What makes this useful: A sourced EarnThread field guide written for creators turning attention into an owned business.
To share in YouTube ad revenue, you currently need 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. Once you're in, YouTube pays 55% of net revenue from ads on your long-form videos and 45% of the Shorts revenue allocated to you. From 1 February 2027 the entry bar for new creators rises to 8,000 watch hours or 20 million Shorts views. A digital product or lead magnet has no threshold at all, which is why it can earn, or build your list, long before monetisation.
Here are the official numbers, checked on YouTube's help pages in November 2026, and what they mean for a small channel deciding what to build first.
Key takeaways
- Ad revenue sharing on YouTube currently needs 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months or 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days.
- From 1 February 2027, new creators will need 8,000 watch hours or 20 million Shorts views, still with 1,000 subscribers; existing partners aren't affected.
- YouTube pays 55% of net ad revenue on long-form videos, 45% of allocated Shorts revenue and 70% of net fan-funding revenue.
- Below the threshold, ads on your videos earn you nothing, while a product you sell has no audience minimum.
- A free lead magnet earns nothing directly but builds an email list you own while you grow towards YPP.
What are the YouTube Partner Program thresholds?
There are two levels. The expanded programme opens fan funding and Shopping features earlier; ad revenue sharing needs the higher level.
| Requirement | Expanded YPP (fan funding, Shopping) | Full YPP (ad revenue sharing), now | Full YPP for new creators from 1 Feb 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Uploads | 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days | Not listed | Not listed |
| Long-form route | 3,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months | 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months | 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days |
| Shorts route | 3 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days | 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days | 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days |
Sources: YouTube Partner Program overview & eligibility (opens in a new tab), Overview of the expanded YouTube Partner Program (opens in a new tab) and Changes to the YouTube Partner Program (opens in a new tab).
The fine print on qualifying
- Shorts views don't count towards watch hours. YouTube says qualified watch hours from Shorts views in the Shorts Feed won't count towards the 4,000 qualified public watch hours threshold (opens in a new tab). You pick one route or the other.
- Other conditions apply. You must live where YPP is available, follow the channel monetisation policies, have no active Community Guidelines strikes, turn on 2-Step Verification, have advanced features access and link an AdSense for YouTube account (YouTube (opens in a new tab)).
- The expanded programme is country-limited. YouTube lists the countries and regions where it's available (opens in a new tab); elsewhere, only the full thresholds apply.
- Existing partners keep their place in 2027. The new 8,000-hour and 20-million-view bar applies to new creators; YouTube says if you're already in YPP, your status is not impacted (opens in a new tab). The 500-subscriber thresholds for fan funding and Shopping aren't changing.
- Inactive channels can lose monetisation. YouTube may turn off monetization (opens in a new tab) on channels that haven't uploaded a video or posted to the Posts tab for 6 months or more.
How much of the revenue does YouTube share?
Revenue share depends on which terms ("modules") you accept in YouTube Studio. YouTube's payments page (opens in a new tab) sets out the rates:
| Revenue source | What YouTube pays you | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Ads on your long-form videos (Watch Page) | 55% of net revenues from those ads | Full YPP + Watch Page Monetization Module |
| Shorts Feed ads | 45% of the revenue allocated to you from the Creator Pool | Full YPP + Shorts Monetization Module |
| Channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, Super Thanks | 70% of net revenues | YPP + Commerce Product Module |
How Shorts revenue is shared
Shorts ads don't sit next to one video, so YouTube pools them. Each month, Shorts Feed ad revenue is pooled, part goes to music licensing, and the rest (the Creator Pool) is split by each creator's share of engaged views. YouTube says monetizing creators will keep 45% of their allocated revenue (opens in a new tab), whether or not they used music.
From 1 February 2027 there's an extra monthly bar: to earn from the Creator Pool in a given month, you'll need at least 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days (opens in a new tab). Missing it doesn't remove you from YPP or affect long-form earnings, according to YouTube's changes page (opens in a new tab).
When YouTube money reaches you
Even after you qualify, there's a lag and a minimum. Finalised earnings for a month are added to your AdSense for YouTube balance between the 7th and 12th of the next month and paid out by the 21st–26th (opens in a new tab), as long as your balance has reached the payment threshold and there are no holds. Google's payment thresholds (opens in a new tab) are $100 for USD accounts, €70 for euro and £60 for sterling.
