The YouTube Partner Program: Eligibility and Applying

What the Partner Program is

The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) is what unlocks monetization – ads, memberships, Super Thanks and more. You must apply and be accepted; you cannot earn ad money until you are in.

The eligibility bar

To apply for full monetization you generally need 1,000 subscribers AND one of:

• 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months, OR
• 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days.

YouTube also offers an earlier tier at lower thresholds that unlocks fan funding (memberships, Super Thanks) before ads – a nice head start while you grow toward the ad bar.

The other requirements

• Live in a country/region where YPP is available.
• Follow all YouTube monetization policies and Community Guidelines.
• Enable 2-step verification on your Google account.
• Have no active Community Guidelines strikes.

Applying

When you qualify, apply from YouTube Studio → Earn. You will accept the terms, connect an AdSense account for payment, and your channel goes into a human review (typically up to about a month). Approval switches monetization on.

Key points

• YPP unlocks monetization; you must apply and be reviewed.
• Full ads: 1,000 subs + 4,000 watch hours (or 10M Shorts views).
• An earlier tier unlocks fan funding before you hit the ad bar.
• Enable 2-step verification and stay strike-free to qualify.