TubeClaws
01. Applying for ad revenue for the first time
To earn ad revenue, you need 1,000 subscribers. You must also meet one of the requirements for watch hours on regular videos or Shorts views. From February 2027, these requirements increase as shown below.
| Requirement | Current published requirements | New requirements from 2027.02.01 |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | 1,000 subscribers | 1,000 subscribers |
| Regular videos | In the last 12 months 4,000 valid public watch hours | In the last 365 days 8,000 valid watch hours |
| Shorts | In the last 90 days 10 million valid views | In the last 90 days 20 million valid views |
Check the official requirements
YPP changes — Guidance for the 2027 rollout ↗
YPP overview and eligibility ↗
‘My views are over the threshold. Why am I still short?’
Regular view counts can differ from the figures that count toward monetization. Watch time from the Shorts Feed isn’t added to the long-form requirement. Private or deleted videos, ad campaigns, and other excluded sources don’t count either.
Studio → Earn is where you should check the qualifying figures.
Check the official requirements
‘I heard you can qualify with 500 subscribers?’
Yes. In eligible countries, there is an earlier stage that gives access to fan funding and certain Shopping features. Its requirements differ from those for ad revenue.
- 500 subscribers + 3 public uploads in the last 90 days
- Plus 3,000 valid watch hours in the last 12 months or 3 million valid Shorts views in the last 90 days
Check the official guidance for additional feature-specific requirements.
Check the official requirements
Already at the 500-subscriber stage? Check Studio to see which requirements apply when your channel moves to ad revenue.
02. What if your channel already earns revenue?
Accept the terms by January 31, 2027
First, check for a terms notification in Studio. If you miss the deadline, revenue from the relevant features stops from February 1. Failure to accept the terms does not, by itself, remove you from YPP.
This doesn’t mean earning 8,000 watch hours all over again
If you’re already in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), the higher requirements for new applications don’t make you lose eligibility. However, the requirements for receiving Shorts revenue and maintaining channel activity are changing.
To keep receiving Shorts revenue
To receive monthly revenue from the Shorts Creator Pool, you need 10 million valid Shorts views in the last 90 days. Falling below that figure does not remove you from the Partner Program or stop other YPP income, such as revenue from regular videos.
Can I stop uploading for a while?
You must meet at least one of these requirements: 1,000 watch hours in the last 365 days, 1 million Shorts views in the last 90 days, or upload 2 regular videos or 5 Shorts every 90 days.
You receive a 90-day grace period. Within it, you must reach 1,000 watch hours in the last 365 days or 1 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. At this stage, simply uploading a certain number of videos is not a qualifying option.
The ongoing eligibility and activity requirements above take effect on February 1, 2027. An expansion of Premium Lite, targeted Shorts ads, and incentives were also announced. See the original guidance below for revenue allocation and participation eligibility.
Check the official requirements
03. Does meeting the requirements mean automatic approval?
No. You can meet the application requirements and still fail the review. YouTube considers both subscriber numbers and the videos you publish. It may examine popular and recent videos, titles and descriptions, your channel’s main theme, and more.
Review your whole channel. Have you uploaded other people’s videos with only minor changes? Is there enough content that you created yourself?
Check the official requirements
Before applying, check that 2-Step Verification and advanced features are enabled, whether you have any active Community Guidelines strikes, and whether AdSense for YouTube is linked. If you don’t have an AdSense account, you can create one while applying in Studio.
Check the official requirements
Can I just add captions to someone else’s video? See related examples →
04. Open Studio and check each item
Official sources to check yourself
These documents were checked on September 29, 2026. For later changes and guidance that applies to your channel, check the official pages and YouTube Studio. The tables and practical examples are edited by TubeClaws to help explain the guidance.