How many subscribers to get paid on YouTube? 1,000 for ad revenue, together with either a year's worth of public watch time totaling 4,000 hours or 10 million Shorts views over 90 days. At 500 subscribers you can already earn from memberships, Super Thanks and Shopping, but not from ads. From February 1, 2027, new channels will need twice the watch time or Shorts views for ads.
Subscribers are only the ticket in. Once you're a partner, YouTube pays for views and fan payments, not for the size of your audience. Below: both entry levels, the 2027 change, how many views it takes and what a 1,000-subscriber channel really earns.
YouTube Partner Program requirements in 2026
YouTube pays only creators in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). According to YouTube's YPP overview, there are two ways in:
| Level 1: fan funding | Level 2: ads and Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | 500 | 1,000 |
| Uploads | 3 public videos in the past 90 days | No upload rule to join |
| Long-form path | 3,000 public watch hours over a year | 4,000 public watch hours over a year |
| Shorts path | 3 million Shorts views over 90 days | 10 million Shorts views over 90 days |
| What you can earn | Memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, Super Thanks, Shopping | All of Level 1, plus a share of ad and Premium revenue |
| New applicants from Feb 1, 2027 | No change | 8,000 watch hours or 20 million Shorts views |
Every channel also has to tick a few boxes:
- It is based in a country where YPP is offered (Level 1 isn't available everywhere).
- It follows YouTube's monetization policies and has no active Community Guidelines strike.
- 2-Step Verification is on for the Google account.
- An AdSense account is linked, because that's where the money goes.
Hitting the numbers doesn't mean automatic approval. After you apply, automated systems and human reviewers look at the channel. Reused or mass-produced content, or videos that break advertiser rules, can get an application turned down. If that happens, you can reapply after 30 days.
Which watch time and Shorts views count
Only public activity counts. Watch time on private, unlisted or deleted videos doesn't. Views of Shorts in the Shorts feed count toward the Shorts path only, never toward the watch-hour goal. The two paths don't add up: 2,000 hours plus 5 million Shorts views qualifies you for neither.
The 2027 change for new channels
On August 10, 2026, YouTube announced its first big change to the entry rules since 2018:
- New applicants for ad revenue will need 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 qualified watch hours in the past 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the past 90 days, starting February 1, 2027.
- Current partners stay in. The higher entry numbers don't apply to channels already accepted.
- Shorts income gets its own bar. From the same date, earning ad and subscription revenue on Shorts takes 10 million qualified Shorts views in the past 90 days. Channels below that line keep long-form earnings and restart Shorts earnings once they cross it again.
- Fan funding and Shopping keep their current thresholds.
- Existing partners must sign the updated terms in YouTube Studio before February 1, 2027, to keep the related features.
If your new channel is close to 4,000 hours today, it's worth pushing to apply before February 2027. After that, the same goal needs twice the watch time.
How many views do you need to get paid on YouTube?
YouTube's rules don't set a views target. Before YPP, views pay nothing; after it, every monetized view earns a little. You can still estimate how many views it takes to reach the watch-time goal.
4,000 hours equals 240,000 minutes. Divide that by your average view duration:
| Average view duration | Views for 4,000 hours | Views for 8,000 hours (2027) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 minutes | about 80,000 | about 160,000 |
| 5 minutes | about 48,000 | about 96,000 |
| 8 minutes | about 30,000 | about 60,000 |
| 12 minutes | about 20,000 | about 40,000 |
Those views have to come within one year, on public long-form videos. Longer videos that people finish get you there far faster than short ones they leave.
The Shorts route is a flat number: 10 million views in 90 days now, 20 million for new channels from 2027. That's over 100,000 Shorts views every single day, which is why most small creators qualify through long-form watch time.
After you're accepted, there's one more hurdle. AdSense pays out only when your balance reaches the payment threshold, which is $100 in the US. Payments are issued monthly, between the 21st and 26th.