YouTube is also clear that there are no guarantees under the YouTube partner agreement (opens in a new tab) about how much or whether you'll be paid.
Why can your own product pay before YouTube does?
A few lines from YouTube's own help page explain the gap. If you're not in YPP and ads appear on your videos, YouTube says you're not yet eligible to receive a share of the revenue (opens in a new tab). Until you cross 1,000 subscribers and the watch-hour or Shorts bar, your views earn you no ad income.
A product you sell yourself works differently:
- No audience threshold. A buyer can pay you whether you have 200 subscribers or 20,000.
- You set the price. Your earnings per sale don't depend on ad rates or a shared pool.
- The money lands in your own account. With a storefront connected to your own Stripe account, the sale is yours, and payouts follow your own Stripe account's payout schedule.
- Buyers become contacts. Each sale or sign-up gives you an email address, with consent, that you can reach without the algorithm.
Illustrative arithmetic (hypothetical)
This is not a forecast: it's what a handful of sales would come to, using only published fees. Say a creator in Ireland with a few hundred subscribers sells a €15 guide, and buyers pay with standard EEA cards.
| Line | Per sale |
|---|---|
| Price | €15.00 |
| Stripe processing (1.5% + €0.25) | −€0.48 |
| EarnThread Launch platform fee (5%) | −€0.75 |
| You keep | €13.78 (rounded) |
Stripe's rate is from its pricing page for Ireland (opens in a new tab), which lists 1.5% + €0.25 for standard European Economic Area cards; UK and international cards cost more, and currency conversion adds 2%. Ten sales in this example would come to about €138. Whether you get ten sales, or two, or fifty, depends on the offer, the audience and how you present it. Nobody can promise a number.
The comparison isn't "product beats AdSense". It's timing: a channel below the ad-sharing threshold earns nothing from ads, however good the videos are, while a product can earn from the first buyer.
Where a lead magnet fits
If you're not ready to sell, a free lead magnet (a checklist, template or short guide in exchange for an email address) earns nothing directly but builds the asset that makes later sales possible: a list you own. Our guide to a lead magnet that builds an owned audience walks through it.
Should you chase YPP or launch a product first?
You don't have to choose. Long-form views and Shorts views are what get you into YPP; a product or lead magnet is something you link to from the same videos. Each video can grow your channel towards the thresholds and send a few viewers to your offer.
A sensible order for a small channel:
- 01Pick one small, specific offer
your viewers already ask about. The first digital product selector helps you choose.
- 02Validate before building much
A short waitlist or a pre-sale tells you whether anyone will pay.
- 03Keep publishing towards YPP
Track qualified watch hours or Shorts views in YouTube Studio, and note the higher bar for new creators from February 2027.
- 04Add YPP income when it arrives
Ad revenue, memberships and Super Thanks then sit on top of what you already sell.
What does selling your own product cost on EarnThread?
EarnThread pays straight into your own Stripe account. The plans:
- Launch: $0 a month, with a 5% platform fee on each sale. No card needed to start.
- Growth: $19 a month with a 1% platform fee. 14 days free, then $19 a month; cancel anytime.
- Scale: $49 a month with a 0% platform fee. 14 days free, then $49 a month; cancel anytime.
Growth is cheaper than Launch once you sell over $475 a month, and Scale is cheaper than Growth once you sell over $3,000 a month. Stripe's processing fee applies on every plan.
The short version
YouTube's thresholds decide when ads start paying you, and from February 2027 they get higher for new creators. Your own product or lead magnet has no threshold, so it's the part of your channel's income you can start this week. Start free and publish a first offer or lead magnet, then link it from your next video.
Frequently asked questions
How many subscribers do you need to get paid on YouTube?
For ad revenue sharing, 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. In countries with the expanded programme, 500 subscribers unlocks fan funding and Shopping features.
Are the YouTube Partner Program requirements changing in 2027?
Yes. From 1 February 2027, new creators need 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, plus 1,000 subscribers. Creators already in YPP keep their status.
What percentage of ad revenue does YouTube give creators?
55% of net revenues from ads on your long-form videos, and 45% of the Shorts revenue allocated to you from the Creator Pool. Channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers and Super Thanks pay 70% of net revenues.
Can I sell a digital product before I'm monetised on YouTube?
Yes. Selling your own product doesn't depend on YouTube's thresholds, so you can link to an offer or lead magnet from day one. What you earn depends on the offer and your audience; there's no guaranteed amount.