How the Shorts Creator Pool works
Checked against YouTube Help and the YouTube Blog on . Unofficial; YouTube decides what counts.
Shorts don't earn from an ad next to your own video. YouTube pools the ad revenue from the Shorts Feed, splits it by engaged views and pays out a share. Here is each step in YouTube's own words, and what changes on 1 February 2027.
Who can earn from Shorts
Only monetizing partners who have accepted the Shorts Monetization Module can earn ad revenue from Shorts. Revenue sharing applies to eligible Shorts views from the date you accept; views from before that date are not eligible.[YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies]
Starting 1 February 2027, to earn a share of Creator Pool ad revenue and YouTube Premium revenue for a month you also need at least 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, measured over the 90-day period ending on the 15th of the month before the month being paid.[YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies]
Missing the 10M threshold doesn't remove you from YPP and doesn't affect your other YPP earnings, including long-form videos.[YouTube Help: Changes to the YouTube Partner Program]
The four steps, as YouTube describes them
1. Pool: each month, revenue from ads that run between videos in the Shorts Feed is added together and used both to reward creators and to help cover the cost of music licensing.[YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies]
2. Calculate the Creator Pool: that revenue is allocated to the Creator Pool based on engaged views and music use across Shorts from monetizing creators. Shorts without music send all their associated revenue to the Creator Pool; with one music track, half goes to the Creator Pool and half to music licensing; with two tracks, one third goes to the Creator Pool.[YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies]
3. Allocate: the Creator Pool is distributed by each creator's share of total engaged views on monetizing creators' Shorts, country by country. YouTube's example: 5% of those engaged views means 5% of the Creator Pool.[YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies]
4. Revenue share: monetizing creators keep 45% of their allocated revenue, whether or not they used music.[YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies]
| Music tracks in a Short | Share of its revenue that goes to the Creator Pool |
|---|---|
| None | All of it |
| 1 track | One half |
| 2 tracks | One third |
Music doesn't lower your own share
When the pool is paid out, each monetizing creator is allocated 100% of the engaged views on their Shorts, whether or not the Short uses music. Using music affects how big the Creator Pool is, not your allocation from it or your revenue share rate.[YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies]
For this purpose, only music made available by YouTube's music industry partners (or generated by Dream Track) counts as a contribution to a Short; no other kind of third-party content reduces the Creator Pool at this time.[YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies]
YouTube's own worked example
YouTube's hypothetical example: in Country A there are 100 million engaged Shorts views and $100,000 from Shorts Feed ads. 20% of those Shorts use one music track, so the Creator Pool is $90,000 and $10,000 covers music licensing. A Short with 1 million engaged views gets 1% of the pool, $900, and the 45% revenue share makes that $405.[YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies]
Our math / readingThose are YouTube's illustrative numbers, not typical earnings. Real amounts depend on each country's ad revenue and view totals, which YouTube doesn't publish per month.
What isn't in the pool
Excluded: revenue from views of Shorts by creators who haven't accepted the Shorts Monetization Module or aren't eligible, Shorts uploaded by music partners, views judged ineligible, ads shown when the Shorts Feed opens before a Short is viewed (such as the Shorts Masthead), ads on navigational pages inside the Shorts player, and Image Posts in the Shorts Feed.[YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies]
Ineligible engaged views include non-original Shorts (such as unedited clips or reuploads), artificial views from bots, and views of Shorts that don't follow the advertiser-friendly content guidelines.[YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies]
Premium and targeted ads
YouTube pays 45% of the net YouTube Premium revenue (including Premium Lite) allocated to monetizing creators for Shorts, based on each creator's share of subscription Shorts views in each country.[YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies]
Creators share in a pool of 30% of net subscription revenue for Premium and 60% for Premium Lite, which YouTube is expanding to every country where Premium is offered.[YouTube Blog, 10 Aug 2026: New opportunities to earn and changes to the YouTube Partner Program][YouTube Help: Changes to the YouTube Partner Program]
From 1 February 2027, Shorts ads targeted at a group of 5 or fewer channels pay eligible creators 45% of that ad's net revenue directly, on top of their Creator Pool earnings.[YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies][YouTube Help: Changes to the YouTube Partner Program]
Check the 10M gate for your channel
Export your daily Shorts views from YouTube Studio (Analytics → Advanced mode, Content type Shorts, Date as the dimension, Engaged views if available) and drop the CSV into ShortsGate. It shows your rolling 90-day total and which 2027 pay months you'd qualify for. The file never leaves your browser.
Check your own channel in a minute
Drop your YouTube Studio export into ShortsGate. It runs in your browser; your file is never uploaded.
Open the 10M trackerFAQ
How much of Shorts ad revenue do creators keep?
Monetizing creators keep 45% of the revenue allocated to them from the Shorts Creator Pool, whether or not their Shorts use music.
Does using music in a Short reduce my Shorts earnings?
Music reduces the size of the Creator Pool (half the revenue for one track, two thirds for two tracks goes to music licensing), but your own allocation is based on 100% of your engaged views and your 45% share doesn't change.
Do I need 10M Shorts views to earn from the Creator Pool?
From 1 February 2027, yes: YouTube requires at least 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days to earn Creator Pool ad revenue and Premium revenue for a month. Below it you stay in YPP and keep long-form earnings.