YouTube Monetization Requirements 2026: How to Get Monetized (and How Long It Takes)
To get monetized on YouTube in 2026, you need 1,000 subscribers plus one of the following:
- 4,000 public watch hours on long-form videos in the last 12 months, or
- 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days.
Hitting the numbers opens the application. It doesn't guarantee approval. YouTube reviews every channel against its policies, and the review usually takes about a month. Everything below is based on YouTube's own Partner Program page.
The full list of YouTube monetization requirements
Beyond subscribers and watch time, you need:
- 2-Step Verification turned on for your Google account
- A linked AdSense account (you can set one up during the application)
- No active Community Guidelines strikes on the channel
- Access to advanced features on YouTube, which usually means verifying your phone number
- To live in a country where the Partner Program is available
- To follow YouTube's monetization policies, which is what the review checks
What counts toward the 4,000 hours
Only watch time on public long-form videos counts. That rules out:
- Private and unlisted videos
- Shorts (they count toward the Shorts path, not the watch-hour path)
- Livestreams, unless you keep them up as regular videos afterward
If you delete a video, its watch hours go with it.
What 4,000 hours looks like in views
4,000 hours is 240,000 minutes. How many views that takes depends on how long people watch:
| Average time watched per view | Views needed |
|---|---|
| 2 minutes | ~120,000 |
| 4 minutes | ~60,000 |
| 6 minutes | ~40,000 |
| 10 minutes | ~24,000 |
This is why longer videos that hold attention reach the threshold faster. A 10-minute video that people watch halfway through is worth more toward monetization than a 3-minute video watched to the end.
How long does it take to get monetized on YouTube?
There's no official average, and anyone quoting one is guessing. It depends on your niche, how often you upload, and how well each video holds viewers. A channel posting one solid 8-to-10-minute video a week and gradually picking up search traffic will usually need several months. Some take a year or more.
Two things tend to speed it up:
- Publishing consistently. Each video is another way for someone to find you. Older videos keep adding watch hours while you make new ones.
- Search-friendly topics. Videos that answer things people actually search for keep getting views months after upload, while trend-driven videos fade after a few days.
YouTube Shorts monetization
The Shorts path (10 million views in 90 days) is quicker for some channels and much harder for others. Once you're in, Shorts are paid from a shared pool: YouTube collects the ad revenue from the Shorts feed, keeps 55%, and splits the other 45% among creators based on their share of views. Shorts pay far less per view than long-form; see how much YouTube pays per view for real numbers.
If you'd rather make videos than read about it, VidPuff turns a title into a faceless video. No waitlist, cancel anytime.
Many channels use both. Shorts bring in subscribers, and long-form videos bring in the watch hours that pay better.
Why channels get rejected
The review checks your channel as a whole, not just your most recent video. The most common problem areas are:
- Reused content: uploads that are mostly someone else's material without meaningful commentary or editing of your own.
- Repetitive content: many near-identical videos that look mass-produced.
- Policy violations: misleading thumbnails or titles, copyrighted music, or content that breaks advertiser guidelines.
AI-assisted videos aren't banned. What matters is whether each video is original and offers viewers something. We go through the details in will YouTube demonetize AI faceless videos?
If you're rejected, you can generally reapply after 30 days. Use that time to fix whatever the rejection pointed to.
Steps to get monetized
- Turn on 2-Step Verification and verify your phone to unlock advanced features.
- Pick a niche you can make dozens of videos about, ideally one people search for.
- Upload on a schedule you can keep. Aim for long-form videos of 8 minutes or more where the topic supports it.
- Watch your audience-retention graph in YouTube Studio and make more of what holds viewers.
- When you hit the threshold, apply from the Earn tab in YouTube Studio and link AdSense.
If producing videos is what's slowing you down, an AI tool like VidPuff can write, narrate, and illustrate a long-form faceless video from a title, so you can keep a regular schedule without learning to edit.
FAQ
How many subscribers do you need to get monetized on YouTube?
1,000, plus either 4,000 watch hours in the last year or 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days.
Do Shorts views count toward the 4,000 watch hours?
No. Shorts views count only toward the separate 10-million-views option.
How long does YouTube take to review a monetization application?
YouTube says it usually takes about a month, though it can be longer.
Can a faceless channel get monetized?
Yes. Plenty of faceless channels are in the Partner Program. What YouTube looks at is whether the content is original, not whether a face appears.
See how it works →