Dividend Calculator
Enter a ticker and your shares (or dollars) to see exactly what a stock pays you: per payment, per month and per year, before and after tax. Prices, dividends and ex-dividend dates load live from our data, as of Sep 29, 2026. Switch modes to total a whole portfolio with a month-by-month payment calendar, or to work out how much you need invested to earn $1,000 a month or any other goal.
KO The Coca-Cola Company
$87.18 · $2.12/yr dividend · 2.41% yield · quarterly
Annual income
$212.00
Monthly (average)
$17.67
Per payment (quarterly)
$53.00
Dividend yield
2.43%
Yield on cost
—
Enter your cost
Position value
$8,718
Your payments over the next 12 months
Estimated from KO's ex-dividend dates over the past year plus its usual wait until payment
Income over 10 years if the dividend keeps growing 4.46% a year
Same shares, no reinvestment. Year 10: $314 · 10-year total: $2,600. Add reinvestment in the DRIP calculator →
Worked example: 100 shares of KO
As of Sep 29, 2026, The Coca-Cola Company (KO) trades at $87.18 and pays $2.12 per share a year in quarterly payments, a forward yield of 2.43%. So 100 shares ($8,718 invested) pay $212.00 a year, $53.00 per payment and $17.67 a month on average.
KO's dividend has grown about 4.5% a year over the past five years. If that rate held, the same 100 shares would pay about $314 in year 10 and $2,600 in total over the decade, without buying another share.
How to calculate dividend income
Four formulas cover almost every dividend question. The calculator runs all of them for you:
Annual dividend income = shares owned × annual dividend per share
Dividend yield = annual dividend per share ÷ share price
Income per payment = annual income ÷ payments per year (4 for quarterly, 12 for monthly)
Capital needed = (monthly income goal × 12) ÷ (yield × (1 − tax rate))
If you know dollars instead of shares, divide the amount by the share price first. For after-tax income, multiply by (1 − your dividend tax rate).
How much do you need to invest for $1,000 a month in dividends?
Capital needed before tax, by monthly income goal and portfolio yield:
| Monthly income | at 3% yield | at 4% yield | at 5% yield | at 6% yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500 a month | $200,000 | $150,000 | $120,000 | $100,000 |
| $1,000 a month | $400,000 | $300,000 | $240,000 | $200,000 |
| $2,000 a month | $800,000 | $600,000 | $480,000 | $400,000 |
| $3,000 a month | $1,200,000 | $900,000 | $720,000 | $600,000 |
| $5,000 a month | $2,000,000 | $1,500,000 | $1,200,000 | $1,000,000 |
A yield near 3% to 4% is typical for a diversified portfolio of established dividend growers. Getting to 6% or more usually means concentrating in REITs, BDCs, pipelines or high-yield funds, where cuts are more common. Before chasing yield, check each holding's dividend safety grade.
Monthly, quarterly and annual dividends
Your total yearly income is the same whatever the schedule; frequency only changes how it arrives. Most U.S. companies pay quarterly, often in a fixed cycle (for example January, April, July and October). Monthly payers smooth your cash flow; see our list of monthly dividend stocks. The portfolio mode above lines up every holding's estimated pay months (from its ex-dividend dates over the past year), so you can see thin months and fill them.
How dividends are taxed
In a U.S. taxable account, qualified dividends are taxed at the long-term capital gains rates of 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your taxable income, plus a 3.8% net investment income tax above certain income levels. To qualify, you must have held the shares for more than 60 days during the 121-day window that starts 60 days before the ex-dividend date. Ordinary (non-qualified) dividends, including most REIT and BDC distributions, are taxed at your regular income-tax rate. Dividends earned inside an IRA, Roth IRA or 401(k) aren't taxed when paid.
Pick your account type in the calculator to see after-tax income. See qualified vs. ordinary dividends for the details.
Next: reinvest, time your purchase, check safety
- Reinvesting dividends compounds your income. Model it in the DRIP calculator.
- To collect the next payment you must buy before the ex-dividend date. Find the last day to buy with the ex-dividend date calculator.
- A dividend is only as good as its safety. Every ticker page shows its A–F dividend safety grade.
Dividend market facts
Data as of · Source: SmarterDividends data
- As of Sep 29, 2026, the median forward dividend yield among U.S.-listed dividend-paying stocks with a market value of at least $500 million is 2.64%.
- In the 30 days to Sep 29, 2026, 88 U.S.-listed companies raised their regular dividend and 4 cut it, by ex-dividend date. That is 22.0 increases for every cut.
- As of Sep 29, 2026, SmarterDividends tracks 2,956 U.S.-listed stocks, ETFs and funds that pay a dividend.
Cite this page
SmarterDividends, "Dividend Calculator," updated Sep 29, 2026, https://smarterdividends.com/calculators/dividend-calculator
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate how much dividend I will get?
Multiply the number of shares you own by the company's annual dividend per share. That is your yearly income before tax. Divide by the number of payments a year (4 for most U.S. stocks) to get each payment, or by 12 for a monthly average. Example: 100 shares × $2.12 a year = $212 a year, or $53 a quarter.
How much do I need to invest to make $1,000 a month in dividends?
Divide $12,000 (a year of income) by the portfolio's dividend yield. At a 3% yield you need $400,000; at 4%, $300,000; at 5%, $240,000; at 6%, $200,000. In a taxable account divide by the after-tax yield instead, so a 15% qualified-dividend tax raises the 4% figure to about $352,941.
How much do I need to make $2,000 a month in dividends?
$24,000 a year divided by the yield: $800,000 at 3%, $600,000 at 4%, $480,000 at 5%, or $400,000 at 6% (before tax). Higher yields need less capital but usually carry more risk of a dividend cut, so check each holding's dividend safety before reaching for yield.
How is a dividend calculated?
A company's board declares a dividend per share, usually quarterly. Your payment is that amount times the shares you hold on the record date. The dividend yield is the annual dividend per share divided by the current share price; yield on cost divides it by the price you paid instead.
What is a good dividend yield?
For U.S. stocks, roughly 2% to 5% is typical for established payers. As of Sep 29, 2026, the median yield of U.S.-listed dividend stocks worth at least $500 million is shown in the key facts on this page. Yields far above 7% to 8% often signal that the market expects a cut.
Are dividends taxed?
In a taxable U.S. account, qualified dividends are taxed at 0%, 15% or 20% depending on income (plus 3.8% net investment income tax for high earners). Non-qualified dividends, including most REIT distributions, are taxed as ordinary income. Dividends inside an IRA, Roth IRA or 401(k) are not taxed when paid.
Do all stocks pay dividends quarterly?
Most U.S. companies pay quarterly. Many REITs, some business development companies and many income ETFs pay monthly; some foreign companies pay twice a year or once a year. The calculator above prefills the frequency from each ticker's actual payment history.
What is yield on cost?
Yield on cost is the annual dividend divided by the price you originally paid per share. If you bought at $50 and the dividend is now $2.12, your yield on cost is 4.24%, even if today's yield at a higher price is lower. It shows how dividend growth has raised the income on your original investment.
For education and planning only, not investment, tax or legal advice. Projections assume constant growth rates; real dividends, prices and tax rules change.