How much money with 1,000 subscribers on YouTube?
Often very little, sometimes nothing. Subscribers don't earn money on their own; views on monetized videos do.
YouTube shows your earnings per 1,000 views as RPM in YouTube Studio. Creators commonly report roughly $1–$5 per 1,000 long-form views, with finance, business and tech channels earning more. Shorts pay far less, usually cents per thousand. Rough monthly ad income for a monetized channel:
| Long-form views per month | Rough ad income at $1–$5 RPM |
|---|---|
| 5,000 | $5–$25 |
| 20,000 | $20–$100 |
| 100,000 | $100–$500 |
These are estimates, not promises. Many channels at 1,000 subscribers get only a few thousand views a month, and a channel with 1,000 subscribers but under 4,000 hours earns $0 from ads. Our breakdown of YouTube pay per view covers rates by niche and country.
That's why small creators often earn more elsewhere at first: affiliate links, sponsors in a clear niche, their own products, and memberships or Super Thanks once they reach the 500-subscriber level.
How to reach 1,000 subscribers faster
Getting into YPP needs two things at once: people who subscribe and people who watch for a long time. These habits help with both.
- Pick one niche. When videos serve the same audience, the algorithm figures out which viewers to suggest them to, and viewers have a reason to subscribe.
- Cover topics people search for. Tutorials, reviews and how-to videos bring views for months, and those minutes add up.
- Make longer videos that hold attention. An 8–15 minute video with good retention builds watch time much faster than a 2-minute clip. Cut the slow intro.
- Use Shorts as trailers. They don't add watch hours, but they bring new people. Link a related long video from each one.
- Ask for the subscribe after you've helped. Not in the first 10 seconds.
- Use playlists and end screens. Every extra video watched adds time and another chance to subscribe.
More ideas are in our guide on how to get more YouTube subscribers.
How it works at LikeMan
A new channel with a handful of subscribers can look untested to visitors. Some creators add YouTube subscribers as a starting base and YouTube views so a fresh upload doesn't start from zero. The LikeMan process:
- Only the public channel or video link is needed; we never ask for access to your Google account.
- You see the full cost in the calculator before checkout.
- Your order begins automatically after payment.
- Drops within a year are covered by our 365-day refill guarantee.
Keep expectations straight. Bought subscribers and views are social proof that helps a new channel look trusted. They aren't qualified watch hours, YouTube pays nothing for them, and reviewers look at the whole channel, not the counter. Real viewers watching real videos are still what gets you paid. Browse every YouTube service on our YouTube page.
FAQ
How many subscribers do you need to make money on YouTube?
500 subscribers unlock memberships, Super Chat, Super Thanks and Shopping where Level 1 is offered. For ads you need 1,000 subscribers, backed by a year's 4,000 viewing hours or 90 days' 10 million Shorts plays.
Does YouTube pay you for subscribers?
No. YouTube pays for monetized views and fan payments. Subscribers matter because they unlock YPP and tend to watch your new uploads.
What changes for YouTube monetization in 2027?
From February 1, 2027, new channels need double the old bar for ad revenue (8,000 hours of viewing or 20 million Shorts plays), and Shorts income needs 10 million Shorts views in 90 days. Current partners keep their status once they sign the new terms.
Do Shorts views count toward 4,000 watch hours?
No. Shorts feed views count only toward the separate Shorts path.
How soon can a new channel get monetized?
It varies widely. A hit video can qualify a channel in months, but many take a year or more of regular uploads. The review after you apply often takes about a month.
Conclusion
Ad money on YouTube starts at 1,000 subscribers, backed by 4,000 hours of viewing (or 10 million Shorts views), or 500 subscribers for fan funding. New channels face a higher bar from February 2027, so apply before then if you're close. After that, income depends on views, niche and audience, not the subscriber count.
Prepared with AI assistance and fact-checked by the LikeMan editorial team. Last reviewed: 2026-09-28.