YouTube earnings calculator
What your views are worth with your own RPM, how many views a goal takes, and what a CPM you read online really means.
Estimated earnings a month
$300
about $3,600 a year if your views stay the same
- $3,600 a year
- RPM $3
- 333,334 views for $1,000
At 100,000 views a month and an RPM of $3, you’d earn about $300 a month, $3,600 a year.
To make $1,000 a month at this RPM, you’d need about 333,334 views a month.
I’m not an accountant or a financial advisor. This is an estimate, for information only. Check with a professional before you decide.
Show the detailsHide the details
| Views a month | 100,000 | |
|---|---|---|
| × | RPM, per 1,000 views | $3.00 |
| = | A month | $300.00 |
| A yearthe month × 12 | $3,600.00 | |
| Views you need for $1,000 a month | 333,334 views |
In short: YouTube earnings = views ÷ 1,000 × your RPM, the figure in YouTube Studio under Analytics, then Revenue. At an RPM of $3, 100,000 views make about $300.
How it works
- Earnings = views ÷ 1,000 × your RPM: 100,000 views at an RPM of $3 make 100 × $3 = $300. A year is a month × 12, if your views stay the same.
- RPM (revenue per mille) is what you earn per 1,000 views, after YouTube’s share. It counts every view, including those with no ads, and all your Partner Program revenue: ads, channel memberships, YouTube Premium, Super Chat and Super Stickers.
- CPM (cost per mille) is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions, before YouTube’s share and only where an ad ran. On long-form videos, you get 55% of the ad revenue: with one ad on every view, a $10 CPM becomes an RPM of about $5.50. That’s why the numbers quoted online, often CPMs, look inflated.
Worked example
100,000 views a month at an RPM of $3: 100,000 ÷ 1,000 × $3 = $300 a month, $3,600 a year. To make $1,000 a month at the same RPM, you need $1,000 ÷ $3 × 1,000 = 333,334 views, rounded up. If that $3 were a CPM instead, one ad per view would make it an RPM of $1.65: $165 a month.
Sources
- YouTube Help: Understand ad revenue analytics (RPM and CPM)
- YouTube Help: YouTube partner earnings overview (55% on long-form videos, 45% on Shorts)
- YouTube Help: Check your YouTube revenue (where to find your RPM)
- YouTube Help: Choose how you want to monetize (thresholds by feature)
- YouTube Help: Changes to the YouTube Partner Program from February 1, 2027
- YouTube Help: Meet YouTube’s revenue thresholds for payment
- YouTube Help: U.S. tax requirements for YouTube earnings
Text checked on September 30, 2026
Good to know
- RPM changes from channel to channel and from month to month: it drops, for example, when more of your views show no ads. You won’t find “average” RPMs by topic here: type your own, from a few months of data.
- RPM doesn’t include sponsorships, merch or other money from outside YouTube: this is only what YouTube pays.
- Ad revenue needs the YouTube Partner Program: 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days or 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. From February 1, 2027, new applicants will need 8,000 hours or 20 million Shorts views.
- If you make both long videos and Shorts, run two calculations, each with its own RPM: Shorts are paid differently, and their RPM is counted per 1,000 engaged views.
- This is revenue before tax. Google may also withhold US tax, depending on where you live and the tax info you’ve given; a tax professional can tell you what you owe.
Frequently asked questions
How much does YouTube pay per 1,000 views?
There’s no fixed rate for everyone: it’s your RPM, which YouTube works out after its share and across all your views. At an RPM of $3, 1,000 views make $3. You’ll find yours in YouTube Studio, under Analytics, then Revenue.
What’s the difference between RPM and CPM?
CPM is what advertisers pay for 1,000 ad impressions, before YouTube’s share and only where an ad ran. RPM is what you earn per 1,000 views, after the share and across every view. YouTube itself says RPM is lower than CPM for those two reasons.
How many views do I need to make $1,000 a month?
It depends on your RPM: about 333,334 views a month at $3, or 200,000 at $5. Type your own RPM and goal above.
Why are the YouTube earnings I read online so high?
They often quote the CPM, what the advertiser pays, instead of the RPM, what reaches you, and count every view as if it showed an ad. On long-form videos, creators get 55% of the ad revenue: even with one ad on every view, a $10 CPM becomes an RPM of about $5.50.
When can I start earning from YouTube?
Through the YouTube Partner Program. Ad revenue needs 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days or 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days; from February 1, 2027, new applicants will need 8,000 hours or 20 million Shorts views. You’re paid once your balance reaches the payment threshold, $100 in the US.
