Channel memberships allow viewers to join your channel through monthly payments and get members-only perks like badges, emoji and other goods. If you're eligible, these policies and guidelines will help steer you out of trouble.
Minimum eligibility requirements
You must meet minimum requirements to be considered for channel memberships on YouTube.
Keep in mind, meeting the following does not mean that you'll automatically get channel memberships. We're slowly rolling out this feature. Some music channels may not be eligible e.g. under SRAV contract. If you have access, you'll see memberships as an option on the Memberships page:
- Your channel must have more than 1,000 subscribers.
- Your channel is in the YouTube Partner Programme.
- You're over 18 years old.
- You're in one of the available locations.
- Your channel has a Community tab.
- Your channel is not set as Made for Kids.
- Your channel does not have a significant number of ineligible videos.
- Videos set as Made for Kids, or videos with music claims are considered ineligible.
- You (and your MCN) have agreed to and are complying with our terms and policies (including the relevant Commerce Product Addendum).
If you are a partner who has just joined YPP, you are requested to wait up to one week for Studio to update if you are eligible for membership.
Channel memberships are currently available to eligible creators in the following locations: Algeria, American Samoa, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Germany, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam.
Learn how to set your location.
If you are a partner who has just joined YPP and are eligible for the membership, you are requested to wait up to one week for Studio to update.
Channel memberships policies and guidelines
Channel memberships policies
- The YouTube Terms of Service
- The YouTube Community Guidelines
- YouTube monetisation policies
- Commerce Product Addendum
- Participating creators can accept the Commerce Product Addendum under 'Agreements' in Settings in YouTube Studio.
- Channel membership content and perk guidelines
You should be aware of our Community Guidelines strike system and aware of potential loss of privileges for actions that cause harm to the YouTube community.
All channel membership benefits that you offer – including badges, emoji, perks, videos, live chats and other content – are subject to membership policies and guidelines.
While you can offer benefits that make your members feel special, the following members-only benefits are not allowed under our policies and terms:
- Downloads of content (including music) available on YouTube
- In-person 1:1 meetings
- Anything that one or some (but not all) of your members are chosen to get at random including, but not limited to:
- Competitions
- Lotteries
- Sweepstakes
- Perks that are marketed, directed or targeted to children, or that may be attractive to or inappropriate for children
- Perks encouraging children to ask their parents to join your channel membership
Policy and guideline violations
Paused mode- Your channel has been terminated or found in violation of YouTube monetisation policies.
- You lose monetisation due to leaving or switching content owners.
- You set your channel as Made for Kids.
What happens when your channel is in paused mode
Exit paused mode
To exit paused mode and resume channel memberships, you (or your new MCN) must go to studio.youtube.com/channel/UC/monetization/memberships and click Turn on in the channel memberships box. You can only activate memberships if you (or your new MCN), agree to and are complying with our terms and policies (including the Commerce Product Addendum).
Once you have resumed memberships, your members will regain access to membership offerings by your channel. They'll be charged again at the start of their next billing cycle unless they cancel.
What happens to your members while you're in paused mode
You might lose some of your members while your channel is in paused mode.
For members who have signed up on youtube.com, we will not cancel your members for 90 days while your channel is in paused mode. Members can choose to cancel their membership during this time
If a member signed up on the YouTube Android or iOS apps and their billing period ends while your channel is in paused mode, they may lose membership to your channel.
Members will have the option to rejoin if the channel membership is resumed.
What happens if you're in paused mode for more than 90 days
If channel membership is not resumed within 90 days, membership on your channel will be ended and you'll lose all members on your channel. Your members at the time of termination will automatically be refunded for their last month's payment for membership on your channel. If we need to refund your members, your share will be deducted from your AdSense account.
Warnings and strikes
All content on YouTube is subject to our Community Guidelines. Anything that you offer as part of channel memberships must meet the same policy standards as any content that you post.
What happens if your memberships perks violate our guidelines and policies
Our team reviews channel memberships perks you submit before the public sees them, and inappropriate perks will be rejected. For minor violations, you'll get a warning. For serious or repeated violations, you may get a Community Guidelines strike.
What happens if you get a strike
We understand that users make mistakes and don't intend to violate our policies – that's why strikes don't last forever and can be appealed. Each strike expires after 90 days.
While you have a strike on your account, you may not have access to some features on YouTube. You can see what features are active in your account's Status & Features.
If your channel gets three strikes
If your account gets three Community Guidelines strikes within a three-month period, your account will be ended.
Appealing strikes
If you believe that the strike was issued without cause, you can appeal the strike on your account.
What happens if memberships are ended on your channel
If membership is terminated on a channel because of termination by the channel, removal from the YouTube Partner Programme or as a result of abuse, fraud or breach of our terms or policies, all active paying members will get a refund of their last month's payment. The channel's share of the revenue to be refunded will be deducted from the channel.