Qualified Watch Hours
Qualified watch hours — also called valid public watch hours — are the hours YouTube counts toward Partner Program eligibility: watch time on your public videos longer than 60 seconds, live streams, and premieres, over a rolling 365-day window. Watch time from Shorts, private or unlisted videos, deleted videos, ads, and paid promotion does not count.
Check which of your hours qualify
Tick everything your channel actually publishes or has published:
Where to find your real number
YouTube shows you two watch-time figures and they are almost never the same. The one on your Analytics overview is total watch time across everything you have selected — Shorts included. The one that decides monetization lives in YouTube Studio → Earn, where the Partner Program progress card tracks your qualified hours over the last 365 days.
If those two numbers are far apart, it is usually Shorts. A channel posting heavily to Shorts can rack up an impressive overall watch time while its qualifying total barely moves — which is exactly the surprise that catches creators out when they check the Earn tab for the first time.
Once you have the real figure, the watch hours calculator turns it into a projected date, and the monetization checker runs your channel against every Partner Program path at once.
How many qualified watch hours you need
Today: 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 qualified public watch hours in the last 365 days. From February 1, 2027, new applicants need 8,000 — the subscriber requirement is unchanged, and channels already in the Partner Program are grandfathered at the old bar.
That makes the distinction on this page more expensive than it used to be. Assuming Shorts watch time is helping you when it is not can cost months, and the window to get in under 4,000 hours is finite — the deadline countdown shows how much of it is left, and the 2027 changes explained covers what else moved.
Frequently asked questions
What are qualified watch hours on YouTube?
Qualified watch hours — also called valid public watch hours — are the hours YouTube counts toward YouTube Partner Program eligibility. They come from watch time on your public videos longer than 60 seconds, your public live streams, and premieres, measured over a rolling 365-day window. Watch time from Shorts, private or unlisted videos, deleted videos, ads, and paid promotion does not count.
Why is my qualified watch hours number lower than my total watch time?
Because they measure different things. The watch time on your Analytics overview includes Shorts, private and unlisted videos, and any period you select. Qualified watch hours only count public long-form and live content over the last 365 days. YouTube Studio shows the qualifying figure on the Earn tab — that is the number that decides eligibility.
Do YouTube Shorts count toward qualified watch hours?
No. Shorts watch time never counts toward the watch-hours threshold. Shorts have a separate route into the Partner Program measured in views rather than hours: 10 million qualified public Shorts views in 90 days today, doubling to 20 million from February 1, 2027.
Do live streams count toward qualified watch hours?
Yes. Watch time on public live streams counts, and so does watch time on the archived replay once the stream ends — as long as the recording stays public and longer than 60 seconds.
Why did my watch hours go down?
Three common reasons. Qualified watch hours use a rolling 365-day window, so hours earned more than a year ago drop off the back. Deleting a video removes the hours it earned. Switching a video to private or unlisted stops it counting and removes its existing contribution.
How many qualified watch hours do I need for monetization?
1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 qualified public watch hours in the last 365 days for applications accepted before February 1, 2027. From that date, new applicants need 8,000. Channels already accepted into the Partner Program are grandfathered and keep their status.
Stop guessing which number is the real one
Connect your channel and your qualified watch hours over the rolling 365-day window are read straight from your own data — tracked against the threshold, with a projected date that updates as your pace moves.
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