# How to make money on YouTube Shorts in 2026: the rules, the real pay and what changes in February

Ana Ibáñez Lario · Published 5 Oct 2026 · Research

_YouTube's own rules for earning from Shorts, checked on 5 October 2026: who qualifies, the 45% Creator Pool share, what Shorts really pay per million views, and the new thresholds coming on 1 February 2027._

## The short answer

- To earn from Shorts ads you need the YouTube Partner Program: 1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days, then the Shorts Monetization Module.
- You keep 45% of your share of the Shorts Creator Pool. Long-video ads pay 55% and fan funding 70%.
- Creators report about 3 to 7 cents per 1,000 Shorts views, or roughly $30 to $70 per million.
- From 1 February 2027, new channels need 20 million Shorts views in 90 days to join, and members need 10 million every 90 days to earn from the pool.
- Fan funding and Shopping open earlier, at 500 subscribers and 3 million Shorts views in 90 days.

The fastest way to learn how to make money on YouTube Shorts in 2026 is to know the numbers first: YouTube shares 45% of a pooled Shorts ad pot, most creators report 3 to 7 cents per 1,000 views, and on 1 February 2027 the bar for new channels doubles to 20 million views in 90 days.

To earn from that pool you join the YouTube Partner Program with 1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days, then accept the Shorts Monetization Module. Because the pool pays so little per view, most Shorts income comes from fan funding, YouTube Shopping, brand deals and sending viewers to longer videos. YouTube's [February 2027 changes](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/12843009) also add a monthly test: channels already in the program will need 10 million Shorts views every 90 days to earn from the pool that month. We checked every rule and figure here against YouTube's help pages on 5 October 2026.

_Every way to earn from YouTube Shorts, and what it takes (YouTube Help, checked 5 Oct 2026)_

| Way to earn | What you need | What you keep |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ads in the Shorts Feed | YouTube Partner Program (1,000 subscribers and 10M qualified Shorts views in 90 days, or 4,000 watch hours in 12 months) plus the Shorts Monetization Module | 45% of your allocation from the Creator Pool |
| YouTube Premium on Shorts | Same as Shorts ads | 45% of the Premium revenue allocated to creators for Shorts |
| Channel memberships, Super Thanks, Super Chat, Super Stickers | In countries with the expanded Partner Program: 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in 90 days, and 3M qualified Shorts views in 90 days or 3,000 watch hours in 12 months | 70% of net revenue |
| YouTube Shopping | The same 500-subscriber tier | Your own sales, or commission on other brands' products |
| Targeted Shorts ads (from 1 Feb 2027) | A monetizing channel in an advertiser's group of 5 or fewer channels | 45% of net revenue from that ad |
| Ads on your long videos | YouTube Partner Program plus the Watch Page Monetization Module | 55% of net ad revenue |
| Brand deals | No minimum for deals you find yourself. YouTube Creator Partnerships, YouTube's own brand-deal program, opens at the 500-subscriber tier | Whatever you agree with the brand |

## How to make money on YouTube Shorts in 8 steps

1. Check the basics. YouTube's [eligibility page](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851) asks for a channel in a country where the program runs, no active Community Guidelines strikes, 2-Step Verification on your Google Account, advanced features turned on, and one AdSense for YouTube account.
2. Get to 500 subscribers first. With 3 public uploads in the last 90 days and 3 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days (or 3,000 long-video watch hours in a year), you can [turn on](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/94522) memberships, Super Thanks and Shopping. This tier is limited to certain countries, so check Earn in YouTube Studio to see whether it is open in yours, and select Get notified to hear when you qualify.
3. Reach 1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days, then apply in Studio under Earn. YouTube says channels already in the program on 1 February 2027 keep their status. Reviews typically take about a month, so if you're close to 10 million, apply by the end of December 2026. YouTube hasn't said what happens to applications still under review on 1 February.
4. Accept the Shorts Monetization Module. Only views from the day you accept count, and views before that date never earn.
5. Post original Shorts. Unedited clips from films or TV, reuploads of other creators' videos and compilations with nothing added don't count as eligible views. YouTube's [reused content policy](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1311392) can take monetization away from a whole channel, and since July 2025 its "inauthentic content" rule covers repetitive, mass-produced videos.
6. Make Shorts people watch to the end. You are paid on engaged views, and your share of the pool grows with your share of all engaged views. The next section has what our data says gets views.
7. Add income that doesn't depend on the pool: memberships, Shopping, brand deals and links to longer videos, which pay a bigger share.
8. Stay active and accept the new terms. From 1 February 2027 YouTube counts a channel as active with 1,000 watch hours in a year, 1 million Shorts views in 90 days, or 2 long videos or 5 Shorts uploaded every 90 days. Anyone in the program must accept the updated terms in Studio by 31 January 2027 to keep earning from those features.

