What changes for YouTube monetization in 2027?
From February 1, 2027, joining YPP takes 8,000 watch hours or 20M Shorts views, the Shorts Creator Pool needs 10M views, and active channels are redefined.
The short answer
From February 1, 2027, new YouTube Partner Program applicants need 1,000 subscribers plus either 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. Channels already in the program keep their status. Earning from the Shorts Creator Pool will take 10 million qualified Shorts views over 90 days. Partners have until January 31, 2027 to accept the updated terms.
Sources checked on 16 October 2026, each listed at the end of this guide with its date.
What YouTube announced, and when it applies
On August 10, 2026, the YouTube Blog announced changes to the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), which has over 3 million creators. YouTube calls them "the first significant changes since 2018". Its help page "Changes to the YouTube Partner Program" says they start on February 1, 2027, in three main updates: expanding Premium Lite, evolving Shorts earnings and opportunities, and raising the entry thresholds for ads and Premium revenue sharing.
The same page adds new channel activity requirements and updated fan funding terms. To continue fully monetizing, partners are asked to review and accept the updated terms in YouTube Studio by January 31, 2027. When we read YouTube's YPP overview page on October 16, 2026, it still listed the current thresholds. Every figure below comes from YouTube's own pages, read that day.
| Rule | Until January 31, 2027 | From February 1, 2027 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joining YPP (ads and Premium revenue sharing) | 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 | 1,000 subscribers plus either 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. Channels already in YPP are not affected | YPP overview; Changes to YPP |
| Earning from the Shorts Creator Pool | Be in YPP and accept the Shorts Monetization Module | Also at least 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, checked for each month | Shorts monetization policies; Changes to YPP |
| Counting as an active channel | Monetization may be turned off after 6 months or more without an upload or a post on the Posts tab | Any one of: 1,000 qualified watch hours in the past 365 days, 1 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, or 2 long-form videos or 5 Shorts uploaded every 90 days | YPP overview; Changes to YPP |
| Fan funding, YouTube Shopping, YouTube Creator Partnerships | 500 subscribers and either 3,000 qualified watch hours in the last year or 3 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days | No change | Changes to YPP |
| Updated terms | To accept in YouTube Studio by January 31, 2027 | A feature whose terms are not accepted stops earning until they are; YPP status is not affected | Changes to YPP |
The new entry bar: twice the watch hours, or twice the Shorts views
From February 1, 2027, a new channel joins YPP for ads and Premium revenue sharing with 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days, or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, and still 1,000 subscribers. Until then, the overview page lists 4,000 hours in the last 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days, so both figures double. YouTube says the update won't impact creators already in YPP.
The two paths stay separate. YouTube's overview page lists YouTube Shorts among the videos whose watch hours don't count towards YPP thresholds. Qualified watch hours come from long-form videos set to public. Qualified Shorts views come from public Shorts that appear in the Shorts Feed; views of private, unlisted or deleted Shorts, of ad campaigns and of image posts in the Shorts Feed don't count.
Reaching a threshold is not the same as joining. Every channel that meets one goes through a review of the channel as a whole against YouTube's channel monetization policies, which YouTube says typically takes about a month.
Shorts: 10 million views over 90 days to earn from the Creator Pool
From February 1, 2027, a partner earns Shorts ad revenue from the Creator Pool, and Shorts Premium revenue, for a given month only with at least 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. YouTube's Shorts monetization policies say the count covers the 90 days ending on the 15th day of the month before the month being paid. The YouTube Blog says creators who already earn significant revenue from Shorts are unlikely to be impacted.
Missing that floor does not remove a channel from YPP. YouTube says it does not affect other YPP earnings, long-form videos included, and that Shorts revenue sharing resumes automatically once the channel crosses 10 million views again.
Two new ways to earn come with it. YouTube is introducing Shorts incentive programs that may offer bonuses for YouTube Shopping, production credits for brand deals and earnings boosts for cultural trend activations; the blog presents them as new ways to earn for channels below the 10 million threshold, with details to come. And when an advertiser targets an ad to a group of five or fewer channels, eligible creators earn 45% of the net revenue from that ad, on top of the Creator Pool.
The new active-channel rule
YPP also changes how it decides that a channel is active. Until February 1, 2027, the rule on YouTube's overview page is that YouTube may turn off monetization on channels that haven't uploaded a video or posted to the Posts tab for 6 months or more.
From February 1, 2027, a channel is considered active if it meets any one of the three requirements listed below. YouTube says most creators in YPP already meet them. A channel that drops below gets an extended 90-day window to reach either 1,000 qualified watch hours in the past 365 days or 1 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days to stay in the program; that list leaves out the upload option.
- 1,000 qualified watch hours in the past 365 days
- 1 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days
- 2 long-form videos or 5 Shorts uploaded every 90 days
Which Shorts views count, and what happens to non-original Shorts
Two different counts are involved. The thresholds use qualified Shorts views, from public Shorts in the Shorts Feed. Payments from the Creator Pool use eligible engaged views, and YouTube's Shorts monetization policies list views it won't count: non-original Shorts, such as unedited clips from others' movies or TV shows, re-uploads of other creators' content from YouTube or another platform, or compilations with no original content added; artificial or fake views, such as from bots; and views of Shorts that don't follow the advertiser-friendly guidelines.
None of the pages we read says whether views of non-original Shorts still count towards the 10 million qualified views threshold. They do say such views are ineligible when payments are calculated, and that Shorts over one minute containing claimed content are blocked and not eligible for monetization. The originality update TeamYouTube posted on October 1, 2026, covered in a separate guide, changes the recommendation systems for Shorts, not this count.
