You can turn on YouTube channel memberships only if your channel meets YouTube’s fan-funding requirements and the separate membership criteria. If it qualifies, open YouTube Studio > Earn > Memberships > Get started, complete the prompts and Commerce Product Module if asked, then configure levels and perks for YouTube’s policy review.
Start with eligibility rather than designing tiers. Memberships are a paid feature, but passing the initial checks does not guarantee approval of your proposed perks, member growth or revenue. The current rules and feature availability can change, so verify your channel against YouTube’s membership eligibility and policy guidance before making promises to viewers.
Check whether your channel is eligible
The Memberships tab is not a setting every channel can simply switch on. YouTube says it appears in Studio only when the channel is eligible. If you cannot see it, treat that first as an eligibility question, not an interface fault.
Check the following baseline conditions before planning an offer:
- Your channel is in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).
- You are at least 18 years old.
- You live in a country or region where channel memberships are available.
- Your channel is not set as Made for Kids and does not have a significant number of videos that are Made for Kids or otherwise ineligible.
- You and, where applicable, your multi-channel network accept and comply with the relevant terms and policies.
These checks are related, but they are not interchangeable. Being in YPP does not by itself mean every monetisation feature is available to you, and a channel’s location or video catalogue can affect membership eligibility. YouTube identifies music-claimed videos as ineligible for memberships. Review the channel’s content and claims rather than assuming that an otherwise eligible account can offer memberships on every video or with every proposed perk.
Availability is geographic and can change. Use YouTube’s current country and region eligibility information rather than relying on a list copied into an older article. This is especially useful if you operate a channel in India but have account, residence or audience details spanning more than one region: check the official terms that apply to you, not a viewer’s location alone.
If YouTube has recently accepted your YPP application, membership activation may still take time while the channel is checked against membership criteria. YouTube’s mobile setup guidance says activation can take up to two days after YPP acceptance. Treat that as an estimate from its Help page, not a guaranteed deadline. If the feature is still missing, revisit the checks above and the current official instructions before rebuilding your setup or changing channel settings.
Understand fan-funding and membership requirements
It helps to separate baseline fan-funding requirements from the extra checks specific to memberships. The baseline tells you whether your channel can access the relevant fan-funding features at all. Membership criteria then apply to this particular feature, including channel and content eligibility.
A useful way to assess the difference is to ask two questions in order: can this channel access fan-funding features under YouTube’s current rules, and does this channel meet the membership-specific conditions? Passing the first is not proof of passing the second. YouTube’s terms and policy requirements also matter throughout setup, not only when you first apply.
| Check | What it means for your setup |
|---|---|
| YPP and fan-funding baseline | Confirm that your channel is accepted into YPP and meets the stated age and location requirements. |
| Membership-specific channel criteria | Check Made for Kids status and whether the channel has a significant number of Made for Kids or other ineligible videos. |
| Terms and policies | Read and accept the applicable terms, including the Commerce Product Module when prompted. |
| Content and claims | Check for music-claimed or other ineligible videos, and make sure proposed members-only material is suitable. |
This order prevents a common waste of effort: drawing up six elaborate tiers before discovering that the channel cannot access memberships. It also gives you a practical troubleshooting sequence. If the tab is absent, confirm YPP and fan-funding status first, then age and region, then the channel’s Made for Kids status and catalogue, and finally whether required terms have been accepted.
A 24/7 channel should apply the same careful review to its source material. For example, a devotional stream that includes music may need particular attention to rights claims; the channel format itself does not establish eligibility. Our guide to whether a 24/7 lofi radio stream can be monetised on YouTube discusses why rights and monetisation questions should be considered alongside the format. Check your own channel and current YouTube policies rather than treating another creator’s result as a ruling on yours.
Open Memberships in YouTube Studio
On desktop, sign in to YouTube Studio and select Earn from the left-hand menu. Open Memberships, choose Get started, and follow the prompts. If the tab is available, this is the route YouTube documents for turning the feature on.
