YouTube Shorts Fund: earn a bonus for your Shorts videos!

There is a new way to earn money from YouTube Shorts.  In May YouTube announced a $100 million fund to distribute among creators with popular Shorts through 2022.

YouTube Shorts are under-60 second vertical videos, created using the Shorts video editor or uploaded directly. 

Every month eligible creators can claim a YouTube Shorts bonus, based on the performance of their Shorts videos. The first round of bonuses will be next week.

Note: in early 2023 Shorts creators will be able to apply for the YouTube Partner Program and the Shorts Fund will be retired. 

YouTube Shorts Fund Basics

• To create YouTube Shorts, either use the Shorts video editor in the YouTube mobile app, or upload a vertical under-60 second video with the hashtag #Shorts in the title or description.
• Your Shorts must be original. That means not copied from another social media site, another YouTube channel or TV or the movies. YouTube will review content before awarding a bonus.
• The viewership and engagement required to earn a bonus may vary from month to month and be different for different creators depending on their location.
• The bonus is based on the performance of your Shorts in a given month, no matter when they were uploaded. It is required that to have a Short uploaded in the past 180 days.
• Bonuses are between $100 and $10,000 based on the performance of Shorts in the previous month. 
• Your channel does not need to be in the YouTube Partner Program, but you will have to link an active AdSense account to be paid. 
• Payments are issued almost two months after the Shorts are viewed. So for Shorts viewership in July the bonus must be claimed by August 25, and AdSense would issue the payment between September 21st and 26th.

How much will the bonus payment be?

If your channel is eligible, you can receive between $100 and $10,000 each month. 

The bonus amount depends on the location of the audience, so the amount of viewership and engagement required for a particular bonus amount varies between creators. 

Eligibility Requirements

You must be in a an eligible country

Currently the eligible countries are Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, United Kingdom and United States.  

More countries will be added in the future. 

You must be old enough to have a Google account

This should go without saying, but you need to be old enough to have a Google account to be eligible for payment. 

In the United States, the minimum age is 13. In other countries the age requirement may be older. See the age requirement list here. 

The owner of the AdSense account for payment must be at least 18 years old. A parent or guardian should apply for AdSense on their own Google account, using the channel's AdSense association process.

Recent content

You must have uploaded at least one eligible Short in the last 180 days.

Original content that complies with YouTube policies

Your channel must comply with: 

• YouTube’s Community Guidelines
• Copyright rules
• Monetization policies

Content must be original. Ineligible content: 

• Videos with watermarks or logos from other social media platforms
• Non-original videos (like clips from movies or TV shows)
• Videos uploaded from other channels

AdSense

You must have an active approved AdSense account for payment, and must adhere to AdSense policy.

How do payments work?

Notification

If your channel is eligible for a bonus, you will be sent an email notification around the 8th-10th of the month. There will also be in-app notification and a notice on the Shorts Fund page in your YouTube Studio. 

Claim your bonus

You have until the 25th of the month to claim your bonus. After that it will expire. 

Associate an AdSense account

If you do not already have an AdSense account, you can create one. Note that you may only have one AdSense account, so if you already have AdSense, link that to your channel. 

1. Click Claim Bonus in the notification email or in-app notification, or from the Shorts 

2. Accept the bonus terms

3. Link an AdSense account.

• If there is already an AdSense account linked to your channel, you don't need to do anything more.
• If you have an existing AdSense account that is not linked to your channel, sign in to that account.
• Otherwise submit a new application. Or if you are under 18, have your parent or guardian apply.

Payment 

AdSense payments are issued between the 21st and 26th of the month if there are no payment holds on the account.

Before you can be paid, you need to: 

• Submit tax information
• Verify your identity (in some locations)
• Verify your address by entering the PIN on a postcard mailed to you. 
• Add a payment method
• Meet the payment threshold ($100 or more)

Your payment would be issued the month after you claim your bonus. 

Example timeline: 

July: People watch and engage with your Shorts

First week of August: YouTube reviews Shorts performance

8-10 August: YouTube sends the bonus notification

25 August: deadline to claim bonus

7-12 September: YouTube August earnings are finalized and transferred to AdSense. This is for the YouTube Partner Program, but it may also be the case for the YouTube Shorts bonus payments. I will update when I have more information.

21-25 September: AdSense issues payment if there are no payment holds

Learn more

Announcement: It's here! The YouTube Shorts Fund

YouTube Help Center: YouTube Shorts Fund