Getting paid on X works differently now. The platform retired its Creator Revenue Sharing programme on September 7, 2026, and began rolling out its replacement, Original Content Rewards, from September 8. Existing members could apply for the new programme through Creator Studio, and the change redraws both who can earn and what kind of posts actually generate a payout.
The biggest shift is the unit X pays for. Instead of broad engagement, creators now earn from qualified impressions: unique views from X Premium subscribers on the Home Timeline, where at least half of the post is visible. Paid, promoted or artificially generated impressions do not count, and neither do repeat views from the same account. That means the view total in a post's analytics will usually be higher than the number that matters for payment, because only Premium viewers in the Home feed qualify.
Eligibility has changed shape, too. Creators need an active Premium subscription, at least 500 verified followers, and 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users over the previous 90 days, with replies excluded from that count. The old programme asked for five million organic impressions over three months alongside the same follower threshold, although the two impression measures are not directly comparable, since the new one targets verified users in the Home Timeline specifically. Payouts are issued every two weeks while an account and its content continue to meet the requirements.
Originality is the other gate. Original reporting, commentary, analysis, photographs, videos and graphics a creator made themselves can qualify, and commentary that genuinely adds perspective to a news story counts as well. Copied posts, minimally modified material, aggregated content and simple cross-platform reposts do not. Posts that receive a Community Note become ineligible for rewards, and content mainly teaching others how to maximise payouts is also excluded.
For everyday creators, the practical lessons are clear. Check the verified impression figures in Creator Studio rather than relying on headline view counts, since those are the numbers the programme tracks. Post work that carries a recognisable voice or expertise, because aggregation accounts built on recycled viral clips are exactly what the new rules are designed to pay less. And treat accuracy as part of monetisation now: a Community Note does not just add context to a post, it removes that post from earning altogether.
The direction of travel is familiar across social media, with other large platforms also tying payouts more tightly to original, authentic work. On X, the message is simple: the timeline still rewards reach, but the money now follows original posts that Premium readers actually see in their Home feed.