In the YouTube Studio mobile app, open Earn and tap the Memberships card, then follow the prompts. YouTube’s Android instructions say that if the card does not appear, you can tap Get started in the Memberships section. The wording or placement may shift as the app changes, so refer to the current mobile activation instructions if your screen differs.
The desktop and mobile routes lead into the same setup decision: accept the applicable terms and complete the requested steps. First-time activation includes the Commerce Product Module (CPM) agreement. Do not skip past it as if it were merely a screen-layout step. Read the applicable terms and make sure the person accepting them has authority to do so for the channel or organisation.
If Earn is visible but Memberships is not, return to eligibility rather than assuming the feature needs a separate installation. If you have only just joined YPP, allow for the review period YouTube describes. If you have previously had the feature, check current policy status and account notices as well. Avoid relying on a friend’s Studio screenshot: different channels can have different feature access, and YouTube can change the interface.
For a channel that runs continuously, memberships are separate from the mechanics of keeping a live broadcast online. The Studio setup does not make a stream eligible, protect it from copyright claims or ensure that it stays live. If you are planning a pre-recorded channel, first understand the broadcast arrangement, such as in our guide to moving a 24/7 YouTube stream from OBS to a cloud service, and assess memberships as a distinct feature with its own requirements.
Complete activation and the Commerce Product Module
The CPM is YouTube’s commerce agreement for the feature. The setup flow can ask you to review and accept it as part of first-time activation. If you are prompted, read the terms before accepting; do not assume that accepting the YPP terms automatically covers every feature agreement or that a colleague’s acceptance covers your own channel’s obligations.
Once you have completed the prompts, YouTube may still need to review the channel against the eligibility criteria. In particular, a recently accepted YPP channel may not gain access to memberships immediately. The Help page’s estimate of up to two days is not a promise that every case will be resolved in that period. If the option remains unavailable after the stated window, check the account’s current status and YouTube’s help pages rather than repeatedly submitting changes.
Activation is only the point at which you can move into configuration. It is not the publication of an approved membership offer. You still need to choose levels and perks, ensure each is allowed and deliverable, and submit the proposal for review. Keep those steps distinct when telling your audience what is happening: “we are preparing memberships” is more accurate than announcing that memberships are live before YouTube has approved and published the offer.
Create levels and perks
On desktop, return to YouTube Studio > Earn > Memberships. In the level-and-perk setup area, select Edit, follow the prompts and use Publish to send your configuration for review. YouTube allows up to six levels, with one to five perks in each level. Higher-priced levels include the perks from lower-priced levels, so the offer is cumulative rather than a collection of unrelated menus.
YouTube suggests starting with one to three levels and adding more later if the offer warrants it. That is a planning recommendation, not a required number. A small channel may have little to gain from offering many tiers if each one creates another commitment to fulfil. Begin with the benefits viewers value and that you can keep providing when you are busy, travelling or managing a live channel overnight.
| Tier design question | Practical test before you publish |
|---|---|
| Viewer value | Would a regular viewer understand why this level differs from a free subscription? |
| Time and cost | Can you deliver the perk repeatedly without disrupting the channel’s main work? |
| Stacked benefits | Can someone joining a higher-priced level receive all lower-level perks as well? |
| Price by region | Have you checked how the offer is presented to viewers in different countries or regions? |
Potential digital perks listed by YouTube include badges, posts, custom emoji, members-first videos, live chat, members-only live streams, milestone chats, a recognition shelf, Shorts and videos. Choose only those you can actually supply. For instance, a weekly members-only post may be easier to maintain than a regular members-only video if your channel’s production time is limited. For a channel already running a continuous stream, a members-only live event is still an extra commitment; it should not be promised just because the public stream is always on.
Higher levels include lower-level benefits, so write the offer as a stack and check every tier from the member’s perspective. If the top tier promises a badge, a monthly members-only video and access to a live chat, make sure all three are listed and that the video cadence is sustainable. Do not create a perk that depends on being available at a particular hour unless you can reliably meet that expectation across the audience’s time zones.
