YouTube Shorts money calculator
YouTube Shorts money calculator: what could your Shorts earn?
Quick answer
As of October 2026, the average live music campaign that accepts YouTube Shorts pays $1,313 per 1M views, across 8 campaigns. Each campaign sets its own rate, a cap per post and a minimum view count. YouTube's own Shorts revenue share is separate: it needs Partner Program membership and pays creators 45% of their allocated ad revenue.
What counts as a view on Shorts
We use the public view count that YouTube shows under each Short. A campaign pays on the views an approved Short collects, with two limits around that number. The minimum is the views a Short needs before it earns, typically 2,000 for music. The cap is the most one Short can pay, typically $1,000. Under the minimum a Short earns nothing, and views beyond the cap add nothing.
Which Shorts we analyse
YouTube's Shorts list does not give a posting date for each Short, so we cannot cut a 30-day window the way we do on TikTok and Instagram. Instead we read your latest 10 public Shorts and say so on the result. If you upload daily, those ten cover about a week and a half, and if you upload monthly they cover most of a year, so read the average per post as a sample of your recent output and not a monthly total.
How much does YouTube Shorts pay per 1M views on campaigns?
Only live campaigns that accept YouTube Shorts are counted, as of October 2026. The number of campaigns is small for some types, so treat a thin row as a snapshot and not a trend.
| Campaign type | Live campaigns | Average per 1M views | Median per 1M views | Typical cap per post | Typical minimum views |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music (edits) | 8 | $1,313 / 1M | $1,000 / 1M | $1,000 | 2,000 |
| Clipping | 24 | $854 / 1M | $1,000 / 1M | $875 | 2,000 |
| Logo | 14 | $337 / 1M | $133 / 1M | $300 | 2,000 |
| UGC | 2 | $925 / 1M | $925 / 1M | $650 | 2,035 |
Updated Oct 23, 2026. Cap and minimum views are medians across the campaigns in each row. These are campaign terms, not guaranteed earnings. See how we calculate and the clipping rates overview.
YouTube's Shorts revenue share vs campaigns
YouTube pools the ad revenue from the Shorts feed each month. Creators in the Partner Program receive a share of the creator part of that pool based on their engaged views, and keep 45% of their allocated revenue. To join the program through the standard route you need 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months or 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days, and YouTube has announced program updates from February 2027.
A campaign works from a brief instead of an ad pool: an artist, label or brand sets the rate per view, the cap and the minimum, and there is no subscriber threshold from YouTube. Pay follows views on approved Shorts. The two are separate and can run side by side. This page measures only the campaign side, so check YouTube's help pages for the current Partner Program terms.
Tips for earning more with Shorts
Keep each Short in the vertical Shorts format and follow the brief's rules for length and on-screen text. Use the sound or song the campaign names rather than a lookalike. Give every Short a clear title, since it is what searchers and the channel page show. Because the calculator reads your latest ten uploads, a few weak posts pull the average down, so lead with your best work before you run it. If you also post on TikTok, the Reels and Shorts guide explains how to adapt one edit for each.
Frequently asked questions
How much does YouTube Shorts pay per 1,000 views?
On live campaigns that accept Shorts, the average music campaign pays $1.31 per 1,000 views, which is $1,313 per 1M views, and songs range from $1,000 to $2,000 per 1M views. YouTube's own revenue share is different: creators keep 45% of their allocated Shorts ad revenue, and the amount per view depends on the ads shown.
Is the Shorts earnings calculator accurate?
It applies today's live campaign terms to Shorts you have already posted, so it is a realistic yardstick rather than a promise. Real payouts depend on approval, following the brief, the cap and the campaign still being live.
Do I need to be in the YouTube Partner Program?
Not for this calculator or for the campaigns it measures, which pay on views of approved posts. The Partner Program governs YouTube's own ad revenue share, with its own subscriber and view thresholds. An individual campaign can still add requirements, so read the brief.
Why does it only use my latest 10 Shorts?
YouTube's Shorts list carries no posting dates, so a 30-day window is not possible. Ten recent Shorts is enough for a stable average without reading your whole channel.
Can the same video go on TikTok and Shorts?
That depends on the campaign. The brief says which platforms count and whether the same video can be reused, so check it before you cross-post.
Keep exploring
Guides on this topic, the method behind the numbers and the calculators for every campaign type.
Ready to earn from your Shorts?
Choose a live campaign that accepts Shorts, post to the brief and get paid per view.
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