Medium Partner Program Requirements in 2026

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?

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).

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. Outside any partner program, readers can pay you directly with no threshold to reach, for a written answer, a custom video, a commission, a tip or a contribution toward a named goal.

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?

If Medium says you are not eligible—or your audience is still small—you can still get paid directly by readers instead of waiting to meet a platform gate. Not meeting Medium's rules does not stop you from offering separate paid interactions to readers.

This is one independent option, not a Medium requirement or endorsement: Brillay lets writers offer one private question and one written answer through Paid Questions, commissions and small custom work through Custom Work, one-time support through Tips, one named funding target through Goals, custom videos through Personalized Videos, and a “Work with Me” form through Brand Collaboration Inquiries—with no follower or story-count minimum. No monthly fee, you only pay a small platform fee when you get paid. 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, 5% platform fee on tips and goals. Card processing is separate. Brillay's pricing page has the details (Brillay pricing, first-party source), and how Brillay works covers the mechanics.

Brillay payouts route through Stripe, so creators in 41 countries can get paid while followers pay by card from anywhere. Receiving those 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).

Brillay’s 41-country payout list is narrower than Stripe’s general availability, so check it before signing up.

Followers pay upfront; you can decline a request.

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. A reader who would never buy a Medium membership can still pay you once for an answer, a commission or a goal, with nothing to subscribe to.

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. Readers can pay you independently of Medium—for example, $25 for a defined portfolio or draft review, $20–$35 for a private written answer, or $3 as a one-time tip. Brillay has no follower minimum, and its published pricing page states the current platform fee (pricing and how it works). Brillay creator payouts are currently available in 41 countries.

Ready to get paid by readers without a story-count minimum or reading-time formula? Create your free Brillay page, set a clear price and scope, and share one link; there is no monthly fee, and Brillay's pricing page states the current platform fee.