March 10, 2022: Given the recent suspension of Google advertising systems in Russia, we’ll be pausing the creation of new Russian accounts on AdSense, AdMob and Google Ad Manager. Additionally, we will pause ads on Google properties and networks globally for advertisers based in Russia. As a result, creators in Russia won’t be able to complete new YPP sign-ups at this time.
March 3, 2022: Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, we will be temporarily pausing Google and YouTube ads from serving to users located in Russia. Also, we are pausing access to all monetization features (such as Channel Memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Merch) for viewers in Russia. Learn more.
February 25, 2022: In light of the war in Ukraine, we are pausing YouTube’s monetization of Russian Federation state-funded media channels.
We will continue to actively monitor the situation and make adjustments as necessary.
Starting November 1, 2021, monetizing creators must turn on 2-Step Verification on the Google Account used for their YouTube channel to access YouTube Studio or YouTube Studio Content Manager. Learn more
Update August 2022: We’ve updated this article to include application steps for the YouTube Studio app, which is currently rolling out to users.
The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) gives creators greater access to YouTube resources and monetization features. It also allows revenue sharing from ads being served on your content. In this article, you can review:
- Available features
- Criteria for joining
- The application checklist
- Other miscellaneous FAQs on YPP
Intro to Making Money on YouTube
What you get
- Access to our Creator Support teams
- Access to the Copyright Match Tool
- Access to our monetization features
Minimum eligibility requirements to join
- Follow all the YouTube channel monetization policies.
- The YouTube channel monetization policies are a collection of policies that allow you to monetize on YouTube. As a YouTube partner, your agreements, including the YouTube channel monetization policies require compliance with these monetization policies to potentially earn money on YouTube.
- Live in a country/region where the YouTube Partner Program is available.
- Have no active Community Guidelines strikes on your channel.
- Have more than 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months.
- Have more than 1,000 subscribers.
- Have a linked AdSense account.
YouTube Partner Program application checklist
Everyone who meets our threshold can apply for YPP, but you do need to meet some of our guidelines to be considered. This checklist is meant to guide you through the application process.
- First, make sure that 2-Step Verification is turned on for your Google Account. This security means you’ll protect your account with both your password and a second form of verification.
- Make sure your channel follows our policies and guidelines, and that there aren't any active Community Guidelines strikes on it. When you apply, you’ll go through a standard review process to check whether your channel meets our policies and guidelines. Channels that meet our policies and guidelines will be accepted into the program. We also constantly check channels in the program to make sure they continue to meet our policies and guidelines.
- Have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 valid public watch hours. When we assess channels for the YouTube Partner Program, we need context. When you reach this threshold, it usually means that you have more content. The threshold helps us make a more informed decision about whether your channel meets our policies and guidelines. You can apply for YPP once you reach this threshold.
- Sign YPP terms. You can ask to be notified when you reach the subscriber and public watch hour threshold. Once your channel meets the threshold, follow the instructions to apply:
- Sign in to YouTube.
- In the top right, click your profile picture
YouTube Studio.
- In the left menu, click Monetization.
- If you’re under the threshold, click Notify me when I’m eligible to get an email. You’ll get an email when you’ve reached 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours over the past 12 months.
- Once you’ve signed the term, we’ll mark this step with a green “Done” sign on the “Review Partner Program terms” card.
YouTube Studio.- Get reviewed. Once you sign the YouTube Partner Program terms and connect an AdSense account, your channel will automatically be put in a review queue. Our automated systems and human reviewers will then review your channel’s content to check whether your account has followed all of our guidelines. You can check your application status anytime at https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC/monetizationor in the Monetize tab of the YouTube Studio app.
- If you’re accepted into YPP: Congratulations! You can now manage ad preferences, turn on monetization on your uploads, and set up an AdSense account to get paid. Here’s a list of FAQs that we get from creators who have just joined YPP.
- If you’re rejected from YPP: Our reviewers found that a significant portion of your channel doesn’t meet our policies and guidelines. You can re-apply 30 days after your rejection. Check out our FAQs for tips on how to strengthen your application.
Review process
Your application will be put into queue once you:
- Meet our subscriber and watch time thresholds
- Have no active Community Guidelines strikes
- Sign the YouTube Partner Program terms
- Connect your AdSense account
Our human reviewers will assess your channel as a whole to check whether your account meets our YouTube channel monetization policies.
We’ll get back to you with a decision once your channel is reviewed (typically in about 1 month).
Note: Sometimes, you may need to wait more than a month. There can be a few reasons for delays -- higher-than-usual application volumes, system issues, or we may occasionally need to shift resources. Our policy specialists try to get through applications as fast as possible, but delays can happen because we have a limited number of specialists.
Can you speed up my application?
No. Our teams can’t speed up your application. All applications are put in a queue, and will be processed in the order they’re received. Sometimes channels require a few reviews, especially when several reviewers disagree on your channel’s suitability for YPP. In these cases, a few reviews may be needed, which means it may take more time for a decision to be made.
Stay active to keep making money
As the YouTube Partner Program continues to grow, it's important to maintain a healthy, active ecosystem of channels. To focus our support for creators who are active and engaged with the community, we may turn off monetization on channels that haven’t uploaded a video or posted to the Community tab for 6 months or more.
FAQs around applying and more
What if I don’t meet the program threshold?
If you don’t meet the threshold yet, keep working to make original content and build your audience. Here are some resources that can help you grow your channel:
- Learn solutions from other YouTube users in the YouTube Help Forum.
- Go to the Creator Site to learn, grow, and be connected to programs, resources, and events.
- Check out our YouTube Help channel and YouTube Creators channel to watch tutorials, troubleshooting, and tip videos from the YouTube Help team.
View resources available to you as a creator.
If you have active Community Guidelines strikes on your channel, you can apply after your strikes expire. You can also apply after you've successfully appealed to have your Community Guidelines strikes removed. Current members of the program won't be removed when receiving Community Guidelines strikes.
- Watch hours gained from videos you’ve set public
- Private videos
- Unlisted videos
- Deleted videos
- Ad campaigns
- Videos played from the 'Stories and short videos' shelf
- Livestreams that are unlisted, deleted, or not converted to VOD (video on demand)
If I meet the threshold, do I automatically get into YPP?
No. Every channel that meets the threshold will go through a standard review process. Our team will review your channel as a whole to check whether your channel meets our YouTube channel monetization policies. Your channel also must not have any active Community Guidelines strikes in order to apply. Channels that follow our policies and guidelines can monetize.
We’ll send your channel for review once you meet our valid public watch hours and subscriber threshold. So it doesn’t matter if your subscriber or watch hour counts drop below the threshold while waiting for review. If you’ve met the threshold and applied for YPP, we’ll still review your channel for YPP suitability.
If a channel is inactive and has not uploaded or posted Community posts for 6 months or more, YouTube reserves the right to remove its monetization.
Channels will lose monetization when they violate any of the YouTube channel monetization policies. This loss of monetization will happen regardless of their watch hours and subscriber count.
When you previously started the application process in Creator Studio Classic and still want to become a member of the YouTube Partner Program:
- Make sure that your channel is eligible and re-apply to become a member of the YouTube Partner Program. You can follow the application instructions outlined on this page.
YouTube can serve ads on all content on the platform. If you were previously a member of YPP (and currently are not in the program), you may still see ads being served on your content. In this case, you don't get a share of the revenue.
If you rejoin YPP in the future, you can get a share of the revenue from ads served on your content after you rejoin. In that case, when reapplying for YPP, make sure that your channel meets the eligibility criteria outlined on this page.