YouTube Partner Program (ads and revenue share)
YouTube's main monetization program. The help page lists two ways a channel becomes eligible to apply.
Requirements as stated on the source
- Get 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months, or
- Get 1,000 subscribers with 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days.
- Follow the YouTube channel monetization policies; live in a country/region where YPP is available; have no active Community Guidelines strikes; have 2-Step Verification on; have advanced features access; have one active AdSense for YouTube account linked (or be ready to set one up in YouTube Studio).
Process
Review decision is 'typically in about 1 month' per the page. If the first application is not successful: appeal within 21 days, or re-apply after 30 days; after a repeat rejection, re-apply after 90 days.
Notes and caveats
- The page says meeting a threshold is not automatic acceptance: every channel that meets it goes through a standard review.
- Watch hours from Shorts in the Shorts feed do not count toward the 4,000-hour path.
- Notice on the page: starting February 1, 2027 YouTube is introducing updates to YPP; to keep fully monetizing, review and accept the updated terms in YouTube Studio by January 31, 2027.
- Another official YouTube page shows a lower entry tier (next entry). We could not tell from the pages we read how the two are meant to fit together; check YouTube Studio > Earn for what applies to your channel.
Sources
- https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851 (main source)
How we read it: official page read in full by the agent. Rules change; confirm on the program's own page. This page has no affiliate links.