Skip to content
Elhano Creator Tools

How to Make Money on TikTok: Creator Rewards and Other Options

By Elhano Creator Tools editorial team · Published 26 October 2026

TikTok pays creators in several ways, but the one most people mean when they ask “how much does TikTok pay” is the Creator Rewards Program. This guide covers who qualifies, which videos earn, how TikTok says rewards are calculated, and the other income options worth knowing. Requirements are from TikTok's help centre, checked 26 October 2026.

The Creator Rewards Program

The Creator Rewards Program replaced the old Creator Fund. It pays for qualified views on original videos longer than one minute. TikTok's announcement says the formula focuses on four things:

  • Originality: content unique to you, showing your own point of view.
  • Play duration: watch time and finish rate.
  • Search value: how well the video matches what people search for on TikTok.
  • Audience engagement: likes, comments and shares.

TikTok also says the formula accounts for an account's ad value, based on the community's ad watch time.

Eligibility

According to the Creator Rewards help page, you need to:

  • post from a country where the programme is available;
  • have a personal account (not business, government or political) in good standing, with authentic account details;
  • be 18 or older (19 in South Korea);
  • have at least 10,000 followers;
  • have at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days.

Which videos earn

  • Original, high-quality content you filmed and produced yourself.
  • At least one minute long, posted after you joined.
  • At least 1,000 qualified For You feed views. Each account counts once per video, a view has to last more than 5 seconds, and views from people who marked “Not interested” don't count.
  • No ads, paid promotions, sponsored content, Duets or Stitches, and nothing that breaks the Community Guidelines.

How much does TikTok pay?

TikTok doesn't publish a rate per 1,000 views, and because the formula weighs watch time, search value and engagement, two videos with the same views can earn different amounts. Rates creators share online vary widely by country and niche, so treat any single figure with caution.

Once you're in the programme, calculate your own RPM from the dashboard: estimated rewards ÷ qualified views × 1,000. Then use the TikTok money calculator to project earnings with low, middle and high scenarios.

Example: a month of eligible videos gets 1,200,000 views, of which 55% qualify. At an RPM of $0.60: 1,200,000 × 0.55 ÷ 1,000 × $0.60 = $396. If better retention raised the qualifying share to 70%, the same views would earn about $504.

Earning more per view

  • Earn the minute. Videos must be over a minute; make the extra length worth watching rather than padding.
  • Hook early, deliver fully. Play duration includes finish rate.
  • Target searches. Say your keywords out loud, put them on screen and in the caption, and use a few specific hashtags. The hashtag generator helps.
  • Stay original. Reposted clips and Duets don't qualify.

Other ways to earn on TikTok

  • Brand partnerships. Often the biggest income source. TikTok has a Creator Marketplace (TikTok One) that connects creators with brands. Price your work consistently with the sponsored post calculator, which uses the same logic for any platform.
  • LIVE Gifts. Viewers can send virtual gifts during LIVE videos, subject to age and eligibility rules.
  • Subscriptions. Eligible creators can offer paid subscriptions with perks.
  • TikTok Shop affiliate. Where available, earn commission on products you promote.
  • Off-platform. Send viewers to your own products, newsletter or YouTube channel.

Availability of these features varies by country and changes often; check the Creator tools section of the TikTok app for what's open to you. Always disclose paid content using TikTok's content disclosure setting.

Key takeaways

  • Creator Rewards needs 10,000 followers, 100,000 views in 30 days, 18+, a personal account and an eligible country.
  • Only original videos over one minute with 1,000+ qualified For You views earn.
  • There's no fixed rate: watch time, search value and engagement change what each view is worth.
  • Brand deals and other features often add more than Rewards.

Sources