YouTube’s Partner Program (YPP) is the industry’s only stable monetization program that pays millions of creators consistently, transparently, and at scale. A YouTube Partner Network is a third-party service organization for YouTube channels. The YPP was launched around 20 years ago and has over 3 million creators enrolled as of 2026. If you are a creator who wants to join YPP and start earning eligibly, this article is for you.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the basics of YPP, like requirements for earning, which CSP is best for growth, and how to join the program and be eligible. In addition, we share the biggest change to the program.
What’s the YouTube Partner Program (YPP)?
This program allows creators to earn money through ads, paid subscriptions, donations, and other sources of income. Alongside the money, the program also gives creators access to tools to protect their content, deeper analytics, and support from the platform.
YPP has several sources of income: ad revenue, Super Chat and Super Thanks, channel memberships, Shorts feed ads, YouTube Shopping, and revenue from YouTube Premium subscriptions. Monetization for Shorts is a little different.
Benefits of Joining YPP
The reasons to join the YouTube Partner Program are quite a few. Yes, yes, it’s not just about money. That’s why we have dedicated a whole section to all the bonuses of the YouTube Partner Program.
Income growth
Just think about it: in 2024, the YouTube Partner Program paid out more than $70 billion to creators. And that’s before factoring in the new incentive programs coming in 2027. Sources of income abound: ads, paid memberships (allow monthly subscriptions for exclusive content), live-stream gifts, and new bonuses based on growth, engagement, and brand deals. If we take approximate numbers, creators earn $4 to $25 per 1,000 views on average.
Help with content creation
YPP members also get access to YouTube’s Creator Support team, detailed Channel Analytics, and the Content ID copyright-protection system.
More exposure
Channels in YPP tend to get more traffic from the Recommendations tab, which generally favors creators who, by coincidence, are Partner Program members, resulting in more views, subscribers, and revenue.
Content protection
Content ID is a system that tracks unauthorized use of your original content elsewhere on YouTube and allows you to monetize those uses in your favor.
Current YPP Requirements
For creators who are already in the program, nothing changes. Current entry-level requirements are:
- 500 subscribers
- 3 valid public uploads within the last 90 days
- 3,000 watch hours in the last 12 months OR 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days
- Living in a country where YPP is supported
- A linked AdSense for YouTube account that meets YouTube policies
As for YPP for Premium (which unlocks more earning features), you need:
- 1,000+ subscribers
- 8,000 watch hours in the last year OR 20 million Shorts views in the last 90 days
And of course, the general rule for everyone is to join your AdSense account and follow YouTube Policies. You can read more about all YouTube Partner Program requirements at this link.
Important: starting February 1, 2027, these higher numbers (8,000 hours / 20 million Shorts views) become the single entry threshold for new applicants.
YouTube Partner Program Updates 2027: What’s Changing
YouTube announced the biggest changes to YPP since 2018 on August 10, 2026. The goal is to keep the program at the top of the creator economy and reward creators who are active and growing. YouTube wants your earnings to be meaningful and sustainable.
Below are the three most important changes.
- The growth of Premium Lite and a new way to share profits
YouTube is releasing Premium Lite in all places where YouTube Premium is available. It is a cheaper version of YouTube Premium that has ad-free playback, and you can watch it offline or in the background.
The money that these payments bring in is split into two separate pools:
- 30% of the net Premium income from subscriptions
- 60% of the net Premium Lite subscription income
Money from these pools is split between producers based on how many times their videos are watched. 55% goes to long-form videos and 45% to short videos. According to YouTube’s own performance data from 2026, partners make more money from a Premium subscriber than from a viewer who watches with ads. This means that expanding Premium Lite to new markets should help partners make more money overall.
- A new criteria of qualifying for making money from Shorts
From February 1, 2027, only channels that have had 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days will be able to share in the money made from ads and subscriptions on Shorts. YouTube says that this probably won’t change anything for creators who already make a lot of money from Shorts.
If a channel falls below the 10-million-view level, it doesn’t lose its YPP status; it can still make money from long-form content, and when it crosses the barrier again, revenue sharing for Shorts starts up again automatically.
