YouTube Shorts Monetization Requirements 2026: Full Guide

To monetize YouTube Shorts in 2026, you must meet one of two thresholds to join the YouTube Partner Program: Threshold 1 (Fan Funding only) — 500 subscribers + 3,000 public watch hours in 90 days OR 500 subscribers + 3M public Shorts views in 90 days. Threshold 2 (Full monetization including ads) — 1,000 subscribers + 4,000 public watch hours in 12 months OR 1,000 subscribers + 10M public Shorts views in 90 days. Full YPP membership unlocks ad revenue sharing on Shorts, channel memberships, Super Thanks, and merchandise shelf.

YouTube Shorts ad revenue in 2026: $0.03-0.07 per 1,000 views for most niches (RPM of $0.03-0.07). Finance and business Shorts earn higher — $0.08-0.20 per 1,000 views. Compare this to long-form YouTube: $3-30 RPM per 1,000 views depending on niche. Shorts pay dramatically less per view than long-form because: ads are served between Shorts in the feed (not in your video), revenue is pooled across all Shorts views, and short watch duration reduces advertiser value. A channel with 1M monthly Shorts views earns approximately $30-70/month from Shorts ads alone — supplementary income, not a primary revenue stream.

Successful US Shorts creators treat ad revenue as a bonus, not the goal. Real monetization strategies for YouTube Shorts in 2026: (1) Use Shorts to drive subscribers to your long-form channel where RPM is $3-30. (2) Affiliate marketing — include links in descriptions that earn commissions when viewers buy. (3) Merchandise shelf — display products directly on your channel once you hit 10K subscribers. (4) Channel memberships — offer exclusive content for $1.99-9.99/month. (5) Brand deals — channels with 100K+ Shorts subscribers command $500-5,000 per sponsored Short. (6) Super Thanks — viewers can tip during Shorts playback.

Timeline to monetize YouTube Shorts in 2026 for consistent creators (1-2 Shorts per day): Average case — 3-6 months to hit 1,000 subscribers and 10M views. Fast case (viral content) — weeks to months. Slow case (low-competition niche, inconsistent posting) — 6-12 months. Niches that reach monetization fastest: Finance tips, motivational content, life hacks, and educational facts — these niches have high share rates that accelerate subscriber growth. Using AI tools like FluxNote to post 2 Shorts daily (instead of 1 every few days) roughly doubles growth speed.