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YouTube Monetization Progress Calculator
Estimate how many months until you meet YouTube's 1,000 subscriber and 4,000 public watch hour requirements for full monetization.
Watch hours count public videos over the trailing 365 days, so older hours eventually roll off. This tool assumes net monthly gain.
Time to full monetization
≈ 12.0 months
How it works
The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) has two main tiers for monetizing long-form videos. This calculator tracks the full-monetization tier, which requires 1,000 subscribers AND 4,000 public watch hours in the trailing 12 months.
The calculator assumes linear growth: it takes your current counts and monthly gain rate, then estimates how long until you reach both thresholds. The time is determined by whichever requirement takes longer (the bottleneck).
If you've already met one threshold, the calculator focuses on the remaining requirement. If a threshold is unmet and your monthly growth is zero, that path shows 'Not at this pace'—you won't reach it without a change in strategy.
Worked example
Suppose you have 600 subscribers and gain 50 per month, while you have 2,200 watch hours and gain 150 per month.
Months to 1,000 subscribers: (1000 − 600) ÷ 50 = 8 months
Months to 4,000 watch hours: (4000 − 2200) ÷ 150 = 12 months
The watch hours requirement is the bottleneck. You'll be eligible for full monetization in approximately 12 months, at which point you'll have roughly 1,200 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours.
The two YPP tiers
YouTube offers two routes to monetization for different video types:
This tool tracks the full-monetization tier. Shorts (videos under 60 seconds) have their own separate threshold of 10 million views in 90 days and don't count toward watch hours.
- Fan-funding tier: 500 subscribers + 3,000 watch hours (or 3 million Shorts views). Enables channel memberships, Super Chat, and Super Thanks.
- Full ads revenue sharing: 1,000 subscribers + 4,000 watch hours (or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days). Enables AdSense monetization on long-form videos.
Frequently asked questions
Do YouTube Shorts views count toward the 4,000 watch-hours requirement?
No. Shorts have their own monetization path: 10 million views in 90 days. Short-form views do not accumulate as watch hours for the long-form full-monetization tier.
Do private or unlisted videos count toward watch hours?
No. Only public videos count. Private and unlisted videos are excluded from the watch-hours calculation.
What happens to my watch hours after 12 months?
YouTube tracks a rolling 12-month window. When a video reaches 12 months old, its watch hours fall off the eligibility count. This tool assumes your monthly gain is the net addition after old hours roll off.