X Kills Revenue Sharing for Most Creators; Only 500k Qualified Impressions Now Decide Who Gets Paid

September 7 is the real cutoff for Revenue Sharing

The old onboarding window is already closed

Treat September 7, 2026 as the practical deadline, not a distant launch date. New Revenue Sharing enrollments ended immediately, so the shift is already underway.

Creators still being paid under the old plan should see September 7 as a running payout window, not a long-term guarantee. After that date, eligible creators do not auto-transition into the new system; they can apply for the new programme from September 8.

X always reserved the right to change the program

That risk is no longer theoretical. X said it may modify or cancel Creator Revenue Sharing at any time, and it can also accept or revoke participation at its sole discretion. For creators who depended on the old plan, the immediate issue is simple: the old runway ends on September 7, and the next step is the application window for Original Content Rewards.

Original Content Rewards changes what X pays for

X is moving away from the old Revenue Sharing model tied to ads served to Premium users in replies. Under Original Content Rewards, payouts are based on unique Premium user impressions on original posts in the Home Timeline.

Eligibility is also more explicit. Creators need 500 verified followers plus 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users in the past 90 days, along with an active Premium subscription. In practice, that makes qualified premium attention more important than raw reach.

The payout focus is now original posts in the feed

Under the old system, payouts depended on ad views in replies. The new design no longer requires ads in that way; users can now get paid for content that lacks advertisements entirely. The current program instead pays for unique Premium user impressions on original posts in the Home Timeline.

X has also been clearer about what it wants to reward. In a recent payout cycle, all aggregators had their payouts reduced to 60%. The platform has said straight reuploads, copied posts, basic summaries, and similar low-effort amplification can be ruled ineligible. Commentary, reactions, analysis, memes, and transformative posts may still qualify when they add meaningful original value.

Creators should plan around original work

That is why the new program leans toward reporting, expertise, original creative work, or genuine perspective. The broader signal from X is that it wants to better reward original content creators and reduce payouts that primarily flow to accounts whose main strategy is amplifying someone else's content.

What changes next for creators

The biggest behavioral shift is simple: the money is no longer following the reply chain. With payouts tied to unique Premium user impressions on original posts in the Home Timeline, reply-farming tactics matter much less than they did before.

Who likely benefits, and who may get squeezed

• Likely beneficiaries: original creators whose posts already generate verified Home Timeline impressions and standalone engagement.
• Likely pressured: aggregator accounts and high-volume repost networks, after X cut aggregator payouts to 60% in one cycle.
• Main watchpoint: the eligibility gate is stricter than it sounds. Creators need 500 verified followers and 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users in the past 90 days when applications reopen.

What would show the reset is working

The clearest signals after the switch would be: - original posts in the Home Timeline driving the majority of eligible earnings; - a continued tilt toward reporting, expertise, original creative work, or genuine perspective; and - ongoing pressure on aggregator-style repost accounts rather than only on obvious rule-breaking.

If those signals hold, the shift looks structural. If not, the changes may remain more selective than the headlines imply.