How many views do you need to get paid on YouTube

How Many Views Do You Need to Get Paid on YouTube? (2026 Guide)

If you’re building a YouTube channel—whether for news, trending topics, or niche content—the big question is: How many views do you need to make money? The truth is, YouTube doesn’t pay you based only on views. Instead, you must first qualify for the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) and then earn revenue based on multiple factors like ad rates, audience location, and engagement.

Step 1: Qualify for the YouTube Partner Program

Before you can earn money from views, your channel must meet one of these requirements:

Option 1 (Full Monetization)

• 1,000 subscribers
• 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months
  OR
• 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days

Official source:
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851

Option 2 (Early Access Monetization)
You can unlock fan funding features earlier if you have:

• 500 subscribers
• 3 public uploads in the last 90 days
• 3,000 watch hours in 12 months OR 3 million Shorts views

Learn more:
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/13429240

Once approved, you can start earning from:

• Ads
• YouTube Premium revenue
• Channel memberships
• Super Chats
• Shopping and affiliate features

Step 2: How Much Do Views Pay?

After monetization, YouTube pays based on RPM (Revenue Per 1,000 Views).

Typical RPM ranges:

• $1 – $3: Low-paying niches or global audiences
• $3 – $8: Average channels
• $10 – $25+: High-value niches (finance, tech, business, U.S. audience)

So, estimated earnings:

• 1,000 views = $1 to $8 (average)
• 100,000 views = $100 to $800
• 1 million views = $1,000 to $8,000+

YouTube revenue explanation:
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9314357

RPM depends on:

• Audience country (U.S., Canada, UK pay more)
• Content niche
• Watch time and engagement
• Ad types shown

You can track your RPM here:
https://studio.youtube.com/

Step 3: When Do You Actually Get Paid?

YouTube pays through Google AdSense once your balance reaches $100.

Payment info:
https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/1709871

Payments are sent monthly (around the 21st–26th).

Step 4: Shorts vs Long Videos

Shorts pay much less than long videos.

Shorts RPM average:

• $0.02 – $0.06 per 1,000 views

Shorts monetization details:
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/12504220

This means you may need millions of Shorts views to earn significant income.

Step 5: How Many Views Do You Really Need?

Here’s a realistic estimate:

Monthly Earnings	Views Needed (Approx.)
$100	20K – 100K views
$500	100K – 500K views
$1,000	200K – 1M views
$5,000	1M – 5M views

Channels targeting U.S. viewers (like trending news or immigration updates) often earn more per view.

Final Tip for Growth

Instead of focusing only on views, focus on:

• Longer watch time
• High-quality thumbnails
• Trending topics
• Consistent uploads

YouTube monetization overview:
https://www.youtube.com/creators/how-things-work/video-monetization/