Monthly Dividend Calculator
Project monthly cash flow from monthly-paying dividend ETFs and stocks.
| Year | Start Balance | Start Shares | Share Price | Dividend / Share | Dividend Yield | Yield on Cost | Annual Dividend | Total Dividends | End Shares | End Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000 | 133.33 | $78.75 | $2.63 | 3.33% | 3.18% | $393.76 | $393.76 | 169.61 | $13,357 |
| 2 | $13,357 | 169.61 | $82.69 | $2.81 | 3.40% | 3.53% | $523.05 | $916.81 | 205.76 | $17,014 |
| 3 | $17,014 | 205.76 | $86.82 | $3.01 | 3.46% | 3.89% | $668.28 | $1,585 | 241.90 | $21,002 |
| 4 | $21,002 | 241.90 | $91.16 | $3.22 | 3.53% | 4.24% | $831.42 | $2,417 | 278.14 | $25,356 |
| 5 | $25,356 | 278.14 | $95.72 | $3.44 | 3.59% | 4.61% | $1,015 | $3,431 | 314.62 | $30,116 |
| 6 | $30,116 | 314.62 | $100.51 | $3.68 | 3.66% | 5.00% | $1,221 | $4,652 | 351.46 | $35,324 |
| 7 | $35,324 | 351.46 | $105.53 | $3.94 | 3.73% | 5.42% | $1,452 | $6,104 | 388.78 | $41,029 |
| 8 | $41,029 | 388.78 | $110.81 | $4.22 | 3.80% | 5.86% | $1,712 | $7,816 | 426.73 | $47,286 |
| 9 | $47,286 | 426.73 | $116.35 | $4.51 | 3.88% | 6.34% | $2,005 | $9,821 | 465.44 | $54,154 |
| 10 | $54,154 | 465.44 | $122.17 | $4.83 | 3.95% | 6.86% | $2,334 | $12,155 | 505.07 | $61,702 |
S&P 500 is included only as a total-portfolio-value reference — it isn't the most meaningful benchmark for income-focused strategies. The 10% baseline reflects the index's long-term nominal total return (price + dividends), a reference rather than a forecast.
What this calculator does
A monthly dividend calculator splits annual projections into the cash-flow cadence that monthly-paying investments actually deliver. Most US stocks pay quarterly, but a growing slice of ETFs — including covered-call income funds and a handful of REITs and BDCs — pay every month. The per-payment number at the bottom of the KPI block tells you what your monthly check should look like in any given year, so you can size a portfolio for monthly bill coverage without doing the division yourself.
How to use it
Dividend frequency is locked to monthly on this page, because that's what monthly investors are modeling. Everything else mirrors a generic dividend projection: initial investment, current share price, starting yield, expected dividend growth. Monthly-paying funds often have higher headline yields (8-12% is common in the covered-call space) but lower or even negative dividend growth — set the growth field accordingly. The DCA fields let you model adding to the position every month, quarter, or year on top of DRIP.
Frequently asked questions
Are monthly-paying ETFs better than quarterly ones?
For total return, no — payment frequency is mostly about cash-flow smoothness. For someone using dividends to cover monthly bills, monthly payments remove the need to set aside a quarter's worth at a time. For DRIP, the frequency barely matters: reinvesting twelve smaller buys versus four bigger buys produces nearly identical year-end share counts.
Why do some monthly-paying funds have flat or shrinking dividends?
Many high-yield monthly payers (especially covered-call ETFs) generate income by writing options. When markets are quiet, premiums shrink and so do distributions; when markets are volatile, the opposite can happen. These funds also occasionally return capital, which inflates the yield without growing real income. Set the dividend growth rate to 0% or even slightly negative when modeling these holdings.
How accurate is the per-month figure shown in the KPIs?
It's an annual income divided by twelve, not an actual monthly schedule. Real distributions vary month to month and can be lumpy near year-end. Use the figure as an average-month estimate; expect any given month to land within roughly 80-120% of that number.
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