Accepting the new terms before January 31, 2027
Partners accept the updated modules in YouTube Studio: the Watch Page Monetization Module, the Shorts Monetization Module and, where applicable, the Commerce Product Module. They can accept some or all of them, and YouTube encourages accepting all. Creators who turned on fan funding features such as channel memberships or Super Chat before 2023 may still be on the older Commerce Product Addendum; they move to the Commerce Product Module, with no change to thresholds, products or revenue share.
Not signing does not remove a channel from YPP. A feature whose terms are not accepted by January 31, 2027 stops earning from February 1, 2027, and access returns once the terms are accepted in YouTube Studio. In a multi-channel network, the network accepts for the channels it owns and operates, while affiliate channels accept for themselves. YouTube lists these steps:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio on desktop or mobile.
- Find the terms notification on the dashboard, or open the Earn tab.
- Select Review for each updated module.
- Check the box to accept, then select Next.
- Select Submit once every updated module is reviewed.
Premium Lite and Premium revenue
Premium Lite expands to every country where YouTube Premium is available. Creators share a pool of 60% of net subscription revenue for Premium Lite and 30% for Premium. The YouTube Blog adds that, from that distribution, creators receive 55% for long-form videos and 45% for Shorts, and that partners earn more on average when a viewer signs up for Premium than when the viewer was watching ads, based on 2026 performance.
Shorts cut from your own long videos under the 2027 rules
YouTube's pages give no separate rule for Shorts cut from a creator's own long videos. Three points from them bear on that workflow. Uploading 5 Shorts every 90 days is one of the three ways a channel counts as active from February 1, 2027. Only public Shorts that appear in the Shorts Feed produce qualified Shorts views. And watch time on Shorts never counts towards the watch-hour path, while the hours viewers spend on the full long-form video, if it is public, do.
YouTube's tool for sending a Short's viewers to the full video is the Related Video link. In YouTube Studio, open Content, click the Short, select a Related Video from your channel and click Save. It needs advanced feature access, and the linked video must be public or unlisted and follow the Community Guidelines. Viewers see a clickable link below your channel handle.
None of this guarantees eligibility, reach or earnings. YouTube reviews each channel as a whole against its channel monetization policies, reused content included, and decides on its side.
With shortshort
shortshort cuts Shorts from a long video you own: a file in MP4, MOV or WebM, up to 2 GB, or the link of your own public or unlisted YouTube video, downloaded on our servers at up to 720p with its audio. It listens to the whole video before choosing passages. The AI picks passages that open and close on complete sentences, then checks the end of each short against the transcript; when an exact ending cannot be confirmed, the studio says so. Connect your YouTube channel on the Publish page, then give each short a day and time or let shortshort fill the calendar, on every plan including Free; publishing to TikTok is in early access. Each publication can be public, unlisted or private, and only public Shorts count as qualified Shorts views. shortshort does not add a Related Video link: add it to each Short in YouTube Studio. It has no say in YPP eligibility, in which views YouTube counts or in what a Short earns. A new account gets 30 credits once, no card, and 1 credit is 1 minute of source video. Free exports carry a small shortshort.io badge near the top-left corner and a 1.5 s 'Made with shortshort.io' end card; paid plans export without them.
Questions people ask
What are the YouTube monetization requirements in 2027?
From February 1, 2027, a new channel needs 1,000 subscribers plus either 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days to join the YouTube Partner Program for ads and Premium revenue. Fan funding, YouTube Shopping and YouTube Creator Partnerships keep their thresholds, starting at 500 subscribers. Channels already in YPP are not affected by the new entry bar.
Do Shorts views count toward the 8,000 watch hours?
No. YouTube's YPP overview page lists YouTube Shorts among the videos whose watch hours don't count towards YPP thresholds. Shorts count on the other path: 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, from February 1, 2027. When we read that page on October 16, 2026, it still described the current 4,000-hour threshold.
Will I lose monetization if I'm already in the YouTube Partner Program?
Not because of the new entry thresholds: YouTube says your status is not impacted. Three things still matter from February 1, 2027. Shorts earn from the Creator Pool only in months when the channel has 10 million qualified Shorts views over the last 90 days. The channel has to stay active under the new rule. And a monetization feature whose updated terms you have not accepted by January 31, 2027 stops earning until you accept them.
What happens if my Shorts fall below 10 million views in 90 days?
From February 1, 2027, the channel does not earn from the Shorts Creator Pool for that month, but YouTube says it stays in YPP and its other earnings, long-form videos included, are not affected. Shorts revenue sharing resumes automatically once the channel crosses 10 million qualified Shorts views again.
What counts as an active channel for YouTube monetization in 2027?
From February 1, 2027, a YPP channel is active if it has 1,000 qualified watch hours in the past 365 days, or 1 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, or uploads 2 long-form videos or 5 Shorts every 90 days. A channel that drops below gets an extended 90-day window to reach one of the two viewing thresholds to stay in the program.
Sources
The official pages this guide relies on, with the day each one was read.
- Changes to the YouTube Partner Program - YouTube Help, checked .
- New opportunities to earn and changes to the YouTube Partner Program - YouTube Blog (Aug 10, 2026), checked .
- YouTube Partner Program overview & eligibility - YouTube Help, checked .
- YouTube Shorts monetization policies - YouTube Help, checked .
- Add a related video to your YouTube Shorts - YouTube Help, checked .
- Prioritizing original content on Shorts - TeamYouTube, YouTube Help Community (Oct 1, 2026), checked .
Related
Cut your own long video into shorts.
30 credits are free at sign-up, no card. One credit is one minute of source video, whatever the number of shorts.