You make money on YouTube by joining the YouTube Partner Program, accepting the terms for each feature your channel qualifies for, and then earning from ads on long-form videos and Shorts, from YouTube Premium viewing, and from fan purchases such as channel memberships, Supers, gifts and Shopping. Sponsorships and other deals you arrange yourself sit outside the program. YouTube's How to earn money on YouTube page lists the in-program features and says each one has its own eligibility rules on top of the subscriber and view thresholds.
Most guides list these streams as if they all switch on together. They do not. Fan funding opens at a lower audience level in some countries, ads and Premium sit behind a higher one, several features are limited to particular countries, and the entry rules for ads are changing for new applicants. This page maps every stream to the tier and the terms that control it, so you can see what your channel can use today and what to set up first.
Two tiers decide what you can switch on
YouTube's Choose how you want to monetize page describes two sets of channel thresholds. The lower set on that monetization page is 500 subscribers and 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, plus either 3,000 qualified watch hours on long-form videos in the last 365 days or 3 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, and it gives access to channel memberships, Super Chat and Super Stickers, Super Thanks and Shopping. The higher set, which the eligibility page puts at 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, adds Watch Page ads, Shorts Feed ads and YouTube Premium revenue.
The lower tier is not offered everywhere. YouTube calls it the expanded Partner Program, and its overview page lists the countries and regions where it runs; outside that list, the program starts at the higher tier. The countries where the Partner Program itself operates are set out separately on the availability page, and the two lists are not identical, so check both before you plan around fan funding.
The higher tier is about to move for newcomers. YouTube's Changes to the YouTube Partner Program page says that from 1 February 2027, new applicants need 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days for ads and Premium revenue, while the fan funding thresholds stay as they are. The same page says that from that date, earning from the Shorts Creator Pool each month needs 10 million qualified Shorts views over the trailing 90 days. Our guide to the coming YouTube monetization changes explains who is affected, and the full eligibility checklist lives in our YouTube monetization requirements guide.
Revenue-stream map by Partner Program tier
For each stream, the map shows which tier opens it, what you accept in YouTube Studio to switch it on, and the share YouTube publishes. Most shares come from YouTube's partner earnings overview, which also says the partner agreement makes no promise about how much, or whether, you will be paid. The binding terms for your channel sit in YouTube Studio under Settings, then Agreements.
| Stream | Tier that opens it | How you switch it on | What YouTube says you receive | Watch out for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watch Page ads | Higher tier | Accept the Watch Page Monetization Module, then turn on ads for each long-form video or live stream | 55% of net revenues from ads shown on your public videos on the Watch Page and in the embedded player | Each video is checked against the advertiser-friendly content guidelines before ads run | Partner earnings overview |
| Shorts Feed ads | Higher tier | Accept the Shorts Monetization Module; sharing starts on the date you accept | 45% of the revenue allocated to you from the Shorts Creator Pool, based on your share of engaged views | From 1 February 2027, a month only pays if you have 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days | Shorts monetization policies |
| YouTube Premium and Premium Lite | Higher tier | Covered by the Watch Page module for long-form videos and the Shorts module for Shorts | A pool of 30% of net Premium revenue or 60% of net Premium Lite revenue, divided by member watch time and views, of which creators keep 55% for long-form and 45% for Shorts | Premium Lite is expanding to every country where Premium is offered | YouTube Official Blog |
| Channel memberships | Lower tier where it is offered, otherwise the higher tier | Accept the Commerce Product Module, then turn on memberships | 70% of net revenues | You must be 18 or older, live in an eligible location and not run a made-for-kids channel | Partner earnings overview; How to earn money on YouTube |
| Super Chat and Super Stickers (paid live-chat messages) | Lower tier where it is offered, otherwise the higher tier | Commerce Product Module, then turn on Supers in the Earn tab | 70% of net revenues | Live streams and Premieres only, and not on age-restricted, unlisted, private or made-for-kids streams | Partner earnings overview; Super Chat eligibility |
| Super Thanks | Lower tier where it is offered, otherwise the higher tier | Commerce Product Module | 70% of net revenues | Unavailable on age-restricted, unlisted, private, made-for-kids or copyright-claimed uploads | Partner earnings overview; Super Thanks eligibility |
| Gifts on live streams | Partner Program members in eligible countries | Accept the Virtual Items Module | Every two Jewels a viewer redeems earn you one Ruby, and YouTube pays $0.01 per Ruby | You must be 18 or older with a verified AdSense account; YouTube says gifts are not a donation or tipping tool | Virtual Items program policies |
| Shopping with your own products | Partner Program plus the subscriber threshold, or an Official Artist Channel | Connect your store in YouTube Studio and tag products | Sales are paid by your retailer or store platform, not by YouTube | No hate speech Community Guidelines strikes and no made-for-kids audience setting | Shopping on YouTube |
| Shopping affiliate program | Partner Program plus the subscriber threshold, by invitation | Join from the Earn tab and accept the affiliate terms | Commission rates set by participating sellers and shown in the affiliate hub | Open only to creators based in the countries the program page names, a list that does not include Australia or the United Kingdom | Shopping affiliate program |
Two details in the map are easy to misread. The fan funding share applies to channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers and Super Thanks under the Commerce Product Module, as the earnings overview states, and Shopping sales do not pass through that share at all. And the Premium pool is not a cut of one subscriber's payment: the YouTube blog announcement describes a pool that is divided across all the creators those members watch before the creator share is applied.
Which streams suit which channel
The streams reward different behavior, so the right mix depends on what your channel already does well. These pairings follow from how YouTube describes each feature rather than from any earnings data.
