To join the Medium Partner Program in 2026, you must have an active Medium membership, at least one published story, a complete profile, a bank account and tax residence in an eligible country, and be 18 or older. There is no follower minimum; payouts begin after your Stripe-connected balance reaches $10 USD.
Medium reopened the program on August 26, 2026, with an immediate eligibility check and no application waitlist. Medium’s current Help Center pages are the source of record.
What are the Medium Partner Program requirements at a glance?
| Requirement | What Medium requires | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Membership | Active Medium membership subscription | Medium Help — Partner Program eligibility |
| Published work | At least 1 published story | Medium Help — Partner Program eligibility |
| Profile | A complete profile with a photo and bio | Medium Help — Partner Program eligibility |
| Bank and country | A bank account and tax residence in an eligible country | Medium Help — Partner Program eligibility |
| Age | 18 years or older | Medium Help — Partner Program eligibility |
| Program terms | Agreement to the Partner Program Terms and Content Eligible for the Paywall Policy | Medium Help — Partner Program eligibility |
| Payout minimum | $10 USD balance before a Stripe payout is sent | Medium Help — Partner Program payouts |
Medium’s current eligibility checklist has no follower threshold and no publishing minimum beyond 1 story.
Every Source cell above links to Medium's own Help Center.
What does it take to join the Medium Partner Program?
Before enrolling, Medium requires you to:
- Maintain an active Medium membership
- Publish at least 1 story
- Complete your profile with a photo and bio
- Have a bank account and tax residence in an eligible country
- Be at least 18 years old
- Agree to the Medium Partner Program Terms
- Agree to the Content Eligible for the Paywall Policy
That is the full published checklist. Medium does not currently state a minimum number of followers, subscribers, or stories beyond the single published-story requirement.
Which countries are eligible for Medium Partner Program payouts?
Medium lists 119 eligible countries for Partner Program enrollment. Eligibility depends on your bank account and tax residence, rather than solely on where you are physically living (Medium Help — Partner Program eligibility).
| Alphabetical range | Eligible countries |
|---|---|
| A | Albania; Algeria; Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Armenia; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan |
| B | The Bahamas; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belgium; Benin; Bhutan; Bolivia; Bosnia & Herzegovina; Botswana; Brunei; Bulgaria |
| C | Cambodia; Canada; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Côte d’Ivoire; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic |
| D–E | Denmark; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Estonia; Ethiopia |
| F–G | Finland; France; Gabon; The Gambia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Guatemala; Guyana |
| H–I | Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Ireland; Israel; Italy |
| J–K | Jamaica; Japan; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kuwait |
| L | Laos; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg |
| M | Macao; Madagascar; Malaysia; Malta; Mauritius; Mexico; Moldova; Monaco; Mongolia; Morocco; Mozambique |
| N | Namibia; Netherlands; New Zealand; Niger; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Norway |
| O–P | Oman; Pakistan; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal |
| Q–R | Qatar; Romania; Rwanda |
| S | San Marino; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Singapore; Slovakia; Slovenia; South Africa; South Korea; Spain; Sri Lanka; St. Lucia; Sweden; Switzerland |
| T | Taiwan; Tanzania; Thailand; Trinidad & Tobago; Tunisia; Turkey |
| U–V | United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Uruguay; Uzbekistan; Vietnam |
Brazil and China do not appear on Medium’s eligible-country list as of August 2026. Medium also states that outlying territories of supported countries are excluded.
The figure of 119 countries is a manual count of the entries on Medium’s Partner Program eligibility Help Center page; Medium does not publish a running country total of its own, so recount periodically since the list can change without notice.
Because payout coverage can change, confirm your country against Medium’s current list before relying on your eligibility.
What changed when Medium reopened the program?
Medium reopened the Partner Program on August 26, 2026, with a faster enrollment process. Its announcement says writers can “see if you’re eligible right away, with no need to apply or wait” (Medium’s blog — “The Partner Program is open again”, August 26, 2026).