### A 90-day plan to reach 3 million Shorts views

YouTube counts Shorts views over a rolling 90 days, so plan in 90-day blocks. 3 million qualified views in 90 days works out at about 33,000 a day. From February 2027, 5 Shorts every 90 days keeps a channel active, but that is the floor, not a target.

- **Days 1 to 30:** post often and test openings. Put the hook on screen as text and open on a real place, two habits that went with more views in our data.
- **Days 31 to 60:** check which Shorts beat your channel's usual views in YouTube Analytics, and make more of those formats as a series.
- **Days 61 to 90:** keep the series going, drop what hasn't worked, and add a link from your best Shorts to a longer video.

## YouTube Shorts monetization requirements

YouTube has two tiers today, and both count only qualified views: public Shorts watched in the Shorts Feed. Views from private, unlisted or deleted Shorts, ad campaigns and image posts don't count, and Shorts views never count toward the 4,000 watch hours.

- **Fan funding and Shopping, in the countries where YouTube offers the expanded program:** 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days or 3,000 long-video watch hours in 12 months. YouTube says this tier isn't changing in 2027.
- **Full program, including Shorts ads and Premium:** 1,000 subscribers and either 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days or 4,000 watch hours in 12 months.
- **From 1 February 2027, for new channels:** 1,000 subscribers and either 20 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days or 8,000 watch hours in 365 days.
- **From 1 February 2027, to earn from the Shorts pool each month:** at least 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. If you miss it, YouTube says you stay in the program and keep your other earnings, including long videos. YouTube measures it over the 90 days ending on the 15th of the month before.
- **From 1 February 2027, Premium Lite:** YouTube is expanding Premium Lite to every country with Premium. YouTube says creators will share in a pool of 60% of net Premium Lite subscription revenue, and Shorts creators still keep 45% of the Premium revenue allocated to Shorts.

![Bar chart of qualified Shorts views needed in 90 days: 3 million for fan funding, 10 million to join today, 10 million to keep earning from Shorts from February 2027, and 20 million to join from February 2027](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/tz7vebuf/production/10d5c2763d9a56ed422d711f2b4c62eda8e8f778-3200x1800.png?w=1200&auto=format)

_Qualified Shorts views needed in the last 90 days for each YouTube tier. Source: YouTube Help, checked 5 October 2026. Used in our guide on how to make money on YouTube Shorts._

Meeting a threshold doesn't get you in automatically. YouTube reviews the whole channel against its monetization policies, and if it says no you can appeal within 21 days or reapply after 30 days.

## How much does YouTube Shorts pay

YouTube doesn't pay a set rate per view. Each month, it pools the money from ads shown between Shorts in the Shorts Feed. If a Short uses licensed music, part of its revenue goes to cover music costs first: half with one track, two thirds with two. What is left forms the Creator Pool, which is split by each creator's share of engaged views in each country. You keep 45% of your [allocation](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/12504220).

YouTube's own worked example is hypothetical: a Short with 1 million engaged views in a country with $100,000 of Shorts Feed ad revenue gets $900 from the pool and earns $405. Real channels report far less, because ad revenue per view is much lower than that example implies:

- Shopify's guide, updated 9 September 2026, says creators report about [3 to 7 cents per 1,000 Shorts views](https://www.shopify.com/blog/youtube-shorts-monetization). That is $30 to $70 per million. Other 2026 guides land in the same range: TubeBuddy puts most creators at $25 to $45 per million.
- TubeBuddy's 2026 case study says YouTube paid it [$99.87 for 3.1 million views](https://www.tubebuddy.com/blog/youtube-shorts-pay-1000000-views/) on one monetized Short, about $32 per million.

For comparison, the same Shopify guide puts long-video RPM at $1 to $30 per 1,000 views. That gap is why most Shorts creators treat the pool as a bonus, not a salary. In YouTube Analytics, RPM for Shorts is counted per 1,000 engaged views, after YouTube's share, so check your own number there before planning around anyone else's. At 3 to 7 cents, $100 takes roughly 1.4 million to 3.3 million monetized Shorts views.

![Bar chart: creators keep 70% from memberships and Supers, 55% from long-video ads and 45% from Shorts Feed ads](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/tz7vebuf/production/68ee844e5cff3110d40c597c5a71c40ea2806843-3200x1800.png?w=1200&auto=format)

_The creator's share by YouTube Partner Program module. Shorts' 45% applies to your allocation from a pooled Creator Pool, not to ads on your own Short. Source: YouTube Help, YouTube partner earnings overview, checked 5 October 2026._

Getting paid works the same as for long videos. Finalized earnings land in your AdSense for YouTube account between the 7th and 12th of the next month, and [YouTube pays](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72902) between the 21st and 26th once you pass your local payment threshold, have no holds and have given U.S. tax info. YouTube's [own example](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/11602441) uses a $100 threshold.

