SCHD Dividend Calculator
Dividend growth rate (CAGR)
Yield-on-cost
Current forward annual dividend ($1.03) ÷ split-adjusted share price at the year shown.
| 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 | 309.69 | $33.79 | $1.03 | 3.04% | 2.92% | $362.66 | $362.66 | 393.13 | $13,283 |
| 2 | $13,283 | 393.13 | $35.36 | $1.12 | 3.17% | 3.30% | $488.72 | $851.38 | 476.50 | $16,847 |
| 3 | $16,847 | 476.50 | $37.00 | $1.22 | 3.31% | 3.69% | $634.93 | $1,486 | 560.18 | $20,725 |
| 4 | $20,725 | 560.18 | $38.71 | $1.34 | 3.45% | 4.10% | $804.47 | $2,291 | 644.61 | $24,955 |
| 5 | $24,955 | 644.61 | $40.51 | $1.46 | 3.60% | 4.55% | $1,001 | $3,292 | 730.23 | $29,581 |
| 6 | $29,581 | 730.23 | $42.39 | $1.59 | 3.75% | 5.04% | $1,229 | $4,521 | 817.53 | $34,654 |
| 7 | $34,654 | 817.53 | $44.36 | $1.74 | 3.91% | 5.57% | $1,494 | $6,015 | 907.03 | $40,232 |
| 8 | $40,232 | 907.03 | $46.41 | $1.90 | 4.08% | 6.17% | $1,801 | $7,816 | 999.29 | $46,381 |
| 9 | $46,381 | 999.29 | $48.57 | $2.07 | 4.26% | 6.83% | $2,159 | $9,975 | 1094.95 | $53,179 |
| 10 | $53,179 | 1094.95 | $50.82 | $2.26 | 4.44% | 7.57% | $2,575 | $12,550 | 1194.70 | $60,716 |
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.
Historical dividends per share
Dividend-led pattern. Over 5 years SCHD's dividend grew 9.15%/yr — roughly 1.5× VOO (5.91%) and 2.4× VYM (3.79%). Share price grew 4.64%/yr in the same window. Yield drifted from 2.8% to 4.3%.
For reinvesters, each DRIP buys cheaper income than the previous — yield-on-cost compounds upward. For total-return investors, dividend growth here is outpacing capital appreciation.
Based on dividends paid December 2011 to March 2026.
Recent dividends
| Ex-date | Cash amount | TTM yield | Fwd yield | Share price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-25 | $0.26 | 3.46% | 3.36% | $30.54 |
| 2025-12-10 | $0.28 | 3.80% | 4.04% | $27.57 |
| 2025-09-24 | $0.26 | 3.81% | 3.84% | $27.16 |
| 2025-06-25 | $0.26 | 3.91% | 3.97% | $26.20 |
| 2025-03-26 | $0.25 | 3.74% | 3.58% | $27.80 |
| 2024-12-11 | $0.26 | 3.52% | 3.75% | $28.25 |
| 2024-09-25 | $0.25 | 3.52% | 3.62% | $27.79 |
| 2024-06-26 | $0.27 | 3.66% | 4.26% | $25.81 |
| 2024-03-20 | $0.20 | 3.37% | 3.08% | $26.41 |
| 2023-12-06 | $0.25 | 3.69% | 4.12% | $24.04 |
| 2023-09-20 | $0.22 | 3.61% | 3.61% | $24.16 |
| 2023-06-21 | $0.22 | 3.63% | 3.71% | $23.91 |
Source: Polygon.io. Last 12 dividend distributions, most recent first. TTM yield = sum of this payment + (frequency − 1) prior payments ÷ share price on ex-date. Forward yield = this payment × detected payout frequency ÷ share price on ex-date.
$10,000 at SCHD inception — 14-year actual outcome
A $10,000 purchase at SCHD's launch in Oct 2011 (split-adjusted reference price ≈ $8.34) would have bought approximately 1,199 shares. By Jun 2026:
Without DRIP
$38,717
3.87× initial · 9.7% annualized
With DRIP
$61,299
6.13× initial · 13.2% annualized · ~1,898 shares
2025 annual dividend (DRIP)
$1,989
YoC 19.9% on original $10,000
Per-share dividend has grown from $0.27 in 2012 to $1.05 in 2025 — a CAGR of 10.99% over 13 years.
| Year | Dividend per share | Annual income on 1,199 initial shares |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | $0.27 | $324.00 |
| 2015 | $0.38 | $458.00 |
| 2020 | $0.68 | $811.00 |
| 2024 | $0.99 | $1,192 |
| 2025 | $1.05 | $1,256 |
Approximate: based on the actual ex-date dividend record from Polygon, an approximate split-adjusted inception price, and a logarithmic share-price interpolation where ex-date prices are not available. Past performance is not a forecast.
