Getting stuck in YPP Step 2 rejection hell is one of the most demoralizing things I've dealt with. Months of applying, waiting, getting that vague email, and starting over. what finally got me approved had nothing to do with my content. it came down to country associations across my Google accounts.

When you apply for Step 2 AdSense, you can use the same Google account as your channel or a different one. Which one you choose should not affect approval, but the country links on both need to be aligned. Make sure all of these are set to the same country:

Channel country of residence ( Studio > Settings > Channel)
Country on the AdSense application
Country on Google account payment profiles
Physical IP location when applying
Account country association

Most people get 1 and 2 right but screw up 4 or 5. i saw data points where applying with an address in Country A while physically in Country B led to denial, then applying while in Country A led to approval, so location can matter. In my case, applying while physically in the same country as my account did not solve it alone. after my first few rejections i made sure every application was submitted while i was physically in that country. Since I got approved while doing that, i can't say it didn't matter, but it wasn't the only factor.

The deciding factor was number 5, account country association. After a bunch of rejections, I realized the country on my Google account had been changed from my home country to the country where I was studying abroad. Google does this automatically after you're based in a new region for a while, and they don't notify you. You can check which region is tied to your account here: https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en. if you're logged in, the page shows the country at the top.

if that country is different from your AdSense application, channel, or physical location/IP during the application, my experience says you'll get auto-rejected. You can request a manual adjustment here: https://policies.google.com/country-association-form. Google usually handles it within 24 hours.

Another big move: after my rejections, i was told to close the rejected AdSense account (not the whole Google account), create a brand new Google account in my name, then apply for Step 2 through Studio with that new account. apparently an AdSense rejection means future applications on that same account will also be denied.

So after I fixed the region on my account back to my home country, closed the rejected AdSense account, and created a new Google account with the correct country association, i applied again. Previous rejections auto-rejected after 5 or 6 days. This one took about 10 days and finally got approved.

there is a ton of bad info out there, and AI chatbots were mostly useless for this. Here are some notes that might save you time.

Rejection email and account. most people get the same vague message: 'Thank you for your interest in Google AdSense. We've reviewed your application, and there are a few things you'll need to adjust before it can be approved. Once you've done so, one of our specialists will review your site for compliance with our Program policies.' That's their generic message when there's an account issue. An AdSense expert told me once you get this email, don't use that account for future applications because it will be auto-denied. My approval came with a brand new account that had never been rejected. so after a rejection, create a fresh Google account and apply with that.
a. The country on a brand new Google account is based on the physical location where it's made. If you want it tied to Country A, make sure whoever creates its in Country A.
b. You'll get a different email if you have a duplicate AdSense account. if you got the message above, you do not have a duplicate.
Help from Google. There's basically a brick wall between and AdSense teams. no one at can do anything about a Step 2 rejection. AdSense makes the decision and passes the message to , who just repeats it. has no authority or insight. Creator Support is useless for this, so don't waste your time. There's also no AdSense customer support for this process. A couple messages went out to corporate employees on a professional network and never got a response. A higher-level specialist was reachable through a public social media post, but they gave the same response as Creator Support. They even said i could not create any AdSense account in the future. That supports the idea that once a Google account is rejected from AdSense, it can't be approved later. The specialist email is yt-partner-support@google.com, but don't email them expecting a reply. They only initiate conversations after you've reached them on social media.
AdSense consultants. I chatted with two 'AdSense experts' on a freelance marketplace. They had good reviews but weren't very helpful. They said turnaround would be at least 2 to 3 weeks and they couldn't guarantee anything. they gave some advice, but i didn't want to hand over access to my Google accounts, so I skipped their service.
Middle name. i read a data point where someone got approved after adding their middle name to the application. It probably wasn't a factor, but i added mine to later applications.
waiting period. I don't believe there's any cool-down period after a rejection or closing an AdSense account. google's system seems to update immediately, and you can apply again right after closing or opening a new Google account. i've heard it may take 90 days to be eligible with the same Google account after a rejection, but that might be a rumor, and I wouldn't use the same account anyway.
google payment profiles. i updated all payment profile names and addresses across my Google accounts to the same two addresses. It probably didn't make a difference, but it can help if they're cluttered.
Multiple Google accounts. i have a couple of different Google accounts for various purposes and still got approved, so I don't think multiple accounts will get you denied.
AdSense tax section. After applying for Step 2, you can fill out the tax section, but i don't think it's necessary. i did it just to be safe after so many rejections, but it's not required with the application.
Address. I got approved with an AdSense address that had been on a previously rejected application, so rejections don't blacklist an address. an expert also said AdSense can approve multiple accounts with the same address. you shouldn't get rejected for duplicate address issues. I used an address not on my driver's license or tax filings, so they don't need to match.
Phone number. My phone number was ported to a VoIP service, so I used a family member's number on the application and changed it to mine later. it probably didn't matter.
physical location. Don't use a VPN to trick Google about your location. They know where you're applying from. if you can't apply from the country where your address and account are based, have a friend there apply for you. It's possible physical location doesn't matter, but align it if you can.
auto rejections. i can't say for certain, but if you're stuck in a loop where every application gets denied after 5 or 6 days, my guess is an automated system is making that call, not a human.
Step 3. Once you're approved for Step 2, Step 3 usually goes through quickly, so you should be in the clear.

a couple of other creators in the thread had similar wins. One person was abroad in Thailand and got rejected 7 times on their first Google account. They closed it, tried a new account, and got rejected again. After 8 rejections, they didn't log into that AdSense for 24 hours to make it look like they flew back to Canada. Then they had their brother log into the AdSense from their house and Wi-Fi and hit submit. They got approved in 48 hours using the exact same information, address, name, and phone number. another person had a family member log into their actual computer back home in Germany, sign into their Google account, and resubmit the existing AdSense application from a German IP. Their rejections usually took 5 to 7 days. They also asked if i used the same legal name and address on the approved account. i did. the successful application reused one of the previously rejected addresses, kept my real identity, and only changed the Google account and its country association and location.

so if you're stuck, stop tweaking your channel for a bit. Check your country associations, close any rejected AdSense account, create a fresh Google account in the right country, and apply from the right physical location. That's what finally broke the loop for me.