## Does YouTube pay for Shorts

Yes, but only channels in the YouTube Partner Program that have accepted the Shorts Monetization Module. YouTube's [Shorts FAQ](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/12504220) is blunt about the rest: if you see ads in the Shorts Feed but aren't in the program, you don't earn from them, and that revenue goes to music licensing or stays with YouTube.

A few kinds of revenue never reach the Creator Pool: ads shown when someone opens the Shorts Feed before watching a Short, ads on other pages inside the Shorts player, and revenue linked to image posts in the feed. Shorts over one minute that contain claimed content are blocked from monetization altogether.

One myth worth clearing up: some guides say licensed music halves your Shorts pay. YouTube's policy says music only changes how big the overall pool is. Your allocation from the pool is based on 100% of your engaged views whether you used music or not.

## Other ways to make money on YouTube Shorts

### Fan funding

Channel memberships, Super Thanks, Super Chat and Super Stickers pay 70% of net revenue, the best share YouTube offers. Super Chat and Super Stickers run during live streams and Premieres, so they suit creators who also go live. If you turned fan funding on before 2023, YouTube says you must accept the newer Commerce Product Module by 31 January 2027 or stop earning from it.

### YouTube Shopping

Shopping lets you tag your own products, or other brands' products for commission, from the 500-subscriber tier. YouTube also says new Shorts programs may offer Shopping bonuses, production credits for brand deals and boosts for trend content, with invites sent to eligible creators as they launch.

### Brand deals

Brands pay for reach and fit, not for your Shorts RPM, and there is no YouTube minimum for deals you find yourself. YouTube Creator Partnerships, YouTube's own program for matching creators with brands, opens at the 500-subscriber tier. From 1 February 2027, ads aimed at 5 or fewer channels will also pay those channels 45% directly, on top of the pool. If brand deals are your plan, our guides on [making money on TikTok](/blog/how-to-make-money-on-tiktok) and [on Instagram](/blog/how-to-make-money-on-instagram) cover the same pitch from the other platforms, and so do our guides to [Facebook](/blog/how-to-make-money-on-facebook) and [Snapchat](/blog/how-to-make-money-on-snapchat).

### Longer videos

Long-video ads pay creators 55% of net revenue and earn far more per view. A Short that sends viewers to a full video is often worth more than the Short itself.

## How YouTube Shorts pay compares with Facebook and Snapchat

_How three short-video platforms pay creators (official pages, checked 5 Oct 2026)_

| Platform | How it pays | What it takes | Published rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| YouTube Shorts | 45% of your share of a pooled Shorts ad pot | 1,000 subscribers and 10M Shorts views in 90 days (20M for new channels from Feb 2027) | None. Creators report 3 to 7 cents per 1,000 views |
| Facebook | Content Monetization pays on the performance of reels, photos, stories and text posts | Invite only | None |
| Snapchat | A share of ad revenue from ads in Public Stories and Spotlight | Invite only: 50,000 followers and 15,000 hours of view time in 28 days | None |

Our guides on [how to make money on Facebook](/blog/how-to-make-money-on-facebook) and [on Snapchat](/blog/how-to-make-money-on-snapchat) cover those two in full, and [how much TikTok pays](/blog/how-much-does-tiktok-pay) covers TikTok.

## What gets views on short videos, from our data

Your share of the pool follows your share of engaged views, so views come first. We haven't studied YouTube Shorts directly. Our [study of 1,272 TikToks and Instagram Reels](/blog/what-makes-a-short-video-go-viral) from 160 accounts compared each video with its own account's usual views, and the patterns are a useful starting point for any vertical feed:

- Hooks written as on-screen text drew 1.79 times the account's usual views. Spoken-only hooks drew 0.62 times.
- Opening on a real place drew 2.28 times. Opening on a product close-up drew 0.56 times.
- Cutting 10 to 25 times a minute drew 1.53 times. One take with no cuts drew 0.69 times.
- Ending on a quick recap drew 1.52 times. Ending with "let me know below" drew 0.61 times.

![8 features went with more views on the same account, and 6 went with fewer](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/tz7vebuf/production/976978db9e60405b740ff5739ce0f41eeffb975b-3200x1800.png?w=1200&auto=format)

_Views against the account's typical video, log scale. Source: Postdom analysis of 1,272 TikToks and Instagram Reels from 160 accounts, data collected Oct. 2, 2026._

These are correlations from TikTok and Reels, so test them on your own channel. For more, see [how to get more views on TikTok](/blog/how-to-get-more-views-on-tiktok) and our [study of walls of text](/blog/wall-of-text-videos-tiktok-fewer-views), which drew 27% fewer views than the same account's usual video.

