Starting February 1st, 2027, creators hoping to earn money on YouTube will need at least 1,000 subscribers and either 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. That’s a significant hike from the current requirements of 4,000 watch hours or 10 million Shorts views.

Creators will also need to maintain 10 million Shorts views over 90 days to earn from the Shorts Creators Pool, though falling below this won’t result in removal. The platform, aiming to rival premium TV services like Netflix and HBO Max, is expanding its cheaper Premium Lite subscription in all markets.

YouTube splits revenue between creators based on watch time and views, with 55% for long-form videos and 45% for Shorts. With the new rules, creators can expect higher earnings when users sign up for Premium, as they earn more from ad-free content than ads.

There are also stricter terms to keep earning money: maintaining either 1,000 watch hours over a year, one million Shorts views, or two long-form videos or five Shorts every 90 days. Current members of the YPP must accept these terms by January 31st, 2027, to continue making money from their content.