Is "1,000 subscribers / 4,000 watch hours" still the bar for monetization?
The subscriber floor dropped to 500 — but you now also need either 3,000 watch hours in the last 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days.
What to do now
- The subscriber floor dropped to 500 — but you now also need either 3,000 watch hours in the last 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days.
Who owns the resolution
YouTube's own support/policy team decides this -- AMS explains the policy but has no account access and cannot make this decision for you.
Evidence to prepare
- Your account email or user ID
- Screenshots or a confirmation number for the specific order/booking/transaction
- Any messages you already exchanged with support about this
Turn this answer into a question about your case
Give another AI the facts it needs—not just “what should I do?”
I need practical help with a YouTube issue. The policy question: Is "1,000 subscribers / 4,000 watch hours" still the bar for monetization? Useful context I found: The subscriber floor dropped to 500 — but you now also need either 3,000 watch hours in the last 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. My specific situation: [Describe what happened, including dates and messages shown] The outcome I want: [Refund, verification, appeal, account recovery, explanation, etc.] Important constraints: [Country, deadline, booking/account status, documents already submitted, budget, or other limits] Please: 1. Identify any missing facts you need before reaching a conclusion. 2. Separate platform policy, local law, and your own inference. 3. Give me the safest next steps in priority order. 4. Use current official sources where possible and flag anything that may have changed. 5. Draft a concise message I can paste to customer support. 6. Do not invent account access, guarantees, refund rights, or legal conclusions.
Why this policy exists
The long-known "1,000 subscribers / 4,000 annual watch hours" threshold is outdated. YouTube lowered the subscriber entry bar to 500 but split the performance requirement into two paths: (1) long-form route — 3+ uploads in 90 days, 500 subscribers, 3,000+ valid watch hours in the last 12 months, or (2) Shorts route — same upload/subscriber conditions plus 3 million+ valid Shorts views in the last 90 days. You only need to clear one path, alongside baseline requirements like 2FA enabled, a linked AdSense account, and no active community guideline strikes.
Need to act on your account?
AMS explains the rule but cannot access your account, issue a refund or change a platform decision.