## Post Shorts every week with Postdom

The rules reward volume and consistency: 10 million views every 90 days, or 5 Shorts every 90 days to count as active. [Postdom](/) reads your website and makes short-form videos in your brand. The videos it makes can be scheduled to YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, and videos you upload yourself can go to all nine destinations Postdom supports. Every post waits for your approval by default. The [Free plan](/pricing) covers 5 posts a month on 1 connected account. Check a file against YouTube's Shorts limits with our free [video spec checker](/tools/video-spec-checker), or see [how Postdom posts to YouTube Shorts](/platforms/youtube-shorts). Postdom can't get you into the Partner Program, and YouTube's originality rules apply to every video you post, so approve only what adds something. Our [guide to scheduling YouTube Shorts](/guides/how-to-schedule-youtube-shorts) covers the posting side.

## What to avoid

- **Buying views or subscribers.** YouTube excludes artificial views from bots, and paid ad campaign views don't count toward the thresholds either.
- **Reuploads and compilations.** They don't earn, and reused content can demonetize the whole channel, even with the owner's permission.
- **Mass-produced, near-identical Shorts.** YouTube's inauthentic content rule covers repetitive, mass-produced videos.
- **Assuming ads mean income.** Ads on your Shorts before you join the program and accept the module pay you nothing.
- **Long Shorts with claimed content.** Shorts over one minute with claimed content are blocked from monetization.
- **Going quiet.** YouTube may turn off monetization on channels that haven't posted for 6 months, and the 2027 activity rules are stricter.
- **Missing the 31 January 2027 deadline.** If you don't accept the updated terms, you stop earning from those features on 1 February 2027.
- **Planning your income on Shorts RPM alone.** At a few cents per 1,000 views, the pool rarely covers rent on its own.

> **Keep the posting side steady**
>
> Postdom reads your website and makes short-form videos and slideshows in your brand. Every post waits for your approval by default. The Free plan is $0 for 5 posts a month on 1 account, with a Postdom watermark.
>
> [Try Postdom free](https://app.postdom.com/signup)

## FAQ

**How much does YouTube pay for 1,000 views on Shorts?**

There is no fixed rate. Creators report about 3 to 7 cents per 1,000 Shorts views (Shopify, updated September 2026), and TubeBuddy's 2026 case study worked out at about 3 cents. Your RPM in YouTube Analytics is the number to trust, because it depends on your viewers' countries, the ads running and your share of engaged views.

**How many views for $100 on YouTube Shorts?**

At 3 to 7 cents per 1,000 views, $100 takes roughly 1.4 million to 3.3 million monetized Shorts views. TubeBuddy's case study earned $99.87 from 3.1 million views on one Short.

**How many YouTube views do I need to make $2,000 a month?**

From Shorts ads alone, at 3 to 7 cents per 1,000, about 29 million to 67 million views a month. Long videos earn far more per view, and memberships, Shopping and brand deals don't depend on views at all, which is how most Shorts creators reach that kind of income.

**Can you make money on YouTube Shorts without 1,000 subscribers?**

Yes, from 500 subscribers, in the countries where YouTube offers the expanded Partner Program. With 3 public uploads in 90 days and 3 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days, you can turn on memberships, Super Thanks and Shopping. Shorts ads still need 1,000 subscribers.

**How to make $10,000 per month on YouTube without making videos?**

YouTube only pays for videos on your channel, so you have to publish something. Channels without a face on camera can earn, but YouTube won't pay for reused clips or repetitive, mass-produced videos, and it reviews the whole channel before letting it in.

**Do Shorts views count toward 4,000 watch hours?**

No. Watch hours from Shorts in the Shorts Feed don't count toward the 4,000-hour route. Shorts have their own route: 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days, rising to 20 million for new channels on 1 February 2027.

**Is it free to start making money on YouTube Shorts?**

Yes. Posting Shorts costs nothing, and YouTube's help pages list no fee to apply to the Partner Program. To get paid you link an AdSense for YouTube account, which you can set up inside YouTube Studio.

**What happens if my views drop after monetization?**

Today, nothing changes once you're in, although YouTube may turn off monetization on channels that haven't posted for 6 months. From 1 February 2027, a month where you're under 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days pauses your Shorts pool earnings for that month only, and the new activity rules apply.

**How long does it take to get approved for YPP?**

YouTube says it typically decides in about a month, sometimes longer when applications pile up. If you're turned down, you can appeal within 21 days or reapply after 30 days.

**When does YouTube pay Shorts creators?**

Finalized earnings reach your AdSense for YouTube account between the 7th and 12th of the following month. YouTube pays between the 21st and 26th once you pass your payment threshold and have no holds.

**Does using music lower my YouTube Shorts pay?**

Not directly. Music shrinks the overall Creator Pool, but YouTube allocates your share on 100% of your engaged views either way, and you keep 45% with or without music.

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Canonical: https://postdom.com/blog/how-to-make-money-on-youtube-shorts