YouTube
YouTube Partner Program eligibility tiers, explained
The 500-subscriber early tier vs the 1,000-subscriber ad revenue tier, including the Shorts views path.
Platform rules change often. Requirements below were checked against official pages in October 2026; always confirm on the linked source before applying.
| Tier | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Early access (fan funding, Shopping) | 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3,000 public watch hours in 12 months or 3M public Shorts views in 90 days |
| Ad revenue (incl. Shorts ad revenue sharing) | 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 public watch hours in 12 months or 10M public Shorts views in 90 days |
Sources: YouTube Partner Program; YPP eligibility (YouTube Help), both rechecked October 15, 2026. Watch hours from Shorts in the Shorts Feed don't count toward the 4,000-hour threshold, and meeting a threshold doesn't guarantee acceptance: every channel is reviewed (typically about a month). YouTube has also announced updated YPP terms that must be accepted in YouTube Studio by January 31, 2027. Availability varies by country.
Once in, all videos, including Shorts, must follow YouTube's channel monetization policies; reviewers look at your main theme, most-viewed and newest videos, and metadata (YouTube).