In-Stream Ads and Reels Monetization Requirements
If you want to earn money from a Facebook Page in 2026 you must use Professional Mode or the Page must belong to a person who’s at least 18 years old. You also need to reside in a country that permits Facebook monetization.500 followers to use Facebook Stars or 5,000 followers and 60,000 watch minutes to earn from in‑stream ads and Reels are basic numbers.
Most articles that talk about Facebook money‑making rules for 2026 only list the numbers. Then stop. They do not explain the issues. Numbers can differ between sources. Even if you hit a number you still may not be approved. Also the country you live in matters from your follower count. I read Meta’s creator guides. Compared them with the best guides on this topic. When the guides matched I kept those numbers. When they did not match I chose one for you.
All Facebook money‑making tools rest on three rules. If you miss any one of them the follower numbers below do not matter.
You need a Facebook Page or a personal profile that has been switched to Professional Mode. A private non‑professional profile cannot earn money. You must be 18 years old or older. Your account must be verified. Your Page must be located in a country where the program you want’s available and availability differs from place to place.
There is also a minimum account age. Sources do not agree on this figure. SMMNut says 30 days; artha.link says 90 days. I could not find a Meta number so both possibilities exist. Check your Page’s status in the Professional Dashboard of guessing which number applies to you.
The numbers you need depend entirely on which money‑making feature you want to use. Facebook Stars requires a follower count.5,000 followers and 60,000 watch minutes are required for in‑stream ads and Reels monetization. Subscriptions require the numbers.
Stars is where most creators begin. There is no watch‑time requirement to keep you from earning. Everything above the Stars level involves waiting for engagement numbers, not follower counts. That is where most problems occur.
Here is something most guides do not mention: the follower and watch‑time numbers are the worldwide. What changes by region is whether the program is available in your country. A creator in Lagos or Karachi can meet the 5,000 follower requirement like a creator in Chicago yet still see “Not Eligible”. This is not because of their numbers. Because the program has not been turned on in their area yet.
If your dashboard shows “Not Eligible” and your numbers exceed the threshold check this table. Checking availability before you spend weeks on watch time saves you from applying to a program that has nothing to do with your content.
Meeting the Numbers Doesn’t Guarantee Approval
Meeting all the numbers does not guarantee approval. Rejections at this stage usually come from the content itself not the numbers.
Reposted or slightly changed videos from platforms are caught quickly by Meta’s originality check. Static images with audio or a podcast clip with an image do not count as original videos and block eligibility entirely. Music taken from outside Meta’s Sound Collection can trigger an automated rights claim that mutes the video or sends the money to the rights holder even if the page otherwise qualifies.
Meta has also been reducing the reach of reposted videos in Feed and Reels through 2026 pushing more views to creators who produce original content. This change makes the originality rule stricter in practice than it appears on paper. It is no longer a money‑making rule; it also affects how much your content is seen.
Facebook money‑making in 2026 works in two steps, not one. The numbers step: followers, watch time, video count. These numbers are the worldwide. The availability step: whether your country has the program turned on. That step is different. It is the step most creators miss. Stars needs 500 followers without requiring watch time.5,000 followers and 60,000 minutes of watch time in 60 days are required for in-stream advertisements and Reels monetization.You need 10,000 followers to have subscriptions. At every level, original content and licensed music are essential. Even if a page meets every number it can still be rejected because of one flagged post. Check your status in the Professional Dashboard before assuming anything from an article. This one included. A note on how these numbers were found: I obtained each number from Meta’s help documentation where it was listed and from creator guides that mentioned it. I then checked each number against least one external source covering the same program. When two reliable sources gave numbers—such, as the 30‑day and 90‑day page age—I showed you both instead of choosing one.