Start with the money.

A thousand of what?

CPM and RPM both contain the word “thousand.” They count different things. CPM is advertiser spend per thousand ad impressions, before YouTube’s revenue share. RPM is creator revenue per thousand views, after that share. For Shorts, the RPM denominator is engaged views. YouTube’s ad-revenue definitions distinguish these metrics as checked on 9 September 2026.

One video view can carry more than one ad. Another can carry none. A CPM figure on a screenshot is therefore insufficient to calculate a creator’s revenue. Start with the creator-side revenue and matching views in your own report.

Don’t subtract the platform share twice.

The calculator uses RPM. The platform’s revenue share is already reflected in that number. Multiplying views by RPM and then removing another platform percentage would understate the result. It is still revenue, however. Your editor, software and time have not been paid from it.

Two kinds of money left over.

Cash surplus is estimated revenue minus the cash allocated to making the video. Surplus after valuing your time also subtracts your own hours at a rate you choose. Your time is not a second cash payment; the extra line makes unpaid work visible. These are planning figures before taxes and any costs you have left out.

Every starting value here is an invented teaching example, not a typical channel or an earnings forecast. Replace the sample RPM with a figure from your own channel, for the same format and date range as the views. A past RPM does not promise a future one.

Run this on your own channel.

1. Choose a reporting period and a single format. Record the date you pulled the figures.
2. Copy the views and RPM for that period. Keep outside sponsorship revenue separate.
3. Allocate direct costs and a fair share of recurring costs to the video.
4. Record your own hours. Read the cash result and the result after valuing your time side by side.