The reopened process replaced the prior application-and-review approach. References in older guides to requirements such as 5 stories in 6 months or 100 followers are obsolete examples, not current eligibility rules: neither threshold appears in Medium’s reopened checklist (Medium Help — Partner Program eligibility and Medium’s reopening announcement).
The current requirements are membership, at least 1 published story, a complete profile, an eligible-country bank account and tax residence, and an age of at least 18. Medium is not the only platform revising its monetization rules — see what's changing with the YouTube Partner Program in 2027 if video is also part of your income mix.
How does Medium calculate and pay Partner Program earnings?
Acceptance does not automatically place every story behind the paywall or guarantee a particular payment. Medium calculates earnings through member engagement rather than a fixed rate per view:
- Earnings are based on member reading and listening time on eligible paywalled stories, together with member claps, highlights, and replies.
- Medium does not publish a fixed rate per view or read.
- Payouts are sent through a connected Stripe account.
- A balance must reach $10 USD before Medium sends a payout; a smaller balance carries over to a later payment period.
Medium bases Partner Program earnings on paying-member activity, including reading or listening time and engagement (Medium Help — Partner Program earnings calculation).
Medium’s payout threshold is $10 USD, and balances below that amount roll forward until the threshold is reached.
What can you do if you do not meet Medium’s requirements?
Being ineligible for Medium’s Partner Program prevents you from participating in Medium’s own reading-time and engagement-based payout system. It does not prevent you from offering separate paid interactions to readers.
This is one alternative, not a Medium requirement or a Medium-endorsed option: FanBell, a direct-payment tool built by this site's own team, lets creators offer paid private questions, personalized shoutouts, small writing or editing services, tips, and project support without a follower or story-count minimum (how FanBell works, first-party source). Per FanBell's own published pricing page, the platform is free to start with no monthly fee and charges a 12% platform fee only when a fan pays, with Stripe processing charged separately by Stripe (FanBell pricing, first-party source).
FanBell payouts route through Stripe, the same processor Medium uses for Partner Program payouts. So FanBell does not require a Medium-supported bank account specifically, but receiving payouts still depends on completing Stripe onboarding and being in a location Stripe itself supports — Stripe's own country-availability list, not Medium's, is what applies (Stripe global availability; Stripe pricing).
FanBell can run alongside the Medium Partner Program after you enroll — the two are independent income sources, and adding FanBell does not require leaving or replacing Medium earnings.
For the wider picture of turning readers into paying supporters, see how to get paid for a newsletter and whether Substack is worth it for a small newsletter. If you want the full landscape of writer income sources, how content creators make money covers every route, and how BookTok creators make money covers the direct-reader-payment angle that runs alongside a platform’s own program.
Frequently asked questions
How many followers do I need to join the Medium Partner Program?
None. Medium’s current eligibility checklist has no follower or subscriber minimum. It requires an active membership, at least 1 published story, a complete profile, an eligible-country bank account and tax residence, and an age of at least 18 (Medium Help — Partner Program eligibility).
Do I need to apply and wait to join the Medium Partner Program?
No. Medium reopened the program on August 26, 2026, so writers can “see if you’re eligible right away, with no need to apply or wait” (Medium’s reopening announcement).
How much does the Medium Partner Program pay?
Medium does not publish a flat payment per view or read. It calculates earnings from paying members’ reading and listening time on eligible paywalled stories, along with claps, highlights, and replies (Medium Help — earnings calculation). Stripe payouts begin after your balance reaches $10 USD.
Can I get paid by readers without joining the Medium Partner Program?
Yes. Direct paid interactions are separate from Medium’s Partner Program and do not require a Medium membership, Medium story count, or Medium-supported bank account. FanBell has no follower minimum, is free to start, and charges a 12% platform fee when a fan pays (pricing and how it works). Because payouts use Stripe, Stripe’s country availability still applies.
Ready to get paid by readers without a story-count minimum or a reading-time formula? Create your free FanBell page and set up your first paid offer in minutes — payouts still route through Stripe, so Stripe's own country availability applies.
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