The two tiers, explained
Since 2023, the YouTube Partner Program has two entry points. The fan funding tier starts at 500 subscribers and unlocks memberships, Super Thanks, Super Chat and the merch shelf — money from your fans, but no share of ad revenue. The ad revenue tier starts at 1,000 subscribers and adds the thing most creators mean by “monetized”: a 55% share of ads shown on your long-form videos, plus the Shorts revenue pool.
Each tier accepts either of two activity paths, so you qualify with whichever your content style hits first: long-form channels count public watch hours over the trailing 12 months (3,000 for fan funding, 4,000 for ad revenue), while Shorts-first channels count Shorts views over the trailing 90 days (3 million and 10 million respectively).
Requirements people forget
The thresholds get the headlines, but applications fail on the fine print: you need 2-Step Verification enabled, an approved AdSense account linked, no active Community Guidelines strikes, and a channel that follows the monetization policies — including the reused-content rules that catch compilation and reaction channels. YouTube reviews your channel manually after you apply, typically within a month.
Watch hours from Shorts don't count toward the long-form path, and private or unlisted videos don't count either. If your numbers look right but the dashboard disagrees, that's usually why.
Already at the threshold?
Meeting the numbers doesn't flip a switch — you still apply inside YouTube Studio and pass review. And if you're researching another channel, remember that outsiders can't see watch hours at all: our checker reads the public signals (membership button, ad delivery, subscriber count) and tells you its confidence honestly.