Guide
YouTubepayUKCPMHow Much YouTube Pays in the UK (Real Creator Data)
Every aspiring UK YouTuber wants to know the same thing: how much will I actually get paid? The answer depends on your niche, your audience location, and your upload frequency — not just your subscriber count. This guide uses real data shared by UK creators and advertising industry figures to give you the clearest possible picture.
Last updated: February 26, 2026
Step-by-Step Guide
Check your YouTube Analytics RPM
In YouTube Studio, go to Analytics > Revenue. Your RPM is the most accurate measure of what you're earning per view. Track this monthly to understand your baseline.
Identify your highest-RPM content
Look at which videos earn the most per view, not just which get the most views. Double down on topics and formats that attract higher-paying audiences.
Optimise for mid-roll ad placements
Videos over 8 minutes qualify for mid-roll ads. Place natural ad breaks at logical points in your content. More ad placements per video increases your RPM.
Complete your W-8BEN tax form
This form, submitted through AdSense, confirms you're a UK tax resident and reduces US withholding tax from 30% to 0% under the UK-US tax treaty. Without it, you lose a significant chunk of your earnings.
Build towards Q4 every year
Plan your best content for October-December when CPMs peak. Upload more frequently in Q4 and save your most searchable, evergreen topics for the highest-earning months.
How YouTube ad payments work
YouTube operates on an auction-based advertising system. Advertisers bid to show ads to specific audiences, and creators earn a share of that revenue.
The split is straightforward: you get 55% of ad revenue on long-form videos and 45% on Shorts. YouTube keeps the rest. But the amount advertisers pay varies enormously based on who's watching your video.
A viewer in the UK generates more ad revenue than a viewer in India but less than a viewer in the US. Within the UK, a viewer interested in mortgages is worth more to advertisers than a viewer watching cat videos. This is why two UK channels with identical view counts can have wildly different earnings.
YouTube reports your earnings through two key metrics. CPM is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions — this is the gross figure. RPM is what you actually earn per 1,000 views after YouTube's cut and accounting for views where no ad was shown. For UK creators, RPM is typically 40-55% of CPM.
Payments arrive monthly via Google AdSense. YouTube accumulates your earnings and pays out when your balance exceeds $100 (roughly £80). Payments are made in USD and converted to GBP by your bank or AdSense, so exchange rate fluctuations affect your actual take-home in pounds.
What UK creators actually report earning
Based on publicly shared analytics from UK YouTubers across various niches, here are real-world earning examples.
Small UK finance channel (8,000 subscribers): 40,000 monthly views, £320/month ad revenue, RPM of £8.00. Plus one brand deal every 2-3 months averaging £400. Total: roughly £450-£500/month.
Mid-size UK tech channel (45,000 subscribers): 200,000 monthly views, £1,100/month ad revenue, RPM of £5.50. Regular brand deals averaging £1,500 each, 2-3 per month. Total: roughly £4,000-£5,500/month.
Large UK lifestyle channel (150,000 subscribers): 500,000 monthly views, £1,750/month ad revenue, RPM of £3.50. Brand deals of £3,000-£8,000 per video, 3-4 per month. Total: roughly £10,000-£20,000/month.
Small UK gaming channel (12,000 subscribers): 80,000 monthly views, £120/month ad revenue, RPM of £1.50. Occasional brand deals of £200-£500. Total: roughly £150-£250/month.
The pattern is clear: niche determines your per-view earnings, and brand deals typically exceed ad revenue once you have even a modest audience. A 45K tech channel earns more than a 150K lifestyle channel from ads alone because the CPM differential is that significant.
Seasonal fluctuations in UK YouTube pay
UK YouTube earnings are not consistent throughout the year. Understanding the seasonal pattern helps you plan your finances.
January: The worst month for UK CPMs. Advertisers have blown their budgets in Q4 and are resetting. Expect 30-50% lower earnings than December. UK creators routinely report January RPMs dropping by a third.
February-March: Gradual recovery. Tax-year-end advertising from financial services picks up in March (the UK tax year ends 5 April), which benefits finance channels specifically.
April-June: Steady mid-range earnings. Spring campaigns from travel, fashion, and home improvement brands increase overall UK ad spend.
July-August: Slight dip as viewers spend more time outdoors and advertisers save budget for Q4. However, travel and outdoor content performs well.
September-October: Back-to-school and early Christmas planning boost spending. Tech channels see increases around September product launches (Apple, Samsung).
November-December: Peak earnings. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas advertising push UK CPMs to their annual high. November and December earnings can be 50-100% higher than the annual average. Many UK creators earn 25-30% of their annual ad revenue in these two months alone.
This seasonality means you shouldn't panic if January earnings are low or assume December earnings are your new normal. Budget based on your annual average, not any single month.
Pro Tips
- Complete your W-8BEN form immediately — without it, the US withholds 30% of your ad revenue from US viewers
- January is always the worst month for earnings. Don't make financial decisions based on January numbers
- A video that attracts US viewers earns 2-3x more per view than one watched entirely by UK audiences
- Evergreen content earns more over time than trending content because it accumulates views during high-CPM months
- Track your earnings per video, not just per month. This reveals which content types are most profitable