YouTube Monetization Requirements in 2026, and What Changes on 1 February 2027

Most guides still list only today’s numbers. The bigger news for a new channel is the date: 1 February 2027, when the bar for new applicants doubles. Below are YouTube’s own requirements in plain words, what changes and for whom, and how many views each kind of video needs to get there. Everything here comes from YouTube’s help pages and official blog, checked on 21 October 2026. YouTube updates these pages, so check the linked ones before you rely on any detail.

What are YouTube’s monetisation requirements right now?

There are two levels, and you can apply at either one. Both need your channel to follow YouTube’s monetisation policies, and you must live in a country where the program runs.

The 500-subscriber level is listed on YouTube’s expanded Partner Program page, which also lists the countries where it’s offered (India, the US and the UK among them). The 1,000-subscriber level is on the main eligibility page.

You also need, for either level:

• No active Community Guidelines strikes on the channel.
• 2-Step Verification turned on for your Google account.
• Advanced features turned on in YouTube.
• One AdSense for YouTube account linked to the channel (you can set it up in YouTube Studio when you apply).

What changes on 1 February 2027?

From 1 February 2027, new applicants for ad money need 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days, or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. YouTube announced this on its official blog on 10 August 2026.

Who it affects:

The short version: if your channel can reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours before February, it joins under today’s rules. After that, it needs twice the watch time.

What counts toward watch hours and Shorts views?

Only public videos. YouTube’s eligibility page says:

• Watch hours come from long videos you’ve set to public. Private, unlisted and deleted videos don’t count, nor do ad campaigns or livestreams that weren’t kept as a video.
• Shorts watch time doesn’t count toward watch hours. Shorts have their own path: views from public Shorts that appear in the Shorts feed.
• Views from your own ads don’t count. Traffic from ad campaigns is left out of both paths.

So deleting old videos lowers your total. Keep them public unless they break a rule.

How many views do you need for 4,000 watch hours?

It depends on how long people watch each video, not on how many videos you post. 4,000 hours is 240,000 minutes, so the number of views you need is 240,000 divided by the average minutes watched per view. Here’s the arithmetic for four kinds of animated video. The minutes watched are round examples to show the maths, not benchmarks: check your own in YouTube Studio under Analytics.

This is why so many animated story channels post long episodes and monthly compilations: each view brings in more watch time. Videos of 8 minutes or longer can also carry mid-roll ads once you’re in, so they earn more per view later too. For niches where long animated videos are working this month, see animated YouTube channel ideas.

Is the Shorts path easier for an animated channel?

Usually not. 10 million Shorts views in 90 days is a lot of views for a new channel, and from February 2027 new applicants need 20 million. Shorts views also don’t add to your watch hours. Shorts are good for being discovered; for most story channels, long videos are the steadier way to reach the bar. Mixing the two works well: a Short that points to the full story brings viewers to the long video.

What should an animated channel do before February 2027?

If you’re starting now, you have a little over three months to reach today’s bar. Five things help:

1. Make long videos the core of the channel. An 8 to 20-minute story, or a compilation of your shorter ones, earns watch hours several times faster than a 2-minute video.
2. Post on a schedule you can keep. The growing channels in our trend research post about once a week or more, and each video keeps earning watch hours for months.
3. Keep every video its own story. YouTube’s reviewers look at the channel as a whole, and templated or copied videos can get the application refused. Our post on monetising AI animated videos explains where the line is.
4. Turn on “Get notified” in YouTube Studio’s Earn section, so YouTube emails you the day you reach a threshold, and apply at once. Reviews take about a month.
5. Sort out AdSense and 2-Step Verification early, so the application isn’t held up.

How long does the review take, and what if you’re refused?

YouTube says a decision usually takes about a month, sometimes longer when many people are applying or several reviewers need to look. People and automated systems review the channel as a whole. If you’re refused, you can appeal within 21 days or apply again after 30 days; after a second refusal, the wait is 90 days. The most common fix is the same as the prevention: remove or replace videos that look templated or copied, then apply again.

Where does Drawn Films fit?

Reaching 4,000 hours mostly means making enough good long videos, and animation is usually the slow part. Drawn Films turns a written story into a 2D animated film: it draws every shot, gives every character a voice with a mouth that moves, and writes the music. A 3-minute film takes about one to two minutes to make after you press Make my video. It makes landscape YouTube videos in English for now; vertical Shorts are on the way. The first film is free, up to 1 minute.

For the whole process, from story to upload, see how to make animated story videos for YouTube, and for what each route costs, see 2D animation cost per minute.

Questions people ask

How many subscribers do you need to get paid on YouTube?

500 for memberships, Super Chat, Super Thanks and Shopping (with 3 uploads in the last 90 days and 3,000 watch hours or 3 million Shorts views), and 1,000 for a share of ad and Premium money. Both also need the watch hours or Shorts views, not just subscribers.

Are the new 2027 requirements real?

Yes. YouTube announced them on its official blog on 10 August 2026: from 1 February 2027, new applicants need 8,000 qualified watch hours in 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days. Channels already in the program keep their place.

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

No. Watch hours from Shorts in the Shorts feed don’t count toward the watch-hour path. Shorts have their own path: 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days (20 million for new applicants from February 2027).

Do unlisted, private or deleted videos count?

No. Only public videos count. Watch time from private, unlisted or deleted videos, and from ad campaigns, doesn’t count toward either threshold.

How long does the YouTube monetisation review take?

YouTube says a decision usually takes about a month, longer when many people apply or a channel needs more than one review. If you’re turned down, you can appeal within 21 days or apply again after 30 days.

Can an animated channel with no face get monetised?

Yes. YouTube reviews whether your videos are original and not mass-produced, not whether a person appears. Our post on monetising AI animated videos covers the rules in detail.

Sources

1. YouTube Help, YouTube Partner Program overview and eligibility
2. YouTube Help, Overview of the expanded YouTube Partner Program (the 500-subscriber tier)
3. YouTube Official Blog, New opportunities to earn and changes to the YouTube Partner Program (10 August 2026)
4. YouTube Help, YouTube channel monetization policies
5. YouTube Help, Manage mid-roll ad breaks in long videos