How to get monetized on YouTube in 2026 — the exact YouTube Partner Program thresholds, the earlier 500-subscriber fan-funding tier, the other requirements, and how to apply step by step.
Last verified · 2026-10-23 · by Moe Ameen
Published 2026-06-02 · Updated
Short answer
To get monetized on YouTube, join the YouTube Partner Program. Ad revenue needs 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days. Fan funding and Shopping start at 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in 90 days, and 3,000 watch hours or 3 million Shorts views. You also need AdSense, 2-Step Verification, no active strikes and an eligible country.
Key takeaways
"Getting monetized" on YouTube means being accepted into the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) and switching on the ways your channel can earn — ad revenue, fan funding, memberships, and Shopping. It is a specific, gated process with hard thresholds, not a setting you flip on day one.
The good news in 2026 is that YouTube has two entry points, not one. An earlier tier opens fan-funding and membership features at just 500 subscribers, well before you hit the bar for ad revenue. So you can start earning from your audience long before you qualify for the AdSense ad split.
This page lays out the exact requirements for both tiers, the other boxes you have to tick (AdSense, security, a clean record), and the step-by-step to actually apply. Numbers are the current YPP thresholds — verify them in YouTube Studio for your region, since availability and details can shift.
YouTube splits monetization into two stages. You can qualify for the earlier one first and start earning from your audience, then graduate to full ad revenue once your watch time or Shorts views catch up. You reach the 500-subscriber tier before the 1,000-subscriber ad-revenue tier, so fan income can start earlier.
This tier unlocks fan-funding and commerce features — Super Thanks, Super Chat, channel memberships, and Shopping — without ad revenue yet. The requirements: 500 subscribers, at least 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3,000 valid public watch hours in the past 12 months OR 3 million valid public Shorts views in the past 90 days.
This is the tier most people mean by "getting monetized": it turns on your share of ad revenue (and YouTube Premium revenue). The requirements: 1,000 subscribers, plus either 4,000 valid public watch hours in the past 12 months OR 10 million valid public Shorts views in the past 90 days. The two paths mean a Shorts-first channel and a long-form channel can both qualify — just by different routes.
Hitting the subscriber and watch-time numbers is necessary but not sufficient. You also need to: link or create an AdSense account to get paid; turn on two-step verification for your Google account; have no active Community Guidelines strikes on the channel; follow YouTube's monetization and channel-monetization policies; and live in a country or region where YPP is available. A single active strike or a missing AdSense link will hold up an otherwise-qualified application.
The fastest legitimate way to reach the thresholds is the same thing that makes a channel worth monetizing: publish content people finish and come back for. Daily Shorts drive subscriber growth and can put you on the 10M-Shorts-views (or 3M for the earlier tier) path; consistent long-form builds the watch hours. Do not buy subscribers or use sub-for-sub schemes — they add dead weight that can fail YPP review and risk your channel. See our guide on getting more YouTube subscribers for the growth levers that actually move the thresholds.
Getting monetized is a milestone, not a payday — YPP unlocks the ability to earn, but how much you make is driven by your niche's RPM and your views, not by the green "monetized" checkmark. Aim for the 500-subscriber tier first to start earning from your audience early, keep your channel policy-clean so review goes smoothly, and treat the thresholds as a byproduct of making content worth watching.
A real AI avatar video made in the Kompozy workspace, shown here as an example of the format. It was made separately from this guide.
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Two thresholds. Fan-funding features (Super Thanks, memberships, Shopping) unlock at 500 subscribers (with 3 public uploads in 90 days and 3,000 watch hours or 3M Shorts views). Ad revenue unlocks at 1,000 subscribers (with 4,000 watch hours in 12 months or 10M Shorts views in 90 days).
In YouTube Studio, open the Earn tab, and once you meet a tier's thresholds click Apply, accept the YPP terms, link or create an AdSense account, and submit for review. Approval usually takes up to about a month.
Typically up to about a month after you apply, though it can be faster or slower. Review checks your channel against YouTube's monetization policies, so an active Community Guidelines strike or policy issue will delay or block approval.
Yes. Both tiers have a Shorts path: the earlier tier accepts 3 million valid public Shorts views in 90 days, and the ad-revenue tier accepts 10 million Shorts views in 90 days — each still requires the subscriber count (500 and 1,000 respectively).
We checked every rule, date and figure on this page against the sources listed below on 2026-10-23. Kompozy plan details come from kompozy.io/pricing.
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