Twitch subscriptions in 2026 are slightly different than in prior years. The biggest change to enable subscriptions came with the “Monetization for All” update to Twitch in May 2026. This tutorial will outline the how to enable subscriptions, and show you the big difference between enabling them for your channel, and actually earning money from them.
What Changed in 2026
These two updates came down the pipe for Twitch streamers simultaneously in the May 2026 “Monetization for All” update.
- The Affiliate thresholds have been reduced for the first time in Twitch history.
Core monetization features on Twitch such as: channel subscriptions, Bits, custom channel emotes, channel badges and(Channel) Points will now be available for all active users who qualify to use them.
A very important note to keep in mind: enabling these features for your channel does not mean you are making money yet. You will actually need to become a Twitch Affiliate or Twitch Partner and meet their required minimums ($50 for example) to start making money from these features.
Step 1: Understand the Current Affiliate Requirements
To earn the right to start earning money from Twitch subscriptions, you will need to reach Affiliate status. This will require you to have met four different criteria, within a 30 day rolling window.
- 25 followers
- 4 hours streamed
- 4 different broadcast days
- An average of 3 concurrent viewers on those broadcast days
These requirements represent a considerable decrease from the prior minimums of 50 followers, 500 minutes of streaming time, and 7 days of subsequent broadcasting — thresholds that had not been lowered by Twitch since the inception of Affiliate back in 2011.
Step 2: Stream Consistently to Hit the Broadcast Requirements
In tracking the requirements, a major focus point is going to be in making sure that we have enough consistent time in the zone to reach the necessary amount of time even before the first four hours have passed.
- Plan for 4 or more streams of different length over different days of the week.
- Aim for a combined total of at least 4 hours.
- Try to avoid having long breaks between your sessions. The older hours will “fall off” of the window after two or more weeks.
Step 3: Build Toward the Concurrent Viewer Requirement
For new streamers, the 3-average-concurrent-viewer requirement is typically the hardest to achieve as the new streamer will usually get lost in the discovery system which tends to favor established streamers who have views already.
- Post your stream times on other platforms and chat spaces that you have previously used to advertise your existing presence.
- Stream during time slot of your Twitch Category that are less crowded.
- Engage your viewers in conversations and other interactive aspects to retain your current viewers while searching for new viewers.
- Co-stream or do a raid with other small streamers to share your audiences!
Step 4: Apply for Affiliate Once Requirements Are Met
The Affiliate invitation will be sent to you via e-mail within the 30-day time frame and will also appear in the Achievements section of your Twitch Creator Dashboard once all the 4 requirements have been met within the said time frame.
- Check your Achievements page on the Creator Dashboard for progress.
- Accept the invitation once it appears
- Make sure all the tax and other payout information is filled out and up to date in order to start earning money from your subscribers.
Step 5: Turn On Subscriptions
All the steps above need to have been completed for you to turn on your subscriptions in the Creator Dashboard. Now you can set up your 3 subscription tiers ($4.99, $9.99, $24.99) and customize your subscriber badges as well as add emotes to each tier of subscription. Note that as an Affiliate, the default revenue share for subscriptions is 50/50 with Twitch, but this can change as you grow your channel and reach milestones to earn more through the Twitch Plus Program.
- Click on the “Subscriptions” tab, located in the Monetization section of the dashboard.
- Set custom subscription badges for each subscription tier if desired, as well as custom emotes per subscription tier.
- Verify that all three tiers for monthly subscriptions ($4.99, $9.99, $24.99 per month) are enabled.
- 50% of your viewers’ paid subscriptions go to you as a Twitch Affiliate.
Step 6: Understand How Revenue Splits Can Improve Over Time
While subscription income for Affiliates remains at 50% for the streamer (and 50% for Twitch), there is a potential to increase the percentage as the Affiliate builds their channel by virtue of subscribers alone (ie, without having to send eyeballs to videos).
- 60/40 split once 100 Plus Points have been sustained for 3 months.
- Reaching 300 Plus Points unlocks a 70/30 split
- Plus Points are gained by legitimate paid recurring subs, such as Tier 1 subs = 1 point per renewal, Tier 2 subs = 2 points per renewal, and Tier 3 subs = 6 points per renewal.
- Gifted subscriptions and Prime Gaming subs do not count toward Plus Points.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
- Permanent status as an Affiliate, which can be revoked in case of a Terms of Service violation (such as the use of a service to buy viewers or followers).
- Note that all legitimate viewers (lurkers included, as well as those watching through embedded player) are counted in this metric; however, systems designed to defraud Twitch of true viewer counts could result in the Affiliate’s Terms of Service being violated and thus their status being revoked.
- For becoming a Twitch Partner, streaming requirements (75 avg viewers, 25 hours, 12 unique broadcast days) have not been lowered.
Final Thoughts
While the changes to subscription monetization for 2026 make it easier to turn on and start earning from subscriptions, the core elements of streaming and reaching Affiliate and then Partner status have not changed. It still takes consistent streaming, engagement with your viewers and a steady growth in viewers and time streamed over time to achieve Affiliate status and then eventually Partner status.
