To join the YouTube Partner Program you need 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days
Verified Confidence: high
Primary source found; it says the same thing, the scope matches, and it is reasonably current.
- Commonly cited as
- "How many subscribers do you need to monetize on YouTube?"
- True origin
- YouTube Help (Google) — YouTube Partner Program overview & eligibility
- Type
- Reference fact: A frequently needed number or rule taken directly from a primary source (e.g. Pew, Census, IAB/PwC, FTC), with its as-of date.
- Year
- 2026
- Data as of
- Help page as read on 2026-10-16; YouTube changes thresholds from time to time
- Last checked
- What the source says
1. Get 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months, or 2. Get 1,000 subscribers with 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days.
- Method & sample
- Official platform policy.
- Drift between quote and source
- None — watch hours from Shorts in the Shorts Feed don't count toward the 4,000 hours
- Interest
- YouTube sets the rules and keeps a share of ad revenue.
Safe rephrasing
As of October 2026, YouTube's help center says full YouTube Partner Program eligibility needs 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.
Sources we opened
Machine-readable: /api/claims/youtube-partner-program-1000-subscribers-4000-hours.json · Last checked 2026-10-16