YouTube is adding new incentives that aren’t based on advertising revenue for channels below that level. These include bonuses for YouTube Shopping sales, incentives for brand deals, and rewards for starting and growing trends.
- Higher entry barriers for new YPP applicants
In an effort to keep up with YouTube’s growth (over 200 billion daily Shorts views and more than a billion hours of TV watch time per day), YouTube is increasing the entry requirements for new creators applying for ad and Premium revenue sharing.
New applicants will now need either 8,000 qualified watch hours gained in the last 365 days OR 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. This change will not impact creators who are already in YPP. Fan Funding and Shopping products remain the same.
Creators will be asked to review and accept the updated terms in YouTube Studio that will come into effect on February 1, 2027.
Where Do You Stand? A Breakdown by Creator Situation
The changes in 2027 won’t affect everyone the same way. It will depend a lot on where you stand on the program threshold right now. Let’s look at each approximate group so that you can at least know what to possibly expect.
→ You’re already in YPP, and your Shorts have already gotten over 10 million views in 90 days.
On your end, nothing changes. YouTube has made it clear that the change probably won’t make a difference for current members who already make money from Shorts. Extra money from Premium Lite is only good things; it’s a bigger pool that will be split the same way you’re used to.
→ You’re already in YPP, but your Shorts haven’t gotten 10 million views yet, you’re around 3 to 8 million.
This is the group that needs to make plans. Your YPP status is safe, and your long-form income will not change, even if your watch hour counts drop. But on February 1, 2027, sharing of Shorts-specific ad and subscription income will stop. It will start up again as soon as you reach 10 million.
Start keeping track of your 90-day views on Shorts right away and start using the other incentives (Shopping bonuses, brand-deal incentives, and trend rewards), so a short-term drop in the money made from Shorts ads doesn’t hurt as much.
And also, if a channel is inactive and has not uploaded or posted for six months or more, YouTube reserves the right to remove its monetization.
→ With the current thresholds (500 subs/3,000 hours or 1,000 subs/8,000 hours), you are working toward YPP or YPP for Premium.
Timing is important. As things stand, people who meet the requirements today and apply by February 1, 2027, will be accepted. The raised bar won’t affect people who are already in. There is a new combined goal of 8,000 public watch hours or 20 million Shorts views that you will need to meet if you apply after that date. This is a much higher bar for people who make short videos all the time, so if Shorts are your only style, you should start considering longer videos as well.
→ You are a small or early-stage maker who is not even close to the finish line.
The changes will have an effect on the math in the long term, but not on you right now. This is not as easy as it used to be to build a business based only on Shorts view traffic. It would be better for creators in this situation to start with a mix of long-form and short-form content rather than focusing on short-form views only to run into issues later on.
→ You depend less on ad income and more on Fan Funding or YouTube Shopping.
You won’t be affected much because YouTube said the requirements to start Fan Funding and Shopping won’t be changing.
To sum up, no one is being kicked off of YPP, and creators who are already on the site are not being held to higher standards. The real question for planning is which side of the Shorts-views threshold you will be on after February 1, 2027. Based on your success over the last 90 days, you can already answer this question.
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Get a Free AuditHow to Join YouTube Partner Program (YPP)
When you are convinced that you want to be part of the YouTube Partner Program, it is time to apply. Overall, it’s a pretty easy process:
- Meet the requirements: Make sure your channel meets the criteria that we mentioned above and has no Community Guidelines strikes.
- Enable two-step verification: This way you will protect your channel from being hacked.
- Go to YouTube Studio: Open YouTube Studio and click the “Earn” tab on the left menu.
- Read all the terms and conditions and accept them: This is how you confirm that you agree to the terms and conditions of YouTube’s affiliate program.
- Link your AdSense account: Link your channel to your AdSense account.
- Wait for approval: The standard review process for YPP applications takes about one month. But usually, it takes just a few weeks.
You can also join the YouTube Partner Program through the mobile app. Read about it here.
