Option Income ETFs: Latest Distributions and What They Really Return
Updated · 88 funds · refreshed daily
Key facts: option income ETFs
Data as of · Source: SmarterDividends data
- As of Oct 19, 2026, SmarterDividends tracks 88 option-income ETFs from 10 fund families plus 6 single funds; 62 pay a distribution every week and 26 pay every month.
- As of Oct 19, 2026, the annualized distribution rates of the option-income ETFs SmarterDividends tracks run from 4.7% (DIVO) to 100.4% (MRNY), based on each fund's latest distribution and share price.
- Over the year to Oct 19, 2026, 72 of 87 option-income ETFs with a full year of prices fell in price; the median fund's share price changed −23.0% while its total return, counting distributions, was +9.3%.
- The median option-income ETF paid distributions equal to 43.0% of its current share price over the 12 months to Oct 19, 2026.
- Over the year to Oct 19, 2026, the best total return among these funds was MRNY at +265.2% and the worst was MSTW at −58.6%, before reinvesting distributions.
- 30 of the 62 weekly-paying option-income ETFs most often go ex-dividend on a Thursday.
- JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPQ) paid $0.5670 per share on Oct 5, 2026 (ex-dividend Oct 1, 2026), a 11.6% annualized distribution rate at its Oct 19, 2026 price of $58.81.
- JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPI) paid $0.3410 per share on Oct 5, 2026 (ex-dividend Oct 1, 2026), a 7.2% annualized distribution rate at its Oct 19, 2026 price of $57.04.
- YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF (MSTY) paid $0.2470 per share on Oct 16, 2026 (ex-dividend Oct 15, 2026), a 92.8% annualized distribution rate at its Oct 19, 2026 price of $13.84.
Cite this page
SmarterDividends, "Option Income ETFs: Latest Distributions, Yields and Ex-Dates," updated Oct 19, 2026, https://smarterdividends.com/option-income-etfs
How option income ETFs work
An option income ETF holds stocks, an index or a single company's shares, and sells options on them. Buyers pay the fund a premium for those options, and the fund passes the premium to shareholders as a distribution, weekly or monthly.
The trade-off is upside. A fund that sells call options gives up gains above the options' strike price, so in a strong rally it lags the stock or index it tracks. In a falling market, the premium cushions only part of the decline.
That is why the distribution rate alone can mislead. A fund can pay 50% a year while its share price falls 60%. The table below shows both: what each fund paid over the last 12 months and its total return, the price change plus distributions.
Distributions are not company dividends. They can include return of capital, which lowers your cost basis instead of being taxed as income in the year you receive it. Each fund's Section 19a notice estimates the split.
YieldMax ETFs (36)
Roundhill ETFs (20)
NEOS ETFs (7)
JPMorgan ETFs (2)
| Fund | Annualized rate |
|---|---|
 JEPIJPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETFmonthly · last $0.3410 · ex Oct 1, 2026 | 7.2% |
 JEPQJPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETFmonthly · last $0.5670 · ex Oct 1, 2026 | 11.6% |
Goldman Sachs ETFs (2)
| Fund | Annualized rate |
|---|---|
 GPIQGoldman Sachs Nasdaq-100 Premium Income ETFmonthly · last $0.5090 · ex Oct 1, 2026 | 11.0% |
 GPIXGoldman Sachs S&P 500 Premium Income ETFmonthly · last $0.3970 · ex Oct 1, 2026 | 8.6% |
Global X ETFs (3)
| Fund | Annualized rate |
|---|---|
 QYLDGlobal X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETFmonthly · last $0.1770 · ex Sep 21, 2026 | 11.6% |
 RYLDGlobal X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETFmonthly · last $0.1480 · ex Sep 21, 2026 | 11.7% |
 XYLDGlobal X S&P 500 Covered Call ETFmonthly · last $0.2960 · ex Sep 21, 2026 | 8.5% |
Defiance ETFs (3)
| Fund | Annualized rate |
|---|---|
 IWMYDefiance R2000 Target 30 Weekly Distribution ETFweekly · last $0.0970 · ex Oct 15, 2026 | 30.9% |
