Docs / Earn
Monetization tracker
Each YouTube channel's progress to the YouTube Partner Program in YouTube's own numbers — and what the change of 1 February 2027 means for it.
The monetization tracker follows each of your YouTube channels towards the YouTube Partner Program: its subscribers, its watch hours and its Shorts views, in YouTube's own numbers, beside YouTube's own thresholds. It also tells each channel what the change of 1 February 2027 means for it — apply before, accept new terms, or nothing to do — and lets you know the first time a channel crosses a bar.
What it does#
YouTube's thresholds#
YouTube changes the Partner Program's thresholds for new applicants on 1 February 2027. The tracker shows both, as YouTube publishes them (checked against YouTube's help pages on 31 October 2026):
| Until 31 January 2027 | From 1 February 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Partner Program, new applicants | 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in 365 days, or 10M Shorts views in 90 days | 1,000 subscribers and 8,000 watch hours in 365 days, or 20M Shorts views in 90 days |
| Fan funding, Shopping, Creator Partnerships | 500 subscribers and 3,000 watch hours in 365 days, or 3M Shorts views in 90 days | unchanged |
| Shorts Creator Pool | Partner Program members | members with 10M Shorts views over the last 90 days |
| Staying active | monetization may end after 6 months without an upload or a post | any one of: 1,000 watch hours in 365 days, 1M Shorts views in 90 days, or 2 long-form videos or 5 Shorts uploaded every 90 days |
| Channels already in the Program | — | keep their status; accept the updated terms in YouTube Studio by 31 January 2027 |
Each channel's card#
For every connected YouTube channel, the tracker shows:
- Meters — subscribers, watch hours and Shorts views against each bar, as "620 / 1,000": YouTube's number beside YouTube's bar, with the day it was read.
- What 1 February 2027 means for this channel — one of these, depending on its numbers:
| Where the channel stands | What it says |
|---|---|
| meets today's thresholds, not those of 2027 | Apply before 1 February 2027, while today's thresholds apply — with the days left |
| meets both | Apply in YouTube Studio → Earn whenever you are ready |
| meets the fan-funding bar, not the Partner Program's | Close to today's thresholds — they rise in N days |
| already in the Partner Program | Accept YouTube's updated terms by 31 January 2027 — with the days left |
| none of these yet | The Partner Program's thresholds change in N days |
- The tiers — which of the three the channel meets.
- Staying active from 2027 — whether the channel meets YouTube's activity rule, counting what ChannelForge uploaded to it in the last 90 days (uploads made elsewhere count for YouTube too).
YouTube's API does not say whether a channel is already in the Partner Program, and the advice depends on it. Under Already in the YouTube Partner Program? choose Yes, it is, Not yet or Not sure, and press Save.
Alerts#
The first time a reading crosses a bar — 500 or 1,000 subscribers; 3,000, 4,000 or 8,000 watch hours; 3M, 10M or 20M Shorts views; or a whole tier — the workspace's owners and admins get a notification and an email listing what was reached. A bar is only "crossed" when an earlier reading showed the channel under it, so connecting a channel that is already past a bar sends nothing.
Turn it on#
There is nothing to switch on: every YouTube channel connected to the workspace is followed.
- Connect the YouTube channel in Settings → Connections, and link it to one of your channels.
- Open Insights, then Monetization → at the top of the page — or the Monetization card on the channel's page (All channels → opens the full page).
- To see watch hours and Shorts views, press Connect under "Connect YouTube with analytics to see watch hours and Shorts views". YouTube shares them with the channel's own YouTube Analytics permission, which only reads. Without it, the card shows subscribers alone.
Editors, admins and owners can connect an account and set the Partner Program status. Everyone in the workspace can read the tracker.
How the numbers are read#
- YouTube's own numbers, each with its day. Subscribers come from YouTube's channel statistics (a hidden count stays hidden). Watch hours are YouTube Analytics' estimated minutes watched on long-form videos and live streams over 365 days, in whole hours, rounded down. Shorts views are its engaged views of Shorts over 90 days — the count the Partner Program uses.
- About once a day, with the channel's own sign-in; at once after a reconnect, and two hours after an error. YouTube Analytics runs two or three days behind.
- YouTube decides. It counts only qualified hours and views of public videos (not unlisted or private ones, not ad campaigns) and reviews every application. The tracker reads YouTube Analytics, not that review: YouTube Studio → Earn shows YouTube's own verdict.
- Each channel on its own. Nothing is added up across channels.
Credits and plans#
The tracker's readings cost nothing and never appear in Activity. It is on the Creator plan and above, with Insights; on the Trial the page explains it and links to the plans.
Limits and good to know#
- YouTube only. TikTok's Creator Rewards and Facebook's content monetization are not tracked: no official page confirmed their thresholds when this was built, and Facebook's programme is by invitation.
- Kept while the channel allows it. The readings are deleted when the connection is removed, a week after it is revoked or refused, or 30 days after its sign-in last worked — and never kept longer than 400 days.
- Your channel's numbers stay yours. They are read with your own connection and never compared with another workspace's.
Troubleshooting#
| You see | Why, and what to do |
|---|---|
| "No YouTube channel connected" | Connect one in Settings → Connections. |
| Only subscribers, no watch hours | The connection has no YouTube Analytics permission. Press Connect on the card. |
| "YouTube Analytics refused this connection" | Reconnect it with analytics; if it still refuses, the channel's owner may need to grant access in Google. |
| "This YouTube connection needs reconnecting" | Its numbers are shown as last read; nothing new is read until it is reconnected. |
| "Not read yet: the first reading comes within the hour." | Wait for the first reading. |
| "Link a YouTube channel to this channel…" | The channel posts to no YouTube account yet: link one in Settings → Connections. |
Related#
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