How to Boost Income with YouTube Partner Program (YPP)
Has your application process passed successfully? Congratulations! But it’s not time to relax. What if we told you that your future income could be increased right away? Wonder how? Let’s find out right now and cover all the quick and easy tips to grow your channel.
Super Chat
It is Super Chat that allows viewers to “highlight” their messages during live streams. For the audience, this is a cool custom for a small fee, and for the creator, additional earnings.
Super Thanks
Super Thanks is like tipping in a restaurant: every viewer can donate any amount without leaving YouTube. The creator can motivate you to do this, but each viewer reserves the right to choose. This is how subscribers can express their gratitude for the creator’s work.
Channel Memberships
YouTube channel memberships allow viewers to subscribe to your channel for a monthly fee. In return, they receive exclusive privileges such as badges, emojis, or even new member-only content.
YouTube Shopping
With YouTube Shopping, creators can share merch and other custom goods and sell them directly from their channel. This feature natively integrates products into the context of the video.
Add Monetization to Old Videos
Don’t forget about your old content! By joining YPP, you will have the possibility to enable YouTube monetization for previously uploaded videos, which will become a source of passive income.
In addition, partnering with a creator service provider (CSP) can help you earn more money and have less stress. Typically, a CSP is a company that partners with creators to offer services like cross-promotion, exclusive brand deals, and audience growth strategies (for example, find ways to attract other YouTube users to your channel). Managers can also help you make money-making deals, get access to money-making special tools, and work with brands and media companies for the long haul. But a CSP provides creators even more ways to be artistic and make money.
But you need to choose the CSP that fits your needs and wants.
How a CSP Can Increase Your YPP Income
A good CSP does not replace YPP, it complements it: the network does the admin work and negotiations so the creator can focus on content.
So, how to choose a CSP? Look for:
- Reputation – check reviews and discussions on Reddit, YouTube forums, and creator communities.
- Range of services – it includes channel audits, redesigns, financial tools, and analytics.
- Revenue-sharing model – the percentage of commission and the contract terms should be transparent from the beginning.
- Entry requirements – each CSP has different subscriber/view thresholds.
- Support – a good network offers 24/7 support with a dedicated account manager.
Working With a CSP: Mediacube
Mediacube is one of the industry-leading CSPs, working with creators around the world for over 11 years. What Mediacube provides:
- Channel optimization: expert audits & growth suggestions.
- Revenue management: MC Pay, our own financial app to ease income collection and management. All in all, it solves the question “How to withdraw money from YouTube?”
- 24/7 support: help with any payout or channel problem.
- Creative services: visuals, content planning, and ad campaign support.
Want to make your way into YPP easier? Want to diversify your income under the new 2027 rules? Download the MC Pay app and start working with Mediacube.
Conclusion
The YouTube Partner Program is about to go through its biggest change since 2018. On the plus side, Premium Lite is now available all over the world, which increases the amount of money that creators can split. For most channels, the best thing to do right now is to start bringing in money from different sources as soon as possible instead of waiting to see how the new limits work out.
YPP is a good place to start earning money with stability and transparency, and Mediacube can offer a helping hand in this matter, because our experience and deep understanding of how the platform works are of great value.
FAQ: YouTube Partner Program
Check out our most popular Q&As on how YPP works.
First, breathe. Then, read the notice, fix the requirement you didn’t meet, and try again! Usually, you have to wait 30 days before you can reapply.
There is paid membership (Premium and Premium Lite), advertising, donations, Shopping, and more.
Yes, but to protect the creator’s money, the channel must be linked to an approved AdSense, owned by a legal guardian over 18 or a parent.
It depends on how many views you get, what kind of ads are shown, how engaged the audience is, the niche you work in, and your country of residence. Okay, rough benchmark: about $2 to $12 for every 1,000 views from ads.
Well, it takes time, and in 2027, the eligibility requirements are changing, so it does get a bit harder, but it’s very achievable, still. A CSP can help break down the process and move things along faster.
Nothing terrible happens. Your channel stays in the YPP and is still making money from long forms. When your views reach the requirements again, Shorts will automatically start sharing ad and subscription income again.