About SCHD
The Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF — ticker SCHD — is one of the most widely held dividend-focused ETFs in the US market. Launched by Charles Schwab in 2011, it tracks the Dow Jones US Dividend 100 Index, which screens the broader US equity universe for stocks that combine consistent dividend payments with reasonable financial quality. The fund holds around 100 names at any time, rebalances annually, and applies a single-stock weight cap to prevent any one position from dominating. Its expense ratio is among the lowest of any dividend-focused ETF.
SCHD pays cash dividends quarterly. Distributions are funded entirely by dividends received from the fund's underlying holdings — there is no managed-distribution policy or covered-call overlay, so SCHD's yield reflects the aggregate yield of the index minus the fund's expense ratio. Because the index requires both a minimum dividend history and quality screens like cash flow stability and return on equity, SCHD's holdings skew toward mature, profitable companies rather than the highest-yielding names available in the market.
How SCHD pays dividends
Each quarter, the fund collects dividends from its underlying holdings, retains a small portion for expenses, and distributes the remainder pro rata to shareholders on the official pay date. The ex-dividend date is typically a few business days before the pay date and is when the share price drops by approximately the distribution amount on the open. Holders who DRIP through their broker receive additional shares purchased at the average price near the ex-date; holders who take cash receive a deposit on the pay date.
Because the underlying index rebalances annually, the cash distribution can shift year over year as the holdings rotate. Historically the fund has grown its annual cash distribution at a high single-digit to low double-digit rate, though that growth is a function of the underlying companies' payouts and not a guaranteed feature of the fund.
Who SCHD suits
SCHD suits investors who want broad US dividend exposure without selecting individual stocks, prefer quarterly cash flow over monthly, and value low fees over higher headline yield. The single-stock cap and quality screen make it a different shape from yield-maximizing funds that concentrate in a handful of high-yield names. The fund is held in both taxable accounts (where dividends qualify for the long-term capital gains rate, given holding-period requirements) and tax-advantaged accounts (where the dividend treatment doesn't matter). It does not include a covered-call strategy and therefore does not generate option premium income, which keeps its yield lower than covered-call ETFs but preserves full upside participation in the underlying stocks.
Comparisons
SCHD vs VOO — dividends vs broad market
VOO calculator →SCHD and VOO both come from low-cost passive index families, but they answer different questions. VOO tracks the S&P 500 cap-weighted — its yield reflects the weighted average across 500 large caps, where high-growth tech with zero dividends drags the average down. SCHD screens that universe for 100 stocks with consistent dividend payments plus quality metrics (cash flow, return on equity, debt levels), so its forward yield is meaningfully higher than VOO's headline.
For total return over a multi-decade horizon, VOO has historically beaten SCHD by 2-3 percentage points per year — the price of giving up exposure to high-growth tech that doesn't pay dividends. For investors prioritizing rising cash income, SCHD's quality-screened dividend growers tend to produce a more reliable income stream that compounds independently of equity-market direction. The choice is less about "which is better" and more about whether the goal is total return or growing income.
| Metric | SCHD | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| Forward yield | 3.27% | 1.05% |
| 5Y dividend CAGR | 9.15% | 5.91% |
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.03% |
| Strategy | Quality dividend index, 100 stocks | S&P 500 cap-weighted, 500 stocks |
SCHD vs VYM — two takes on dividend investing
VYM calculator →VYM and SCHD are both broad US dividend ETFs, but they use different selection rules. VYM picks the top half of US stocks by forecasted yield with no quality filter — 450+ holdings, including utilities, energy, and financial sectors that often carry concentration risk during downturns. SCHD's 100-stock cap with quality screens (cash flow stability, return on equity, dividend consistency) produces a leaner, more concentrated portfolio with similar headline yield but historically higher dividend growth.
