YouTube Shorts monetization, the real thresholds
How many subscribers and Shorts views you need, what counts, and what never earns.
First brand read free. No filming.
The short answer
To monetise YouTube Shorts through the YouTube Partner Program you need 1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. A lower tier opens with 500 subscribers, three public uploads and 3 million Shorts views in 90 days. Repetitive, mass-produced or reuploaded content cannot earn under YouTube’s inauthentic content policy.
Updated
Get there, step by step
- 01
Post originals consistently
YouTube says there is no minimum cadence; consistency helps you learn what holds viewers.
- 02
Win the first second
The Shorts feed ranks on whether viewers choose to watch rather than swipe away.
- 03
Grow subscribers on purpose
Give viewers a reason to come back: a series, a recurring format, a clear promise.
- 04
Track the 90-day window
Both tiers count Shorts views over a rolling 90 days; YouTube Studio shows your progress.
- 05
Apply once eligible
Apply in YouTube Studio’s Earn section; your channel is reviewed against the policies above.
The requirements
Full Partner Program
1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, or 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in 12 months.
The lower tier
500 subscribers, 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days and 3 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days.
Shorts views do not add watch hours
Watch hours from Shorts in the Shorts feed do not count toward the 4,000-hour route.
Inauthentic content
Renamed from “repetitious content” on 15 July 2025: content must not be “mass-produced, generic, repetitive, or manipulative”.
Reuploads earn nothing
Unedited clips from films or TV and reuploads of other creators’ content are not eligible.
AI churn is spam
Using automated tools or AI “to churn out high volumes of similar content with minimal changes” breaks the spam policy.
The sources
YouTube’s own help pages, read on 2 October 2026. Thresholds can change; check YouTube Studio for your channel. Percify is not affiliated with YouTube or Google.
YouTube Partner Program
Eligibility through Shorts views.
Source: support.google.com; quote: Lower tier, read Invalid Date
- What it says
- 1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days
- Rule
- Shorts feed views do not count toward 4,000 watch hours
- Date
- Help Center, read 2 October 2026
Inauthentic content policy
Monetization policy, renamed 15 July 2025.
Source: support.google.com; quote: Spam policy, read Invalid Date
- What it says
- Content must not be mass-produced, generic, repetitive or manipulative
- Rule
- Applies to Shorts and long videos
- Date
- 15 July 2025
- What it says
- Non-original Shorts are not eligible
- Rule
- Unedited clips and reuploads of others’ content excluded
- Date
- Help Center, read 2 October 2026
Read next
Your questions, answered
Short answers to what people ask next.
10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days with 1,000 subscribers for full Partner Program access, or 3 million with 500 subscribers and 3 uploads for the lower tier.
No. Watch hours from Shorts in the Shorts feed do not count toward the 4,000-hour threshold.
Original ones can. YouTube bans using AI to churn out high volumes of similar content, and repetitive content cannot earn.
No. Reuploads of other creators’ content and unedited clips from films or TV are not eligible.
Percify makes a new, original Short for your brand every day with your own face and voice, and posts the ones you approve to YouTube and up to 9 other platforms.