YouTube Shorts don't pay a fixed rate per view. Ads shown between Shorts fund a shared Creator Pool. Eligible partners split that pool by engaged views, and each creator keeps 45% of their share.
To earn from the pool, you need the ad revenue tier of the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). That takes 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days. Clips of other people's videos are the weak spot. YouTube excludes non-original Shorts from eligible views and can pull monetization from a whole channel.
Some of these rules change on February 1, 2027, and those changes are marked as upcoming below. If you're still building an audience, start with how to grow followers with clips.
The short version
- Shorts ad money goes into a pooled Creator Pool. Partners split it by engaged views and keep 45% of their share.
- The fan-funding tier starts at 500 subscribers. It unlocks memberships, Super Thanks and Shopping, but pays no ad revenue.
- The ad revenue tier needs 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 watch hours or 10 million Shorts views.
- From February 1, 2027, Shorts revenue sharing needs 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days.
- Unedited clips and reuploads of other people's content don't count as eligible views.
- YouTube publishes no Shorts RPM. One vendor study puts most niches at $0.07 to $0.20 per 1,000 views.
- Nothing here is an earnings promise. Payouts depend on total ad revenue, music use and your share of views.
The two YPP tiers: fan funding and ad revenue
YPP has two entry levels, and only one of them pays ad revenue. The numbers below come from YouTube's YPP overview and eligibility page. The lower tier is described on its fan funding and Shopping eligibility page.
| Requirement | Fan-funding tier | Ad revenue tier |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | 500 | 1,000 |
| Watch-hours path | 3,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months | 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months |
| Shorts path | 3 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days | 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days |
| Pays ad revenue | No | Yes, including Shorts revenue sharing |
The fan-funding tier also needs 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days. It's real money, but it comes from your audience, not from ads. It unlocks channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, Super Thanks, gifts and YouTube Shopping.
Two details trip up Shorts creators. YouTube says Shorts Feed watch hours "won't count towards the 4,000". Shorts views count toward the separate Shorts path instead.
Only public Shorts in the Shorts Feed count toward that path. Views on private, unlisted or deleted Shorts don't count. Neither do ad views or Image Posts. How those views get earned in the first place is covered in the YouTube Shorts algorithm in 2026.
How Shorts revenue sharing works
Shorts ad money is pooled first and divided second. YouTube's Shorts revenue sharing page lays out the steps.
The Creator Pool and your 45%
- Ads run between Shorts in the Shorts Feed, and that revenue is combined.
- YouTube covers music licensing costs from it. What's left becomes the Creator Pool.
- The pool is allocated by each creator's share of eligible engaged views.
- You keep 45% of your allocation.
Only partners who accepted the Shorts Monetization Module earn from the pool. Views from before you accepted it don't count.
YouTube's worked example
The Help page uses round numbers to show the math.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Ad revenue from the Shorts Feed | $100,000 |
| Creator Pool after music licensing | $90,000 |
| Your allocation at 1% of eligible engaged views | $900 |
| What you keep (45%) | $405 |
The input that matters is your share of all eligible engaged views. Because the split is proportional, more total views across YouTube don't automatically raise your slice.
How music changes the pool
Music doesn't cut your 45%. It changes how much of a Short's revenue reaches the pool in the first place.
- No music: all of that Short's revenue goes to the Creator Pool.
- One music track: half goes to the pool.
- Two music tracks: one third goes to the pool.
The Help page says your allocation and 45% share are "not reduced by music use". Music shrinks the pool everyone splits, not your personal cut of it.
What changes on February 1, 2027
Team YouTube announced YPP changes on the Google blog on August 11, 2026. They take effect February 1, 2027, so none of this applies yet.
| Rule | Now | From February 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New applicants, watch-hours path | 1,000 subscribers + 4,000 hours in 12 months | 1,000 subscribers + 8,000 hours in 365 days |
| New applicants, Shorts path | 1,000 subscribers + 10 million Shorts views in 90 days | 1,000 subscribers + 20 million Shorts views in 90 days |
| Shorts revenue sharing | YPP partner who accepted the Shorts module | Also needs 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days |
| Fan funding and Shopping thresholds | As in the tier table | Unchanged |
The 10 million gate also appears on the Shorts revenue sharing Help page. Channels below it stay in YPP and keep earning on long-form. Shorts sharing restarts automatically once a channel crosses 10 million.
The 8,000-hour and 20 million figures appear only in the blog post, not on a Help page we found. The post says the new entry thresholds "won't impact creators already in YPP".
So existing partners keep their place in YPP. The 10 million Shorts gate is a separate rule, though. A smaller partner can stay in YPP and still stop earning from the Shorts pool.
YouTube also mentions bonuses for creators below the threshold. On details, the post says only: "We'll share more details soon." Partners must accept the new terms in YouTube Studio "by January 31, 2027", per the YPP overview page.
Which views count, and which don't
Your pool allocation uses eligible engaged views, and plenty of views never qualify. The Shorts revenue sharing page excludes these:
- Non-original Shorts, such as "unedited clips from others' movies or TV shows"
- Reuploads of other people's content
- Compilations with nothing original added
- Bot views
- Content that isn't advertiser-friendly
The page adds a sharper rule: "Shorts over one minute in length that contain claimed content are blocked". That goes beyond lost revenue: the Short itself is blocked.
For clippers, the first three bullets are the ones to read twice. A clip can collect millions of views and add nothing to your allocation.
Shorts RPM: no official number
RPM is revenue per 1,000 views "after YouTube's revenue share", according to YouTube's RPM Help page. For Shorts, RPM is based on engaged views. YouTube doesn't publish a typical Shorts RPM.
The closest data we found is vendor research. AIR Media-Tech, a multi-channel network (MCN), published Shorts RPM estimates last updated September 16, 2026. It used YouTube Analytics API data from 274 channels.