- Search-led long-form channels lean on Watch Page ads and Premium, both of which follow how long people watch your long-form videos, so the advertiser-friendly guidelines and a healthy back catalog matter most.
- Shorts-led channels depend on the pooled Shorts model, which divides revenue by share of engaged views, and they face a monthly views threshold once the February 2027 rules apply, as the Shorts monetization policies explain.
- Live-first channels can stack Super Chat, Super Stickers, gifts and memberships on top of ads in the live stream, but each feature has its own country list and switches off on unlisted, private or age-restricted streams.
- Product and service businesses can use Shopping for their own goods and, where it is available, the affiliate program, while most of their income usually arrives off the platform.
- Channels built on other people's footage, music or text face the reused content rules in the channel monetization policies before any stream applies, because those rules decide whether the channel is admitted at all.
Off-platform income, in summary
Everything in the map is paid through YouTube. Plenty of creator income is not: brand sponsorships, affiliate links in descriptions, products sold on your own store, coaching and services, and paid communities or subscription sites. YouTube's Partner Program page for creators lists YouTube Creator Partnerships among the ways to earn, a brand-partnership tool inside YouTube, but deals you negotiate directly sit outside the revenue shares above.
Price direct deals as a separate product with its own terms. Our UGC creator rates worksheet breaks a rate card into deliverables, usage rights and revisions, and the influencer media kit template shows which channel figures to share with brands. If you use YouTube to point viewers toward a subscription page, our evergreen YouTube funnel guide for subscription creators covers keeping that path inside YouTube's rules.
Two cautions apply to every off-platform stream. First, what you say in a sponsored segment is judged like the rest of the video, because the advertiser-friendly content guidelines cover every part of an upload, including its title, thumbnail and description. Second, income paid to you directly is yours to record and report. YouTube's earning page reminds creators that they may owe tax on YouTube income where they live, and a registered tax agent or accountant can explain how both kinds of income are treated in your country.
Which streams to switch on first
This order assumes your channel already qualifies for at least the lower tier. It puts the steps that protect income you could otherwise lose ahead of the streams that need extra work.
- Confirm your location against the Partner Program availability list and, for the lower tier, the expanded program list. Feature pages carry their own location lists, so check those as well.
- Turn on 2-Step Verification for your Google Account and confirm you have advanced features, both of which the eligibility page requires before you can join.
- Create one AdSense for YouTube account from inside YouTube Studio. The AdSense set-up page allows one account per payee name and says duplicates are not approved, which turns monetization off for the linked channel.
- If you qualify for ads, accept the Shorts Monetization Module straight away, even if you rarely post Shorts, because the monetization page says Shorts revenue sharing accrues only from the date you accept.
- Accept the Watch Page Monetization Module and turn on ads across your existing long-form videos with the bulk edit in the Content tab, after checking older uploads against the advertiser-friendly guidelines.
- Accept the Commerce Product Module, which governs memberships, Supers and Super Thanks. Channels still on the older Commerce Product Addendum must move to the module by the deadline on the changes page to keep those features earning.
- Turn on Super Thanks for uploads, then Super Chat and gifts if you go live. These need no new formats, only viewers who want their message or reaction to stand out.
- Launch memberships only when you can deliver the perks every month. The memberships page bans some perks outright, including downloads of content available on YouTube, in-person one-to-one meetings and rewards handed to members at random.
- Connect a store if you already sell products, and join the affiliate program only if your country is on its eligibility list.
- Before 31 January 2027, the deadline on YouTube's changes page, review and accept each updated module in the Earn tab so that none of these streams stops on 1 February 2027.
- Each month, compare estimated revenue in Analytics with finalized earnings in AdSense for YouTube; the earnings overview explains that estimates are adjusted for invalid traffic, Content ID claims and some campaign types.
What the published shares do not tell you
A revenue share is a percentage of money YouTube actually collects on your content, not a rate per view or per subscriber. The partner earnings overview says ad earnings come from a share of advertising revenue from people watching your videos, and that transaction taxes such as sales tax, VAT and GST are not counted as revenue in the calculation.
Shorts add another layer. Ads run between Shorts rather than on them, so the Shorts monetization policies describe pooling the feed's ad revenue, setting aside money for music licensing, and dividing the rest by each creator's share of engaged views before the creator share is applied. Your Shorts income therefore depends on the whole pool as well as your own views, which is why it cannot be read straight from a view count.
Subscribers are not a revenue stream at all. If your channel is outside the program, YouTube may still run ads on your videos, but its eligibility page says you receive no share of that revenue until you qualify. Inside the program, subscribers matter only through the viewing and purchases they bring.
Ad ratings change the picture video by video. A video with limited ads earns less from Watch Page ads, yet YouTube's page on limited or no ad earnings notes that even a video with no ad earnings may still suit other revenue streams. Our guide to the yellow dollar sign and limited ads explains how to read those ratings and when to ask for a human review.
Limitations of this map
The map reflects YouTube's help pages and official blog as they read on 1 October 2026. Shares, thresholds and country lists belong to YouTube and change, as the announced update to the program shows. Some features run as pilots with their own rules, and YouTube is rolling out a redesigned Studio, which its Analytics help page says began in July 2026, so menu names may not match the steps here.
It also gives no earnings estimates. What a channel earns depends on its audience, content, region and advertiser demand, and YouTube's pages offer no per-view rate to plan around. Off-platform income depends on your own contracts, which no YouTube page covers. For the tax treatment of any stream, speak to a registered tax agent or accountant where you live, and for questions about your own agreement, read the terms in Studio or contact Creator Support once you are in the program.