-funding tools without waiting for 1,000. It also means you can be partly monetised: allowed to take Super Thanks but not yet paid a share of ad revenue.

Tip: Reaching a threshold does not turn anything on by itself. You apply, accept the terms and wait for a review. A channel can sit at 1,200 subscribers and 4,500 hours and still earn nothing until it has been approved.

YouTube lists several conditions besides the subscriber and viewing figures. Missing one of them is the most avoidable reason an application stalls.

• You must follow YouTube’s channel monetisation policies, which apply to every partner.
• You must live in a country or region where the programme is available. Check the availability list on YouTube Help rather than assuming.
• Your channel must have no active Community Guidelines strikes.
• Your Google Account must have 2-Step Verification turned on.
• Advanced features must be enabled on the channel.
• You need an active AdSense account for YouTube, which you can create during the application.

One detail catches Shorts creators out. Watch hours earned from Shorts viewed in the Shorts feed do not count towards the 4,000 hours. If your channel is mostly Shorts, the 10 million views route is the one that is built for you.

1. Check your own numbers first. YouTube Studio shows your subscribers, watch hours and Shorts views against the thresholds; look for the earning or monetisation section, since menu names change between versions.
2. Turn on 2-Step Verification for the Google Account that owns the channel, and enable advanced features if YouTube asks you to.
3. Read the channel monetisation policies once, and open your own channel as a stranger would. Look at your oldest and most-viewed videos for reused clips, and fix or remove anything that is not really yours.
4. When your numbers qualify, accept the YPP terms and link an AdSense account. If you do not have one, you can create it as part of signing up.
5. Wait for the review. YouTube says it typically takes about a month, but can take longer when volumes are high or there is a system problem. Nothing needs to be done during the wait, and posting normally is fine.
6. Read the result. If you are accepted, switch on the earning features you want. If you are declined, the reason shown in YouTube Studio is the starting point for the next section.

YouTube’s monetisation policies say monetised content has to be original and authentic. The failures that come up most often are about the content, not the count.

• Reused content: downloaded or compiled material with little added. YouTube treats critical reviews that include clips, reactions with commentary and edited footage with a new storyline as acceptable changes; compilations with minimal narrative and unchanged downloads are not.
• Inauthentic content: videos that look mass-produced or template-driven, with little that differs from one upload to the next.
• Unsatisfying content: material built on shock, emotional manipulation or interchangeable formats rather than anything the viewer gets from it.
• AI personas giving medical, legal or financial advice as if they were experts. YouTube’s policy page says channels doing this cannot monetise.
• An active strike, or an account still missing 2-Step Verification or an AdSense link.

If you are declined, you may appeal within 21 days, or reapply after 30 to 90 days depending on your application history. The sensible order is to fix the content problem first and then appeal or reapply. Appealing with nothing changed gives the reviewer the same channel to look at.

Even after approval, YouTube can limit or remove ad earnings, withhold payments while it investigates (its policy page mentions periods of up to 90 days), suspend monetisation features or, in serious cases, terminate a channel. Getting in is the start of staying in.

On 10 August 2026 YouTube announced updated terms for the programme, taking effect on 1 February 2027. New applicants will need 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. YouTube says this applies only to new applicants, and that creators already in the programme keep their status. Partners are asked to review and accept the updated terms by 31 January 2027.

The announcement does not mention subscriber minimums, and I could not find a published statement saying how an application that is still under review on 1 February will be judged. Read the Help page for the current rule before you decide when to apply. If you are close to the present thresholds, the practical point is simple: whichever set of numbers applies on the day you apply is the one that counts.

Separately, from that date creators need 10 million qualified Shorts views over the last 90 days to earn ad and subscription revenue from Shorts. Creators below it stay in the programme for long-form earnings and can pick up Shorts earnings again when they pass that figure. Our post on making money from YouTube Shorts covers it in more detail.

Ad revenue is paid through AdSense. Google’s payments page for India says you must reach US$10 (or the local equivalent) before you can verify your address, and verification is done with a PIN sent by standard post, which can take two to three weeks to arrive. You have four months to enter it. Payments are issued monthly, between the 21st and 26th, once your balance meets your payment threshold and nothing is holding your account. Your own AdSense dashboard shows the threshold and payment methods that apply to you, so read it there rather than trusting a blog.

Money from YouTube is income, and it is paid in dollars to an Indian bank account, so tax and bank charges both come into it. This is general information and not advice. Our guide to income tax for creators explains the principles, and a chartered accountant can tell you what applies to your situation. Brand deals and affiliate links on the same channel need ASCI-style disclosure, and YouTube has an “includes paid promotion” setting for exactly that.

• Your numbers meet either the lower tier or the ads tier today, from one of the two routes.
• 2-Step Verification is on, advanced features are enabled and you have no active strikes.
• Your videos are your own work, or changed enough that you could explain what you added.
• You know which AdSense details you will use, and your name and address match your bank account.
• You have written down the date you applied, so you can tell when the one-month review window has passed.