By Chafik Gharbi ·
TikTok isn't a route for creators in India: the government blocked the app on 29 June 2020, and we found no official order lifting the block when we checked on 23 October 2026. YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels are open: India is on YouTube's list of Partner Program countries and on Meta's lists for Instagram Gifts and Subscriptions, and you can check your own status in YouTube Studio under Earn and in Instagram's Professional dashboard.
This guide covers what each platform requires today, how YouTube pays creators in India, the US tax Google may deduct, and what changes on 1 February 2027. Every fact below comes from an official page, checked on 23 October 2026. Rules and country lists change, so re-check those pages before you plan around them.
The short answer, platform by platform
TikTok: blocked in India since 29 June 2020, by government order.
YouTube Shorts: India is a Partner Program country. A 500-subscriber level opens fan funding and Shopping, and a 1,000-subscriber level adds a share of ad revenue.
Instagram Reels: Meta lists India for Gifts, from 500 followers, and for Subscriptions, from 10,000 followers.
Getting paid: YouTube pays creators in India through AdSense for YouTube, and wire transfer is the only payment method Google marks as available for India.
TikTok in India: blocked since June 2020
On 29 June 2020, India's Ministry of Electronics and IT announced that it "has decided to block 59 apps", TikTok among them, using its power under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. The release is on the Press Information Bureau site (pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1635206).
In August 2025, after reports that TikTok's website could be opened in India, the government clarified that "no order has been issued to lift the ban on TikTok in India" (All India Radio News, 23 August 2025, newsonair.gov.in/no-order-issued-to-lift-ban-on-tiktok-in-india-govt). We found no official notice lifting the block when we checked on 23 October 2026.
TikTok's Creator Rewards Program page also sets conditions on where creators are based. It says creators must "Be based in one of the countries where the Creator Rewards Program is available", must have "authentic account information, such as your real name and date of birth", and must have "an account registered in an eligible region" (support.tiktok.com/en/business-and-creator/creator-rewards-program/creator-rewards-program). That Help Center page doesn't list the countries, but TikTok's Creator Academy does: on 23 October 2026 it said the program "is currently open to creators in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, South Korea, France, Mexico, and Brazil" (tiktok.com/creator-academy/en/article/creator-rewards-program, last updated 10 September 2026). India isn't on that list.
So this guide doesn't describe a TikTok route for creators in India, and it doesn't cover ways around the block. If that changes, it will come as an official notice from the government, not as reports that the website loads.
YouTube Shorts: the Partner Program is open in India
YouTube lists India among the places where "You can sign up for the YouTube Partner Program" (support.google.com/youtube/answer/7101720). India is also on the list for the expanded program, the lower level that opens fan funding and Shopping earlier (support.google.com/youtube/answer/13429240).
The lower level needs 500 subscribers and 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days, plus either 3,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months or 3 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. It opens channel memberships, Super Chat and Super Stickers, Super Thanks, Jewels and gifts in live streams, and Shopping, each with its own eligibility rules.
The full level adds revenue sharing from ads and YouTube Premium. You need 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months, or 1,000 subscribers with 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days (support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851). YouTube notes that watch hours from Shorts in the Shorts Feed "won't count towards the 4,000 qualified public watch hours threshold", so a channel that posts only Shorts qualifies through the views route.
To join, YouTube asks you to live in a country or region where the program is available, follow its channel monetization policies, turn on 2-Step Verification for your Google Account, have advanced features access and no active Community Guidelines strikes, and link one active AdSense for YouTube account, set up in YouTube Studio if you don't have one. YouTube says a review typically takes about a month.
What changes on 1 February 2027
YouTube has announced Partner Program changes that start on 1 February 2027 (support.google.com/youtube/answer/12843009).
For new creators, the entry thresholds for ads and Premium rise to 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days, or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, still with 1,000 subscribers. YouTube says: "If you are already in YPP, your status is not impacted by this update."
To earn from the Shorts Creator Pool in a given month, creators "will now need to maintain 10M qualified Shorts views over the last 90 days". YouTube says missing that threshold won't remove you from the program or affect your other earnings, including long-form video.
The 500-subscriber level stays as it is: "There are no changes to the eligibility requirements for fan funding, YouTube Creator Partnerships, or YouTube Shopping." Creators in the program need to accept the updated terms in YouTube Studio by 31 January 2027 to keep earning from the features those terms cover.
How Shorts revenue is shared, and where viewers come in
Shorts are paid differently from long videos. Revenue from ads between Shorts in the feed is pooled, part of it covers music licensing, and YouTube distributes the rest, the Creator Pool, "based on their share of total engaged views from monetizing creators' Shorts in each country". Creators keep 45% of what is allocated to them (support.google.com/youtube/answer/12504220).
For ads in general, Google's analytics help says: "Different locations will have different levels of competition in the ad market, so CPMs will vary by geography" (support.google.com/youtube/answer/9314357). We don't quote per-view rates here. Your own YouTube Analytics shows what your views earn.
Getting paid in India: AdSense for YouTube
YouTube pays Partner Program earnings through AdSense for YouTube. Google's table of payment methods by country lists four options, and for India only one is marked as available: wire transfer. Check, EFT and PayPal Hyperwallet are marked "No" (support.google.com/youtube/answer/14728152).
Google also says your bank or branch "must be located in the same country or region as the address in your payments settings", and that "it's not possible to change your payment currency". Its wire transfer instructions include a field for the IFSC (Indian Financial System Code) next to the SWIFT BIC and the account number (support.google.com/adsense/answer/3372975).
