Apply before 1 February 2027: the last window at 4,000 hours

From 1 February 2027 new applicants for ad revenue 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, double today's 4,000 hours or 10 million views. YouTube announced it on 10 August 2026. The 500-subscriber fan-funding tier does not change, and channels already in the program keep their status.

The thresholds in force when your application reaches YouTube. An application submitted before the cutoff is reviewed on 4,000 hours or 10 million Shorts views even if the decision arrives after 1 February 2027. Review takes about a month, and a rejection means a 30-day wait before you can reapply, so December is the last month that leaves room for one retry inside the window.

You can appeal within 21 days (decision in about 14 days) or reapply after 30 days, which lands after the cutoff, so the reapplication is judged on the new 8,000-hour or 20-million-view thresholds. That is why this page recommends applying by early December: one rejection and a 30-day wait still fit before 31 January 2027.

No. Channels already in the YouTube Partner Program keep their status and keep earning from long-form content. YouTube has said existing partners will review and sign updated terms in Studio; the Shorts revenue-share eligibility also moves to 10 million qualified Shorts views in the trailing 90 days from the same date, and a channel below it keeps its long-form earnings and resumes Shorts revenue when it crosses the line again.

For a channel that already has public videos and some audience, often yes: 4,000 hours over 90 days is about 44 hours a day, which is 530 viewers a day watching five minutes. The sprint plan on this page breaks it into weekly targets from your current numbers, and the 4,000 watch hours guide shows the video formats that add the most qualified time. Starting from zero with no uploads, the honest answer is that the Shorts lane or the fan-funding tier is usually the first milestone.

No. The fan-funding tier stays at 500 subscribers, three public uploads in 90 days, and 3,000 qualified watch hours or 3 million qualified Shorts views, and it still gives access to memberships, Super Chat, Super Thanks and Shopping where the tier is available in your country. If full monetization is out of reach before the cutoff, the fan-funding tier is a realistic first milestone and nothing about it doubles.

YouSEO puts 33 YouTube tools in one app on Android, iOS and web. For this deadline it does three things: Channel Details tracks both lanes against the thresholds daily, SEO Analysis and Thumbnail Click Score fix the videos that leak watch time, and Best Time to Post and Trending Video Ideas put each upload where the most qualified hours come from. It is free to start on Android, iOS and web.