The YouTube Partner Program has two thresholds — 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 public watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days — and several less visible requirements around policy compliance and advertiser-friendliness that reject channels that hit the numbers. The YPP Readiness Checker audits all of it: progress on each threshold, days to eligibility at your current pace, a guidelines check, an advertiser-friendliness score and the fastest realistic path.
This guide explains the thresholds, the hidden requirements, and how to choose between the watch-hours and Shorts routes.
The thresholds
Subscribers: 1,000, no time limit. Watch hours: 4,000 public hours in the trailing 365 days — private, unlisted, deleted and Shorts-feed watch time does not count. Shorts views: 10 million valid views in the trailing 90 days. You need subscribers plus one of the other two. The checker projects your date for each from your recent rate and flags whether you are closer to the long-form or Shorts route.
Hidden requirements
No active Community Guidelines strikes, two-step verification, AdSense linked, and — the one that catches people — a channel review for reused content and advertiser-friendliness. A channel built on compilations, unmodified clips or repeated templates is rejected at review even with the numbers. The compliance check and advertiser-friendliness score cover these.
Choosing a route
Watch hours reward a small catalogue of longer evergreen videos that keep accumulating. Shorts views reward volume and a few breakouts. Most channels get there faster by combining: Shorts for subscribers, long-form for hours. The fastest-path section quantifies the split for your stats.
Tips
- Paste exact figures from Studio → Earn: current subs, public watch hours (365d), Shorts views (90d).
- One 20-minute evergreen tutorial can generate more watch hours in a year than twenty 5-minute videos.
- Fix reused-content issues before applying; a rejection means a 30-day wait.
Common mistakes
- Counting unlisted or private watch time — Only public counts.
- Applying with an active strike — Automatic rejection.
- Sub-for-sub to hit 1,000 — Ghost subscribers hurt every video afterwards and the review notices.
Worked example
Input: "740 subs; 2,100 public watch hours (365d); 1.2M Shorts views (90d); 3 uploads/month."
What the report returned: Subs: 71 days at current pace. Hours: 158 days. Shorts: not viable. Guidelines: clear. Advertiser-friendliness 82. Fastest path: two 15-min evergreen tutorials this month + Thursday consistency → est. eligibility in ~100 days.
Frequently asked questions
What are the YPP requirements in 2026?
1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 public watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days, plus policy compliance, 2FA and a linked AdSense account.
Do Shorts views count toward watch hours?
No — Shorts-feed watch time is excluded from the 4,000-hour threshold. It counts only toward the 10-million-view Shorts route.
How long does the review take?
Typically a few days to a few weeks after you hit the thresholds.
Can I lose YPP after getting it?
Yes — for policy violations, inactivity, or reused content. The advertiser-friendliness score is worth maintaining.