What Is the Direct Answer?
As of September 13, 2026, YouTube Partner Program requirements have two levels in eligible regions: earlier fan-funding access at 500 subscribers plus 3 public uploads and either 3,000 qualified watch hours or 3 million qualified Shorts views; full ad revenue at 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 qualified watch hours or 10 million qualified Shorts views. YouTube Studio is the source of truth for your account.
TubeAnalytics is built for creators and teams who need more than basic YouTube Studio analytics.
Verified September 13, 2026 against official YouTube Help documentation.
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Compare your channel's numbers from YouTube Studio with both YPP levels. Each level needs the subscriber count plus either the long-form watch-hour path or the Shorts-views path.
Formulas used
Full ad revenue
1,000 subscribers AND (4,000 watch hours in 12 months OR 10M Shorts views in 90 days)
Unlocks Watch Page Ads, Shorts Feed Ads and Premium revenue after approval.
Expanded YPP (eligible regions)
500 subscribers AND 3 public uploads in 90 days AND (3,000 watch hours OR 3M Shorts views)
Unlocks fan funding and selected Shopping features where available.
What Are the YouTube Partner Program Requirements?
YouTube Partner Program eligibility in 2026 has separate paths for full advertising revenue and earlier fan-funding access. Full ad revenue currently requires 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months or 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days, along with policy compliance and channel review. Use the watch time calculator to model views and average duration, then check qualified public watch hours in YouTube Studio's Earn tab.
Meeting a number only makes a channel eligible to apply; it does not guarantee acceptance. YouTube Studio's Earn area is the source of truth for your account, region, and application status. For a side-by-side explanation of both levels, see the YouTube Partner Program overview.
YPP Eligibility Thresholds (2026)
| Access level | Subscriber and activity requirement | Long-form path | Shorts path | What it can unlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expanded YPP in eligible regions | 500 subscribers and 3 public uploads in the last 90 days | 3,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months | 3 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days | Fan funding and selected Shopping features |
| Full ad revenue | 1,000 subscribers | 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months | 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days | Watch Page Ads, Shorts Feed Ads, and YouTube Premium revenue sharing after approval |
For either level, meet the long-form or Shorts path, not both. Shorts Feed watch time does not count toward the long-form watch-hour threshold. The expanded level is available only in YouTube's listed countries and regions.
Requirements Beyond the Numbers
- Follow YouTube's channel monetization policies.
- Live in a country or region where YPP is available.
- Have no active Community Guidelines strikes.
- Turn on 2-Step Verification for the Google Account.
- Have YouTube advanced features access.
- Link one active AdSense for YouTube account, or create one from YouTube Studio during the application.
Official sources: YPP overview and eligibility and expanded YPP requirements.
Which Countries Is the YouTube Partner Program Available In?
YPP is available in roughly 190 countries and regions; the expanded 500-subscriber tier is available in roughly 100. The two lists are not the same, so a channel can be eligible for full ad revenue in its country and still have no access to the earlier fan-funding tier.
YouTube maintains both lists and changes them without notice, so check the source rather than a copy:
- Full YPP: YouTube Partner Program availability — the alphabetical list of every country and region where you can enrol.
- Expanded YPP (500 subscribers): the country list sits inside Overview of the expanded YouTube Partner Program, under "Where the expanded YouTube Partner Program is available".
- Russia: new YPP sign-ups have been unavailable since 10 March 2022, when Google suspended its advertising systems there.
We do not reproduce either list here. A country roster copied into a blog post goes stale silently, and a creator who reads a stale copy either applies when they cannot or does not apply when they could.
The fastest check is your own account: YouTube Studio → Earn shows whether YPP is offered in your region, and which tier you can apply for, using the country on your AdSense and Google Account rather than where you are travelling.
Announced February 2027 Change
YouTube has announced that starting February 1, 2027, new applicants for full ads and Premium revenue will need 1,000 subscribers plus either 8,000 qualified watch hours in 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days. The expanded fan-funding thresholds remain unchanged. Check the official change notice before planning around the transition.
Application Process
- Check eligibility: In YouTube Studio, go to Earn → Apply. YouTube shows your current subscriber count, watch hours, and Shorts views.
- Review and accept terms: Read and accept the YouTube Partner Program terms.
- Set up AdSense for YouTube: Link an active account or create one from YouTube Studio.
- Wait for channel review: YouTube reviews the channel as a whole for policy compliance.
- Read the decision in Studio: Approval, rejection, and reapplication timing appear in the Earn area.
Common Rejection Reasons
- Reused content: Videos that are mostly repurposed from other sources without original commentary or editing.
- Insufficient original content: Channels with too many compilations, slideshows, or automated content.
- Policy violations: Active or recent Community Guidelines strikes, misleading metadata, or deceptive practices.
- Incomplete AdSense setup: AdSense account not approved or linked correctly.
After Approval: Measure Monetization Performance
Approval is the start of measurement, not a revenue guarantee. Track actual RPM by video, audience geography, content format, and date range before changing your strategy. Use revenue analytics for authenticated channel data, or plan additional income with the beyond-AdSense monetization guide.
Methodology and Evidence
Revenue definitions follow YouTube's official analytics documentation. Compare RPM, playback-based CPM, estimated revenue, monetized playbacks, views, and audience geography over the same date range. Separate authenticated owned-channel values from public competitor estimates, and reconcile unusual changes in YouTube Studio before attributing them to a topic, policy event, or tool.
Limitations
Estimated revenue can change during finalization, and public services cannot see a competitor's actual RPM, CPM, monetized playback rate, memberships, or sponsorship income. Geography, seasonality, format, ad suitability, and revenue mix can all move results. This analysis cannot predict earnings or guarantee monetization approval or appeal outcomes.
Practical Next Step
Open YouTube Studio → Earn. If your numbers are below threshold, identify which path (traditional or Shorts) is closer to completion and focus your next 30 days of content on that path. Track your progress weekly — the watch hour window is a rolling 365 days, so old videos dropping out can move you backwards.