How to earn money on YouTube

You can earn money on YouTube by applying for and being accepted to the YouTube Partner Programme. You may also qualify to receive Shorts bonuses as part of the YouTube Shorts Fund without being in the YouTube Partner Programme.

YouTube earnings

A few tips

We won't tell you what you can create on YouTube, but we do have a responsibility to do right by our viewers, creators and advertisers. If you're in the YouTube Partner Programme, you can earn money through YouTube. When in the YouTube Partner Programme, we hold you to a higher standard.

To make sure that we're rewarding good creators, we review your channel before you're accepted into the YouTube Partner Programme. We also constantly review channels to make sure that you're meeting all of our policies and guidelines.

Channels do not need to be monetising on YouTube to be eligible for the YouTube Shorts Fund. Creators in the YouTube Partner Programme and channels that are part of a Multi-Channel Network (MCN) are still eligible.

You may be liable to pay taxes on your earnings from YouTube; find out more below.

Ways to make money in the YouTube Partner Programme

You can make money on YouTube through the following features:

Advertising revenue: Get ad revenue from display, overlay and video ads.

Channel memberships: Your members make recurring monthly payments in exchange for special perks that you offer.

Merch shelf: Your fans can browse and buy official branded merchandise that's showcased on your watch pages.

Super Chat and Super Stickers: Your fans pay to get their messages highlighted in chat streams.

YouTube Revenue: Get part of a YouTube Premium subscriber's subscription fee when they watch your content.

Each feature has its own set of eligibility requirements on top of subscriber and view count requirements. If our reviewers believe that your channel or video is not eligible, specific features may not be available. These extra thresholds exist for two main reasons. The most important one is that we have to meet legal requirements in every area where the feature is available. Then, because we want to reward good creators, we need to make sure that we have enough context on your channel. Generally, this context means that we need more content to review.

Keep in mind that we constantly review channels to make sure that your content is in line with our policies.

Minimum eligibility requirements to turn on monetisation features

Keep in mind that each feature has its own requirements. Some features may not be available to you due to local legal requirements.

Once you've been accepted into the YouTube Partner Programme, you may get access to these monetisation features:

RequirementsAd revenue

Be at least 18 years old, or have a legal guardian older than 18 years of age who can handle your payments via AdSense.

Create content that meets our advertiser-friendly content guidelines

Channel monetize Requirements

Be at least 18 years old

Have more than 1,000 subscribers

Merch shelf

Be at least 18 years old

Have more than 10,000 subscribers

Super Chat and Super Stickers

Be at least 18 years old

Live in a country/region where Super Chat is available

YouTube Pr revenue

Create content watched by a viewer who is a YouTube Premium subscriber

Get creator tips on how to make money on YouTube.

YouTube Shorts Fund

The YouTube Shorts Fund is a $100M fund to reward creators for their dedication to making creative, original Shorts that delight the YouTube community. We'll reach out to thousands of creators each month to tell them that they qualify for a Shorts bonus from the fund.

RequirementsShorts bonus

Channels need to have uploaded at least one eligible Short in the last 180 days.

Channels need to abide by YouTube's Community Guidelines, copyright rulesand monetisation policies.

Channels uploading videos with watermarks or logos from third-party social media platforms, non-original videos (for example, unedited clips from movies or TV shows) or videos reuploaded from other creators' channels will not be eligible.

Creators must be 13 or older in the United States, or the age of majority in their country/region.

Creators 13–18 years old must have a parent or guardian accept terms and set up an AdSense account for payment when one isn't already linked to their channel.

Creators must be in one of the countries/regions outlined on this page.

Your YouTube earnings and tax liability

Earning money on YouTube or receiving Shorts bonuses are a great way to be rewarded for good, engaging content on the platform. Bear in mind that you may be liable to pay taxes to your country of residence on any income earned from your monetised videos on YouTube. Check with your local tax authorities for detailed guidance.