US tax on earnings from US viewers
Every Partner Program creator, wherever they live, has to give Google US tax information. Google says it is "required to deduct taxes from your YouTube earnings from U.S. viewers, if applicable" (support.google.com/youtube/answer/10391362).
Google's own worked example is a creator in India. With tax info submitted and a treaty benefit claimed, the deduction is 15%, because "India and the U.S. have a tax treaty relationship that reduces the tax rate to 15% of earnings from viewers in the U.S.". With tax info but no treaty benefit, it's 30% of earnings from US viewers. With no tax info at all, Google may deduct up to 24% of total earnings worldwide.
Google asks creators to submit tax info, and to claim a treaty benefit if eligible, by 10 December each year. It says it "can't provide advice on tax issues" and that "Your local income tax laws may still apply to your YouTube earnings", so ask a tax professional about your own case.
Instagram Reels: Gifts and Subscriptions
Meta's help pages list India for two Instagram monetization tools. Both are paid by your audience, not per view.
Gifts: viewers buy Stars and send them as gifts on your reels, and Meta says "you'll receive $.01 USD for every Star received". You need a professional account, to be 18 or older, at least 500 followers and a payout account, and you must meet Meta's Partner Monetization Policies, Community Standards and Content Monetization Policies (help.instagram.com/738469380549477).
Subscriptions: followers pay a monthly fee for exclusive content. You need a professional account with at least 10,000 followers, to be 18 or older, and to meet the same policies (help.instagram.com/478012211024479). Meta says that if you're eligible, an option to set up subscriptions appears in your Professional dashboard.
Meta excludes accounts that primarily post content focused on children from both tools. It describes Instagram bonuses as tests offered "by invitation only for a limited time with availability in different countries", so they're not something to plan around.
Faceless Shorts in Hindi or in English
Many faceless channels in India publish in Hindi, many in English, and some creators run one channel in each. None of the thresholds above depends on the language you post in.
The language does decide who watches: a Hindi channel mostly reaches people who understand Hindi, and an English channel can reach viewers in many countries. No official page puts an earnings figure on either, and neither do we. Choose the language you can write well in and keep up week after week.
Whatever the language, YouTube's reviewers check originality. Its channel monetization policies say your content should "Be your original creation" and "Not be mass-produced, generic, repetitive, or manipulative", and that "channels where content feels interchangeable from video to video are not allowed to monetize" (support.google.com/youtube/answer/1311392). Since 15 July 2025, YouTube calls this the "inauthentic content" policy. Our guide to AI content on YouTube covers what it means for faceless channels.
Where ShortFast fits
ShortFast is an AI short-video generator made by SachaSoft LLC. It writes the script, builds the scenes in one of 27 styles, adds an AI voice and burned-in captions, and posts to YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels on a schedule. Captions cover 60+ languages, auto-detected.
Plans are priced in US dollars: Starter $19, Pro $39 and Advanced $99 a month. Monthly plans start with a 3-day trial for $1, which is the time to check that the voices and captions suit your language and your format.
ShortFast doesn't make a channel eligible for anything. Monetization is YouTube's and Meta's decision under the rules above, and the originality YouTube checks for comes from your topics and scripts, not from the tool.
How to check where you stand
On YouTube, open YouTube Studio and go to Earn. YouTube says you can select Get notified there to get an email once you reach a threshold.
On Instagram, open your profile and tap Professional dashboard to see which monetization tools your account can use.
On TikTok, nothing changes without an official order. Watch for a notice from the Ministry of Electronics and IT or the Press Information Bureau.
Every fact in this guide was checked on 23 October 2026 on the official pages cited. Platform rules and country lists change, so check them again before you plan around them.
FAQ
Common questions
- Is TikTok still banned in India?
- Yes, according to the official sources we found. India's Ministry of Electronics and IT blocked TikTok and 58 other apps on 29 June 2020 under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. In August 2025 the government clarified that no order had been issued to lift the ban, and we found no official notice lifting it when we checked on 23 October 2026.
- What are the YouTube Shorts monetization requirements in India?
- India is a YouTube Partner Program country. Ad revenue sharing needs 1,000 subscribers with 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, or 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months. A lower level for fan funding and Shopping needs 500 subscribers, 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days, and 3 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days or 3,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months. From 1 February 2027, new creators will need 20 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days or 8,000 qualified watch hours in 365 days, still with 1,000 subscribers.
- How do YouTube creators in India get paid?
- Through AdSense for YouTube. Google's table of payment methods by country marks wire transfer as the only one of its four options available in India; check, EFT and PayPal Hyperwallet are marked as not available. Your bank or branch must be in the same country as the address in your payments settings.
- How much US tax does Google deduct from YouTube creators in India?
- Google's own example for a creator in India shows 15% of earnings from US viewers when tax info is submitted and a treaty benefit is claimed, and 30% of those earnings without a treaty benefit. With no tax info, Google may deduct up to 24% of total earnings worldwide. Google asks creators to submit tax info by 10 December each year and says it can't give tax advice, so check your own case with a tax professional.
- Can creators in India earn money from Instagram Reels?
- Meta lists India for two tools. Gifts lets viewers send paid gifts on your reels and needs a professional account, at least 500 followers and age 18 or over. Subscriptions lets followers pay monthly for exclusive content and needs at least 10,000 followers and age 18 or over. Both also require Meta's Partner Monetization Policies. Meta describes Instagram bonuses as invitation-only tests.