How to Monetize YouTube Shorts in 2026 (Step by Step)
How to monetize YouTube Shorts comes down to one thing: getting into the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) and then switching on Shorts ad revenue sharing. There is no separate "Shorts fund" to apply to anymore — you hit the eligibility thresholds, join YPP, accept the Shorts Monetization Module, and YouTube shares a slice of Shorts ad revenue with you based on your share of views. The slow part is reaching the thresholds, which is exactly why feeding your channel more Shorts matters, and why Crosspost auto-posts your videos to YouTube Shorts for you. Here is the full path, step by step, with the current numbers.
How do I monetize YouTube Shorts?
You monetize YouTube Shorts by qualifying for the YouTube Partner Program and turning on ad revenue sharing for the Shorts Feed. As of 2026, per YouTube's official eligibility page, YPP has two tiers: an early-access tier that unlocks fan-funding tools, and full YPP, which is the one that turns on Shorts ad revenue. You climb the first to get momentum, but you need the second to earn from ads.
Shorts ad revenue sharing launched on February 1, 2023. Instead of paying per view, YouTube pools the ad revenue from between-video ads in the Shorts Feed into a Creator Pool, sets aside music-licensing costs, and then splits the rest across eligible creators by their share of total Shorts views. Creators keep a share of that pool — widely reported at 45% per YouTube's public announcements. Your exact payout depends entirely on how many qualifying views you pull.
What are the requirements to monetize Shorts?
There are two thresholds, and it helps to see them side by side. The early-access tier is about fan funding (Super Thanks, memberships, Shopping), not ads. Full YPP is the one that unlocks Shorts ad revenue sharing. Confirm the live numbers on YouTube's official eligibility page, since they can change by country.
| Requirement | Early access (fan funding) | Full YPP (ad revenue) |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | 500 | 1,000 |
| Recent public uploads | 3 in last 90 days | 3 in last 90 days |
| Watch hours OR Shorts views | 3,000 hrs (365 days) or 3M views (90 days) | 4,000 hrs (12 mo) or 10M views (90 days) |
| Unlocks ad revenue | — | |
| Unlocks Super Thanks & memberships | ||
| Needs linked AdSense |
On top of whichever tier you are chasing, every channel needs the same baseline: you must live in an eligible country or region, follow YouTube's channel monetization policies, have 2-Step Verification turned on, carry no active Community Guidelines strikes, and connect an approved AdSense account. Miss any one of these and the application stalls no matter how many views you have. Our full breakdown of YouTube Shorts monetization requirements walks through each rule in detail.
1,000
subscribers for full YPP
10M
Shorts views (90 days) alternative
45%
reported Shorts Creator Pool share
How do I join the YouTube Partner Program?
You apply from within YouTube Studio the moment you cross a threshold — you do not wait to be invited. Here is the sequence, from a channel with zero to a channel earning Shorts ad revenue.
- 1
Grow to 500 subs and hit the early-access threshold
Reach 500 subscribers, keep 3 public uploads live in the last 90 days, and hit either 3,000 valid public watch hours (past 365 days) or 3 million valid public Shorts views (past 90 days). - 2
Apply to YPP for fan funding
In Studio, open the Earn tab and apply at the early-access tier to switch on Super Thanks, channel memberships, and Shopping while you keep growing. - 3
Reach 1,000 subs + 4,000 watch hrs OR 10M Shorts views
Cross into full-YPP territory: 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 valid public watch hours in the past 12 months or 10 million valid public Shorts views in the past 90 days. - 4
Get accepted and link AdSense
Wait out YouTube's review (it can take up to about a month), then connect an approved AdSense account so you can actually be paid. - 5
Turn on Shorts ad revenue sharing
Accept the Shorts Monetization Module so ad revenue from the Shorts Feed starts flowing to you based on your share of views.
You don't apply once. You apply at 500 subscribers for fan funding, then again at 1,000 for ad revenue — the second application is the one that pays from Shorts.
How do I turn on Shorts ad revenue?
Once you are accepted into full YPP, turning on Shorts ad revenue is a single step: open the Earn (Monetization) section in YouTube Studio and accept the Shorts Monetization Module in the module list. That is the specific agreement that opts your Shorts into ad revenue sharing — accepting the base Watch Page module alone won't do it.
After that, YouTube counts your monetizing Shorts views, pools the Shorts Feed ad revenue, subtracts music-licensing costs, and pays your share of the Creator Pool. A few honest caveats worth setting expectations around:
- Shorts pay far less per view than long-form. RPMs vary enormously and there is no guaranteed per-view rate — treat any figure you see online as illustrative, not a promise.
- Only qualifying views count. Views tied to non-original, reused, or ineligible content may not feed the pool — original Shorts are what get rewarded.
- Music changes the math. Licensing costs come out before the pool is split, so heavily music-driven Shorts can pay differently than original-audio ones.
How do I hit the thresholds faster?
The requirements are a volume game — subscribers, watch hours, and Shorts views all compound the more you post. YouTube itself notes that Shorts is currently one of the fastest ways to gain subscribers, which is why the smartest move is simply getting more of your short videos onto the platform without adding hours of manual uploading.
That is the honest Crosspost angle: it doesn't monetize for you and it can't shortcut the thresholds. What it does is auto-repost the vertical videos you're already making — your TikToks and Reels — straight to YouTube Shorts at original quality, the moment you post them. Every one of those reposts is more surface area for the Shorts views and subscribers that push you toward YPP. Pair that with a steady publishing habit and you can grow your Shorts channel faster than posting to one platform at a time.
You can't fake watch hours — but you can stop letting good short videos live on only one platform. Every repost is threshold progress you'd otherwise leave on the table.
One caveat: cross-posting feeds the funnel, but qualifying views still have to be real, public, and original. Use it to distribute your best work everywhere — not to flood Shorts with recycled clips that won't count.
Get your Shorts in front of more viewers
Crosspost auto-republishes every video you post to YouTube Shorts and five other platforms — building the views and subscribers that lead to monetization.
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Frequently asked
You monetize Shorts by joining the YouTube Partner Program. Full YPP unlocks Shorts ad revenue sharing and requires 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 valid public watch hours in the past 12 months or 10 million valid public Shorts views in the past 90 days, an eligible country, and a linked AdSense account. Once accepted, you accept the Shorts Monetization Module to start earning.
Apply from the Earn tab in YouTube Studio once you meet a threshold. Early access needs 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in 90 days, and 3,000 watch hours or 3 million Shorts views; full YPP needs 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours or 10 million Shorts views. You also need 2-Step Verification on and no active Community Guidelines strikes.
After you are accepted into full YPP, go to the Earn or Monetization section in YouTube Studio and accept the Shorts Monetization Module. Ad revenue from the Shorts Feed then flows into a Creator Pool that is shared with creators based on each channel's share of Shorts views, after music-licensing costs.
Yes, but not immediately. A brand-new channel has to reach the subscriber and view or watch-hour thresholds first. Shorts is currently one of the fastest ways to gain subscribers and views, so new channels often hit the early-access tier before they qualify for full ad revenue.
It varies widely — from a couple of months to over a year — depending on how fast you accumulate subscribers, watch hours, or Shorts views. The thresholds compound over time, and after you apply, YouTube's review can take up to about a month. Consistent posting is the biggest lever.
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