How does Shorts revenue sharing work?

In short: How YouTube pays Shorts creators: ads from the Shorts Feed go into a monthly pool, and you keep 45% of the share allocated to you.

Shorts aren't paid per ad the way long videos are. Each month, YouTube pools the ad revenue from the Shorts Feed, sets aside a part to pay for music, and splits the rest (the Creator Pool) by each creator's share of engaged views in each country.

You keep 45% of the revenue allocated to you. Shorts with no music send more to the Creator Pool than Shorts with licensed tracks. Because the pool is shared, Shorts earnings per 1,000 views are usually cents, not dollars.

Example

YouTube's help page walks through an example with made-up numbers. One month, Shorts Feed ads bring in a $100,000 pool. In this example, 20% of Shorts views used one music track, so part of the pool goes to music partners and $90,000 is left in the Creator Pool. Your Short earned 1% of all engaged views, so $900 is allocated to you. You keep 45% of that, which is $405. The example is an illustration of the steps, not an RPM you should expect.

Tips for creators

• Accept the Shorts Monetization Module as soon as you join the Partner Program. Views from before you accept it never count toward your share.
• Use fewer licensed tracks if revenue matters. With one track, half of a Short's revenue reaches the Creator Pool. With two tracks, only one third does.
• Skip unedited clips and compilations of other people's content. Non-original Shorts, artificial views and content that isn't advertiser-friendly are left out of engaged views.

Common questions

What changes for Shorts revenue sharing in 2027?

From February 1, 2027, partners need at least 10 million qualified Shorts views over the last 90 days to earn from the Shorts Creator Pool in a given month. Missing it does not remove you from the Partner Program. YouTube also asks partners to accept updated terms by January 31, 2027.

Do YouTube Premium views of Shorts pay?

Yes. YouTube also shares Premium revenue tied to Shorts views. You keep 45% of the net Premium revenue allocated to you, the same share you keep of ad revenue from the Shorts Feed.

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