The trade-off: VYM offers broader diversification and slightly higher headline yield in some periods; SCHD historically delivers stronger dividend growth and lower drawdowns thanks to its quality filter. Both have low expense ratios, so the choice comes down to whether the investor prefers the diversified high-yield approach or the concentrated quality-dividend-growth approach.
| Metric | SCHD | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| Forward yield | 3.27% | 2.22% |
| 5Y dividend CAGR | 9.15% | 3.79% |
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.06% |
| Strategy | Quality dividend index, 100 stocks | High-yield filter, 450+ stocks |
SCHD vs JEPI — quality dividends vs covered-call income
JEPI calculator →JEPI uses a covered-call overlay on a US large-cap equity portfolio to generate option premium income, producing a forward yield significantly higher than SCHD's. The trade-off is structural: JEPI caps its upside participation when markets rally — written calls get exercised away — so its long-run total return tends to underperform pure equity in bull markets. SCHD's income comes purely from underlying companies' dividend payments, which means full upside participation in the underlying stocks.
For pure cash flow today, JEPI wins on headline yield. For income that grows organically year over year, SCHD wins on dividend growth (JEPI's distributions include return-of-capital and option premium, both of which can vary unpredictably and don't compound the way underlying dividends do). Many income investors blend both: SCHD as the growing dividend core, JEPI for current yield enhancement.
| Metric | SCHD | JEPI |
|---|---|---|
| Forward yield | 3.27% | 8.39% |
| 5Y dividend CAGR | 9.15% | — |
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.35% |
| Strategy | Quality dividend index, 100 stocks | Covered-call equity income, ~130 stocks |
Hypothetical scenarios
Scenario 1: $10,000 invested at SCHD inception (2011)
Consider a hypothetical purchase of $10,000 of SCHD on the fund's inception in late 2011, when shares traded near $25. That initial capital would have purchased approximately 400 shares. The fund paid its first quarterly distribution in early 2012, and by retaining a buy-and-hold posture with dividends reinvested through the broker's DRIP facility, the share count compounded each quarter as new dividends purchased fractional shares at the prevailing market price.
By looking at the trajectory in 10-year terms, the share count growth from DRIP alone — independent of any price appreciation — would have been meaningful. If the fund's distribution had grown at roughly 11% per year (a plausible figure for a quality-screened US dividend index over that period), the cash income received in year 10 would have been several times the income paid in year 1 on the same initial position. Layering on share-price growth pushes the total return well above the dividend stream itself.
This scenario illustrates how three forces compound together: the per-share dividend grows as underlying companies hike their payouts, the share count grows as DRIP reinvests every distribution, and the share price grows over time when the broader equity market trends higher. None of these forces is guaranteed; the scenario is offered as a structural illustration, not a forecast.
Scenario 2: $50,000 today plus $500/month for 20 years
Consider a hypothetical accumulation strategy: $50,000 starting capital, plus $500 per month added on a regular cadence for 20 years, all in SCHD. The calculator on this page can model this exactly — set Initial investment to $50,000, Extra investment to $500, Extra investment frequency to Monthly, length of investment to 20 years, and leave DRIP on.
The mechanics: each month, the new $500 buys additional shares at the current price, which adds to the share count and therefore to next quarter's dividend. Quarterly, the dividend received from all accumulated shares is reinvested, adding more shares. Over 20 years this dual-track accumulation — DCA contributions plus dividend reinvestment — typically produces a portfolio that derives meaningful annual income from dividends alone, independent of any plan to sell shares.
What's worth focusing on in the calculator is not the dollar figure in year 20 but how the annual dividend column climbs in the projection table. The first few years are slow; by year 10 the annual dividend has roughly doubled the year-1 figure (given typical assumptions); by year 20 it's an order of magnitude higher. That ramp is the structural argument for dividend-growth investing: the income line, not the portfolio total, is what changes shape.
These scenarios assume the historical pattern of dividend growth continues at a similar rate. Real outcomes depend on the fund's underlying holdings, expense ratios, tax treatment in your specific account, and the broader path of US equity markets. Educational only; not a forecast.
Compare SCHD with another ticker
Sources & methodology
Dividend history and price data come from Polygon.io's reference and aggregates endpoints. Forward yield is computed as the sum of the most recent four cash distributions divided by the previous-close share price. The dividend growth rate shown on this page is the compound annual growth rate of total annual distributions across the available history in this snapshot.
Last updated: 2026-06-09.
Information here is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Past dividend history does not guarantee future payments. Verify all figures with the issuer or a registered financial advisor before making investment decisions.
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