Do Shorts pay the same as long videos?
No. Shorts Feed ad revenue goes into a Creator Pool shared by engaged views, and you keep 45% of what’s allocated to you; on long-form videos you get 55% of the ad revenue from your videos. From February 1, 2027, earning from the pool each month will take 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days.
Next step
- The checklistA YouTube video from idea to upload
- The short guideHow YouTube pay really works
- The routeBecoming a creator
- The calculatorMortgage payment
- The calculatorCalories per day
Related calculators
Worked example: a channel with videos and Shorts
Long videos and Shorts are paid from different pools, so each needs its own RPM from your Revenue tab. Say a month shows:
- Long-form videos: 200,000 views at an RPM of $4: 200 × $4 = $800.
- Shorts: 1,000,000 engaged views at an RPM of $0.10: 1,000 × $0.10 = $100.
- Estimated revenue: $900 for the month.
The RPMs here are only illustrations; yours are in YouTube Studio. Using one blended RPM for both formats would hide which part of the channel actually pays.
From estimated revenue to money in the bank
The figure in YouTube Analytics is not yet what you receive. Three things happen in between.
- Adjustments: YouTube adjusts estimated revenue twice, after about a week and again in the middle of the following month, for invalid traffic, copyright claims and some ad campaign types. Revenue also takes 2 days to appear.
- US tax withholding: every Partner Program creator, wherever they live, must give Google US tax info. With valid info, only earnings from US viewers can be withheld: nothing for US creators, and 0% to 30% for creators abroad, depending on tax treaties. Without it, Google may withhold up to 24% of total worldwide earnings.
- Payment threshold: you’re paid once the balance reaches the threshold for your currency, $100 in the US, with no holds on the account.
YouTube’s own example: a creator in India earns $1,000 in a month, $100 of it from US viewers. With no tax info, $240 is withheld. With tax info and India’s treaty rate, $15. With tax info but no treaty benefit, $30.
When views alone don’t explain your income
- Fan funding: channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers and Super Thanks pay 70% of net revenue under the Commerce Product Module, and, where the expanded Partner Program is available, can be switched on earlier, from 500 subscribers with 3 public uploads in 90 days and either 3,000 watch hours in a year or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days.
- YouTube Premium: from February 1, 2027, Premium Lite expands, and creators share in pools of 60% of net Premium Lite revenue and 30% of Premium revenue; these earnings appear in your Premium metrics.
- Shorts from February 2027: to earn from the Shorts Creator Pool in a month you’ll need 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. Missing it doesn’t remove you from the program or affect long-form earnings.
- Unmonetized views: your RPM falls when more views show no ads, even if total revenue stays the same.
What to do next
- Check your revenue share: in YouTube Studio, Settings, then Agreements, each module states its share.
- Submit or update US tax info in AdSense for YouTube by December 10 each year; forms expire at the end of the third full calendar year after signing. Refunds of past withholding are possible in limited cases if valid info arrives by the end of the same calendar year.
- Estimate your withholding: filter the Revenue report by United States, then multiply by the rate shown in your AdSense for YouTube tax settings.
- Keep the year-end form: creators abroad receive a 1042-S by April 14; US creators usually get a 1099-MISC by early March. Your own country may still tax the income, so check with a tax adviser.
Sources
- YouTube Help: U.S. tax requirements for YouTube earnings
- YouTube Help: YouTube partner earnings overview (revenue shares)
- YouTube Help: Check your YouTube revenue (adjustments)
- YouTube Help: Choose how you want to monetize (thresholds by feature)
- YouTube Help: Changes to the YouTube Partner Program from February 1, 2027
- YouTube Help: Meet YouTube’s revenue thresholds for payment
More questions
Does YouTube take tax from my earnings?
Google withholds US tax only on earnings from US viewers if you’ve given valid tax info: 0% to 30% for creators outside the US depending on treaties, none for US creators. Without tax info, it may withhold up to 24% of all your earnings.
Why did my YouTube revenue go down after I checked it?
Estimated revenue is adjusted twice, after about a week and in the middle of the next month, for things like invalid traffic and copyright claims.
How much does YouTube pay for memberships and Super Chat?
Under the Commerce Product Module, 70% of net revenue from channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers and Super Thanks.
When is the deadline for YouTube tax info?
December 10 each year, including for creators outside the US. Tax forms also expire at the end of the third full calendar year after signing, so they must be resubmitted.