YouTube’s price settings can vary by viewers’ country or region. The platform also says creators can adjust prices for new members once every 12 months from the last update; existing members remain at the price at which they joined. Because price and interface details can change, check YouTube’s pricing guidance in Studio before settling on a structure. Do not set a price by copying another channel without comparing the work and cost of your own promised benefits.
Submit for YouTube policy review
When you publish the levels and perks from the setup area, YouTube reviews them against its policies before they go live. Its Help guidance estimates that review takes about a day. That is an estimate, not a guaranteed approval or turnaround time, so avoid scheduling an announcement that assumes a specific result.
Review the policy examples before you submit. YouTube lists downloads of content available on YouTube, in-person one-to-one meetings, randomly selected benefits such as competitions or sweepstakes, and perks targeted at or attractive to children among prohibited examples. A perk that sounds modest to you can still be disallowed under the current rules. If a proposed benefit sits near a policy boundary, replace it with a clearer digital benefit and check the official wording before publishing.
Members-only videos must be fully original and cannot include copyright-claimed material, including claims from music partners. This matters for channels using devotional songs, lofi tracks, ambience recordings or other material that may have rights restrictions. A track that works in a public stream is not automatically cleared for a members-only video, and a claim can affect eligibility. Check the current terms and the status of the actual material you intend to use.
The creator remains responsible for delivering perks; YouTube says it does not take responsibility for creator-provided benefits. Do not promise a monthly upload, private interaction or other recurring commitment until you have worked out how you will produce and support it. If review rejects a level or perk, read the explanation and amend the offer in line with the current policy. Approval of one configuration is not a blanket approval for future changes or other content.
Manage memberships after setup
After the offer is live, treat it as an ongoing commitment, not a one-time configuration task. Use YouTube Studio to monitor how levels perform and whether members continue to receive the benefits you described. A simple working record of the promised perk, its cadence, who is responsible and when it was last delivered can prevent an overlooked post or stream from becoming a pattern.
YouTube recommends planning around audience motivations and creator capacity, explaining the offer in an announcement and an intro video, preparing some members-only content, and promoting membership links in public uploads. These are practical platform recommendations, not a guarantee of conversion. Tell viewers plainly what each level offers, how often you expect to provide it and what is not included. If the schedule changes, update members rather than letting an old promise remain unaddressed.
For a 24/7 channel, separate operational continuity from member value. A continuous broadcast may give viewers a dependable place to listen or watch, but it does not by itself make a paid tier distinctive. Consider whether members would value a genuinely original members-only update, a community post or a planned event, and whether you can maintain it without interrupting the main channel. Our article on starting a pre-recorded YouTube live stream in India covers the broadcast side; memberships add a separate set of eligibility, rights and delivery responsibilities.
Keep an eye on price and benefit changes. YouTube’s pricing guidance says existing members stay at the price at which they joined when prices for new members are adjusted, and describes a limit on how frequently the creator can update a level’s price. Check the current Studio guidance before changing pricing. Where a perk is no longer practical, consider a clear replacement and communicate it properly rather than silently removing a benefit members joined for.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
How do I turn on channel memberships?
Open YouTube Studio, select Earn, then Memberships, and choose Get started if your channel is eligible. Follow the prompts and review the Commerce Product Module if it appears. The Memberships tab is not shown to channels that do not meet YouTube’s current eligibility checks.
Where is the Memberships tab in YouTube Studio?
On desktop, look under Earn in the left-hand menu. In the YouTube Studio mobile app, open Earn and look for the Memberships card or section. If it is missing, check eligibility, location, channel status and any recent YPP review before assuming the app is at fault.
How many membership levels and perks can I create?
YouTube allows up to six levels, and each level must have one to five perks. Higher-priced levels include lower-level perks, so make sure you can deliver the full bundle. Start with a manageable offer rather than adding tiers simply because the feature permits them.
Does publishing levels mean my memberships are approved?
No. YouTube reviews submitted levels and perks against its policies before they go live, and its Help page estimates about a day for that review. Treat that timing as an estimate and do not promise a launch date or revenue before the offer is approved and available.