YouTube Shorts Monetization: The New 20 Million View Requirement
Last updated: 27 August 2026. Every figure on this page comes from YouTube’s own announcement and help documentation, linked at the bottom.
From 1 February 2027, a Shorts channel has to reach 20 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days to enter the YouTube Partner Program, double the current 10 million.
Confusingly, 10 million does not disappear. It moves. From the same date it becomes the figure that decides whether a channel already in the programme keeps earning from Shorts. Two thresholds, both about Shorts, both measured over 90 days, doing completely different jobs. Almost every argument about this change comes down to someone mixing them up.
The two numbers, side by side
| 20 million | 10 million | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Gets you into the Partner Program | Keeps Shorts revenue switched on |
| Who it applies to | Channels applying from 1 Feb 2027 | Channels already in the programme |
| Measured over | The last 90 days | The previous 90 days, rolling |
| If you miss it | You are not accepted yet | You stay in YPP, Shorts revenue pauses |
If you are not in the programme, only the 20 million matters to you. If you are already in, only the 10 million does. Nobody has to clear both.
What a qualified Shorts view actually is
Both thresholds count the same thing: views of public Shorts that appear in the Shorts Feed. YouTube excludes:
- Private Shorts
- Unlisted Shorts
- Deleted Shorts
- Views from ad campaigns, meaning views you paid for
- Image posts appearing in the Shorts Feed
That last one catches people out. Image posts sit in the same feed and produce numbers that look like views in your analytics, but they are not video and they do not count towards either threshold. A channel leaning on image posts can watch its headline view count climb while the number that matters barely moves.
Deleting Shorts has the same effect here as deleting long-form videos does on watch hours: the views go with them. Clearing out older uploads can quietly push a channel back below the line.
What 20 million in 90 days actually means
Large numbers are hard to judge in the abstract, so it helps to divide.
| Threshold | Over 90 days | Sustained daily average |
|---|---|---|
| Current entry (10 million) | 10,000,000 | about 111,000 views a day |
| New entry from 1 Feb 2027 (20 million) | 20,000,000 | about 222,000 views a day |
| Keeping Shorts revenue (10 million) | 10,000,000 | about 111,000 views a day |
Sustained is the operative word. This is not one Short that travelled, it is a rate held for three months. A single video with 20 million views spread over two years does nothing for the 90-day window.
Put plainly, the Shorts route into the programme was already a route for channels with real momentum, and from February it asks for twice as much. For most creators the long-form route remains the more realistic path, even though the hours are also doubling.
Shorts route or long-form route
| Long-form route | Shorts route | |
|---|---|---|
| Now | 4,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months | 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days |
| From 1 Feb 2027 | 8,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months | 20 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days |
| Window | Twelve months, forgiving | Ninety days, unforgiving |
| Also needs | 1,000 subscribers | 1,000 subscribers |
The windows are the real difference. Twelve months lets a slow channel accumulate; ninety days does not. A long-form channel that has a quiet month can make it up later in the year. A Shorts channel that has a quiet month watches those views drop out of the window entirely.
One thing the two routes never do is help each other. Shorts views do not count towards watch hours, and watch hours do not count towards Shorts views. If you post both formats, you are running two separate races and you only need to win one. The details of what qualifies on each side are in our page on how the requirements are counted.
If you are already in and fall below 10 million
This is the part that generated the most alarm and the least accuracy. YouTube’s own wording:
“Channels below this threshold remain in YPP and continue earning on long-form content, with Shorts revenue sharing automatically resuming once they cross 10 million views again.”
So you are not removed from the programme, your long-form monetization is untouched, and Shorts revenue comes back on its own when you clear 10 million again. There is no reapplication and no waiting period.
How much this matters depends entirely on your mix. If Shorts are a supplement to long-form uploads, the practical effect may be small. If Shorts are your income, this is now the single number to watch, and it is worth checking your rolling 90-day total in YouTube Studio rather than discovering it in February.
What to do about it
- Not in the programme, Shorts-first: compare your current 90-day total against 20 million honestly. If it is far off, the long-form route at 8,000 hours may be the shorter path.
- Not in the programme, close to today’s thresholds: being accepted before 1 February 2027 means entering under the current numbers. Review takes about a month, so late January is not a plan.
- Already in, Shorts-heavy: track your rolling 90-day Shorts views against 10 million and watch the trend, not a single day.
- Posting image posts: check how much of your view count comes from them, because none of it counts.
The wider picture, including what changes for everyone else on 1 February, is in our page on the 2027 Partner Program changes, and the question of whether existing partners are at risk is covered in will you lose YouTube monetization.
Sources
- New opportunities to earn and changes to the YouTube Partner Program, YouTube Official Blog, 10 August 2026
- YouTube Partner Program overview & eligibility, YouTube Help
Creator Rules is an independent publication and is not affiliated with YouTube or Google. This page is general information, not financial or legal advice, and it does not replace YouTube’s own terms.
