To earn from YouTube Shorts today you need 1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days, and creators keep 45% of their allocated Shorts revenue (YouTube Help). From 1 Feb 2027 new applicants will need 20 million Shorts views in 90 days, according to the YouTube Official Blog. Shorts can be up to 3 minutes long.
Last checked October 2026.
If you make Shorts, you've probably seen a dozen different numbers quoted for what it takes to get into the YouTube Partner Program, how long a Short can be and how big Shorts has grown. Most of them are out of date or second-hand. So I went back to what YouTube itself says, in its help centre, its official blog and Alphabet's earnings calls, and put every number in one place with the source named next to it.
YouTube Shorts fact table
| What | The number | Source | Refers to |
|---|---|---|---|
| YPP via Shorts (ad revenue tier) | 1,000 subscribers plus 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days | YouTube Help | Oct 2026 (help centre) |
| YPP via long-form (ad revenue tier) | 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months | YouTube Help | Oct 2026 (help centre) |
| Lower YPP tier (fan funding and Shopping) | 500 subscribers and 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days | YouTube Help | Oct 2026 (help centre) |
| Lower tier viewing requirement | Plus 3,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months or 3 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days | YouTube Help | Oct 2026 (help centre) |
| Shorts ad revenue share | Creators keep 45% of their allocated Shorts revenue | YouTube Help | Oct 2026 (help centre) |
| Premium revenue share | 55% for long-form videos and 45% for Shorts | YouTube Official Blog | Aug 2026 (YouTube Blog) |
| Minimum age for ad revenue | 18 or older, or a legal guardian over 18 handles AdSense payments | YouTube Help | Oct 2026 (help centre) |
| Expanded YPP availability | Listed in 99 countries and regions | YouTube Help | Oct 2026 (help centre, list counted 15 Oct 2026) |
| Maximum Shorts length | Up to 3 minutes, for uploads from 15 Oct 2024 | YouTube Official Blog | Oct 2024 (YouTube Blog, posted 3 Oct 2024) |
| Shorts launch | Early beta launched in India in Sept 2020, for clips of 15 seconds or less | YouTube Official Blog | Sept 2020 (YouTube Blog, 14 Sept 2020) |
| Global rollout | Available in more than 100 countries from 13 Jul 2021, up from 26 | YouTube Official Blog (Japan) | Jul 2021 (YouTube Japan Blog) |
| Daily views and users (2023) | Over 70 billion daily views and over 2 billion signed-in users a month | Alphabet investor relations | Oct 2023 (Alphabet Q3 2023 earnings call) |
| Daily views (latest) | Over 200 billion daily views | YouTube Official Blog | Jun 2025 (Cannes Lions keynote), repeated Jan 2026 and Aug 2026 |
| Creators in YPP | Over 3 million creators | YouTube Official Blog | Aug 2026 (YouTube Blog) |
| New YPP entry thresholds from 1 Feb 2027 | New applicants need 8,000 watch hours in 365 days or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days | YouTube Official Blog | Aug 2026 announcement, effective 1 Feb 2027 |
| Shorts revenue sharing gate from 1 Feb 2027 | Shorts revenue sharing needs 10 million qualified Shorts views over 90 days, for all partners | YouTube Official Blog | Aug 2026 announcement, effective 1 Feb 2027 |
What it takes to earn from Shorts today
There are two doors into the YouTube Partner Program. The ad revenue door needs 1,000 subscribers, then either 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days or 4,000 qualified watch hours on long-form videos in the last 12 months. YouTube Help lists both routes side by side, so a Shorts-only channel doesn't need any long-form watch hours at all.
The lower door opens fan funding features and Shopping. YouTube Help puts it at 500 subscribers and 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days, plus either 3,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months or 3 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days. YouTube Help lists this expanded programme in 99 countries and regions, so check the list before you plan around it.
You also need to be 18 or older, or have a legal guardian over 18 who handles AdSense payments for you. If you want the step-by-step version, my guide to the Shorts monetisation requirements walks through each one, and how long YouTube takes to approve monetisation covers the wait after you apply.
The change coming on 1 February 2027
This is the number most guides haven't caught up with. In an August 2026 post, the YouTube Official Blog said new creators applying for the Partner Program from 1 Feb 2027 will need 8,000 watch hours in 365 days or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days. That's double today's bar on both routes.
Existing partners are affected too. From the same date, Shorts revenue sharing needs 10 million qualified Shorts views over 90 days for all partners. So a channel that's already in the programme but sits below that level on Shorts won't share in Shorts revenue from that point. If you're close to the current thresholds, the next few months matter.
The revenue share, in plain words
Shorts don't earn the way long videos do. Ads run between Shorts in the feed, so YouTube pools the revenue and allocates it to creators. YouTube Help says monetising creators keep 45% of their allocated revenue, whether or not they used music. For YouTube Premium revenue, the YouTube Official Blog gives 55% for long-form videos and 45% for Shorts.
What that share turns into for a given channel depends on the audience, the country and the season, which is why I keep the per-view estimates on separate pages. If you want those, start with what Shorts earn per thousand views and how a million views compares on Shorts and long videos in India.
How big YouTube Shorts has grown
YouTube launched Shorts as an early beta in India in September 2020, for clips of 15 seconds or less. By July 2021 the YouTube Official Blog (Japan) said Shorts was available in more than 100 countries, up from 26. In October 2024 the maximum length went up to 3 minutes for uploads from 15 October.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
On scale, Alphabet investor relations reported in October 2023 that Shorts averaged over 70 billion daily views and reached over 2 billion signed-in users a month. By June 2025 the YouTube Official Blog was quoting over 200 billion daily views. The Partner Program itself now has over 3 million creators, according to the same blog.
How to read these YouTube Shorts numbers
- Check the date column first. YouTube changes thresholds and features often. A rule on the help centre page beats an old blog post every time.
- Qualified views aren't all views. The thresholds count qualified Shorts views, so the number in your Studio can be higher than the number YouTube counts towards eligibility.
- Daily views from different years may not be like for like. YouTube hasn't said the older and newer daily view numbers are measured the same way, so treat the jump as a sign of growth rather than an exact multiple.
- A threshold is a door, not a pay cheque. Getting into the programme lets you share revenue. It doesn't promise any particular amount.
- Country matters. Availability lists vary by feature, so check your own country in YouTube Help before you plan.
Related YouTube guides on this site
If you're working towards the thresholds, these are the next reads: how many subscribers you need to start earning, getting your first thousand subscribers, the hashtags worth using on Shorts and, for creators in Pakistan, how Shorts monetisation works in Pakistan.
Where these numbers come from
Every number on this page comes from one of these named sources. I haven't linked them, so search the source name if you want to read the original.
- YouTube Help
- YouTube Official Blog
- YouTube Official Blog (Japan)
- Alphabet investor relations
Frequently asked questions
How many views do you need on YouTube Shorts to get monetised?
Today YouTube Help asks for 1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days for the ad revenue tier. From 1 Feb 2027, the YouTube Official Blog says new applicants will need 20 million Shorts views in 90 days.
What percentage of Shorts revenue do creators keep?
YouTube Help says monetising creators keep 45% of their allocated Shorts revenue, whether or not they used music.
How long can a YouTube Short be?
Up to 3 minutes, for uploads from 15 Oct 2024, according to the YouTube Official Blog.
How many people watch YouTube Shorts?
Alphabet investor relations reported over 2 billion signed-in users a month in October 2023. The YouTube Official Blog quoted over 200 billion daily views in June 2025.
When did YouTube Shorts launch?
YouTube launched an early beta in India in September 2020 and reached more than 100 countries in July 2021.
