Not eligible yet
Still needed for ads: 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours or 1,00,00,000 Shorts views
- Turn on 2-step verification
- Have one AdSense account ready (or create it while applying)
Use the numbers from Studio → Earn, which counts only valid activity. Meeting the thresholds lets you apply; YouTube still reviews every channel by hand.
How to use it
Open YouTube Studio → Earn and copy your numbers — they show only valid activity, which is what counts. Enter subscribers, public watch hours (last 365 days), Shorts views (last 90 days) and how many public videos you uploaded in the last 90 days. Tick the account checks.
The two tiers
- Full monetization (ads): 1,000 subscribers + 4,000 watch hours or 10M Shorts views.
- Early access (fan funding, Shopping): 500 subscribers + 3 uploads in 90 days + 3,000 hours or 3M Shorts views.
Details and the less obvious requirements are on the requirements page.
Eligible isn't approved
Meeting the numbers lets you apply. A person at YouTube then reviews the channel for originality, repetitive content and authentic traffic. Read common rejection reasons before you apply.