How to use the YouTube Revenue
- Enter monthly views on monetised videos.
- Enter your channel RPM from YouTube Studio.
- Or enter CPM and monetised playback rate to derive RPM.
- Add memberships and sponsorships separately for total channel income.
How the calculation works
Revenue = views ÷ 1,000 × RPM. CPM is what advertisers pay per thousand monetised impressions before YouTube's 45% cut; RPM is what lands in your account per thousand total views after the split and after unmonetised views. The two differ by a factor of three or more, which is why quoting CPM as earnings wildly overstates income. Monetised playback rate — the share of views that carry an ad — is typically 40–70%.
Niche and geography drive RPM more than subscriber count. Finance, business software and legal content command far higher advertiser bids than gaming or entertainment, and the same video earns several times more from US and UK viewers than from lower-CPM regions. Shorts monetise on a separate pool with dramatically lower RPMs. For most established channels, ad revenue is a minority of income: sponsorships, affiliate links and products usually exceed it.
Revenue = (views / 1000) × RPM ; RPM ≈ CPM × 0.55 × monetised playback rateSource: YouTube Partner Program 55/45 revenue split and YouTube Studio RPM/CPM definitions.
Worked example
480,000 monthly views, 14.20 CPM, 58% monetised playback rate.
- Creator share of CPM = 14.20 × 0.55 = 7.81.
- RPM = 7.81 × 0.58 = 4.53.
- Revenue = 480 × 4.53 = 2,174.
- Quoting the raw CPM would have suggested 6,816.
About 2,174 in ad revenue — roughly a third of what the headline CPM implies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between CPM and RPM?+
CPM is advertiser cost before YouTube's cut; RPM is your earnings per thousand total views after the split.
What split does YouTube take?+
Creators receive 55% of ad revenue on long-form video; Shorts use a separate, lower-yield pool.
Why is my RPM lower than others'?+
Niche, audience geography and video length all shift advertiser bids substantially.
Is ad revenue the main income for channels?+
Rarely. Sponsorships, affiliate income and products usually exceed AdSense for established creators.
Last reviewed August 31, 2026. We review this page whenever the underlying formula, tax year, published rate or standard changes.