- Most niches: $0.07 to $0.20 per 1,000 views
- Shorts RPM compared with long-form: 3 to 14% of long-form RPM in most niches
- US: $0.328 per 1,000 views
Treat these as one company's sample, not a YouTube rate card. Your niche, audience location and eligible views can all move your number.
Illustration only: at $0.07 to $0.20, 1 million views would come to $70 to $200. That's arithmetic on an estimate, not a forecast.
What clips can actually earn
For clippers, policy risk matters more than RPM math. A clip channel can clear every threshold and still earn nothing if YouTube judges its content reused.
Reused content applies to the whole channel
YouTube's channel monetization policies require "a meaningful difference" from the original. The reused content rule "applies to your channel as a whole", not one upload at a time.
Permission doesn't settle it. The policy lists "Promotion of other people's content (even if you have permission)" as reused content. Permission still matters for copyright, as is clipping legal? explains.
The penalty is steep. The policy says "monetization may be removed from your entire channel".
Social Media Today reports that YouTube changed Shorts recommendations on October 1, 2026 to favor original content. That affects reach, not pay. We didn't find it on a YouTube Help page, so treat it as reported. Our guide to YouTube's inauthentic and reused content rules covers the policy in depth.
What the policy allows
The same policy lists uses that can qualify:
- Critical reviews
- Commentary
- New narration
- Content where you, the uploader, are featured
Here's an illustration, not a real channel. A clipper posts a podcast guest's 30-second answer with captions and nothing else. That sits close to an unedited clip from someone else's show.
A second version adds the clipper's own voiceover on why the answer matters. That adds narration and commentary, a stronger case for a meaningful difference. YouTube still makes the call.
Clipping campaigns are another route. Many pay per 1,000 accepted views under each program's own terms, which clipper pay rates explained breaks down.
Other ways Shorts can earn
Ad revenue isn't the only route. The fan-funding tier opens most of the others.
Super Thanks
Super Thanks works on Shorts. YouTube's Super Thanks page requires fan-funding eligibility and the Commerce Product Module. Some Shorts can't receive it:
- Age-restricted Shorts
- Unlisted or private Shorts
- Shorts made for kids
- Copyright-claimed Shorts
- Shorts with comments turned off
The copyright-claimed rule hits clippers directly. A claimed clip loses this income route too.
Channel memberships
Memberships unlock with the fan-funding tier, alongside Super Chat, Super Stickers and gifts. They're channel-level, so they're worth a look once regular viewers keep coming back.
Shopping affiliate
The YouTube Shopping affiliate program lets you tag products in Shorts and earn commissions. It requires YPP membership and the subscriber threshold listed on that page.
It's available in 14 countries, including the US, India and Brazil. Commissions are paid 60 to 120 days after purchase, and returns reverse them.
The Shorts Fund is gone
If a guide still points you to the Shorts Fund, it's out of date. At Made on YouTube in September 2022, YouTube called it "a temporary Shorts Fund".
Revenue sharing took over in early 2023, "Instead of a fixed fund". There's no fund to apply to today.
What to do next
Check which tier you're closest to and which path fits your channel. If you post mostly Shorts, track the Shorts views path, since Shorts Feed hours don't count toward 4,000.
If you plan to apply, remember the bar for new applicants rises on February 1, 2027. If you clip other people's videos, fix originality first. No threshold helps a channel that YouTube treats as reused.
FAQ
How much do YouTube Shorts pay per 1,000 views?
YouTube publishes no official Shorts RPM. AIR Media-Tech, an MCN, estimates $0.07 to $0.20 per 1,000 views in most niches. That's vendor research from 274 channels, not a guarantee.
How many views do you need to monetize Shorts?
For ad revenue today, you need 1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days. The Google blog says new applicants will need 20 million from February 1, 2027.
Do Shorts views count toward the 4,000 watch hours?
No. YouTube says Shorts Feed watch hours won't count toward the 4,000. Shorts views count toward the separate 10 million Shorts path instead.
Can you monetize clips of other people's videos?
Only if your version adds a meaningful difference, such as commentary or new narration. Permission alone doesn't exempt it. YouTube says monetization may be removed from your entire channel.
Does music lower Shorts earnings?
Music reduces how much of a Short's revenue reaches the Creator Pool. YouTube says it doesn't reduce your allocation or your 45% share.
Do you need to opt in to earn from Shorts?
Yes. You must accept the Shorts Monetization Module as a YPP partner. Views from before you accept don't count toward your allocation.
Written and maintained by the Hookspring team. Spot an error or something out of date? Email hello@hookspring.com.
Sources
- YouTube Partner Program overview and eligibility, YouTube Help, retrieved 2026-10-19
- YPP fan funding and Shopping eligibility, YouTube Help, retrieved 2026-10-19
- YouTube Shorts revenue sharing, YouTube Help, retrieved 2026-10-19
- New opportunities to earn and changes to the YouTube Partner Program, Google blog (Team YouTube, August 11, 2026), retrieved 2026-10-19
- RPM and CPM revenue metrics, YouTube Help, retrieved 2026-10-19
- YouTube Shorts RPM vs long-form: how much do Shorts earn in 2026, AIR Media-Tech (MCN vendor research, updated September 16, 2026), retrieved 2026-10-19
- YouTube channel monetization policies, YouTube Help, retrieved 2026-10-19
- YouTube updates Shorts algorithm to put more focus on original content, Social Media Today, retrieved 2026-10-19
- Super Thanks, YouTube Help, retrieved 2026-10-19
- YouTube Shopping affiliate program, YouTube Help, retrieved 2026-10-19
- Made on YouTube, Google blog (September 20, 2022), retrieved 2026-10-19