 QQQYDefiance Nasdaq 100 Target 30 Weekly Distribution ETFweekly · last $0.1290 · ex Oct 15, 2026 | 31.5% |
 WDTEDefiance S&P 500 Target 30 Weekly Distribution ETFweekly · last $0.1670 · ex Oct 15, 2026 | 30.6% |
REX ETFs (3)
| Fund | Annualized rate |
|---|---|
 AIPIREX AI Equity Premium Income ETFweekly · last $0.2510 · ex Oct 14, 2026 | 37.1% |
 FEPIREX FANG & Innovation Equity Premium Income ETFweekly · last $0.2090 · ex Oct 14, 2026 | 26.6% |
 NVIIREX NVDA Growth & Income ETFweekly · last $0.1490 · ex Oct 14, 2026 | 33.8% |
GraniteShares YieldBOOST ETFs (3)
| Fund | Annualized rate |
|---|---|
 COYYGraniteShares YieldBOOST COIN ETFweekly · last $0.1720 · ex Oct 16, 2026 | 65.6% |
 NVYYGraniteShares YieldBOOST NVDA ETFweekly · last $0.0630 · ex Oct 16, 2026 | 31.1% |
 TQQYGraniteShares YieldBOOST QQQ ETFweekly · last $0.0560 · ex Oct 16, 2026 | 25.2% |
Amplify ETFs (3)
| Fund | Annualized rate |
|---|---|
 DIVOAmplify CWP Enhanced Dividend Income ETFmonthly · last $0.1890 · ex Sep 29, 2026 | 4.7% |
 IDVOAmplify CWP International Enhanced Dividend Income ETFmonthly · last $0.2120 · ex Sep 29, 2026 | 6.2% |
 QDVOAmplify CWP Growth & Income ETFmonthly · last $0.2790 · ex Sep 29, 2026 | 11.4% |
Other option income ETFs
Distributions versus total return
Over the year to Oct 19, 2026, the median option-income ETF with a full year of prices paid 43.0% of its price in distributions, while its share price changed −23.0%. Its total return was +9.3%.
The spread between funds is wide. MRNY returned +265.2% including $17.89 per share of distributions, while MSTW returned −58.6% even after paying $6.61 per share. Funds built on a single volatile stock tend to pay the most and lose the most share value.
Frequently asked questions
What is an option income ETF?
An option income ETF is a fund that earns income by selling options, usually call options on the stocks or index it holds, and pays that income to shareholders as regular distributions. Covered-call ETFs such as QYLD and premium-income ETFs such as JEPI and JEPQ are the best-known examples.
How do covered call ETFs pay such high yields?
Selling a call option brings in cash (the option premium) now, in exchange for giving up gains above the option's strike price. The fund passes that premium to shareholders, so distributions can be far above an ordinary dividend yield. The cost is that the fund keeps less of the upside when the market rises.
Do option income ETFs lose value over time?
Many do. Over the year to Oct 19, 2026, 72 of the 87 option-income ETFs SmarterDividends tracks with a full year of prices fell in price, and the median price change was −23.0%. Funds that sell options on volatile single stocks, such as MSTY, show the largest price declines. Total return (price change plus distributions) is the figure that shows what holders actually earned.
What is the difference between distribution rate and yield?
The distribution rate takes a fund's latest distribution, multiplies it by the number of payments in a year and divides by today's share price. The trailing yield adds up what the fund actually paid over the last 12 months and divides by today's price. When distributions are falling, the distribution rate can look higher or lower than what holders received.
Are option income ETF distributions dividends?
They are fund distributions, not company dividends. A distribution can be made up of option income, dividends from the fund's holdings and return of capital. Each fund publishes a Section 19a notice that estimates how much of a distribution is return of capital, and the final tax character is reported after the year ends.
Which option income ETFs pay weekly?
62 of the option-income ETFs SmarterDividends tracks pay every week, including CHPY, MSTY, NVDY, QDTE, TSLY, ULTY, XDTE, YMAX. Most YieldMax, Roundhill and GraniteShares YieldBOOST funds pay weekly.
Which option income ETFs pay monthly?
26 pay every month, including DIVO, GPIQ, GPIX, JEPI, JEPQ, QQQI, QYLD, SPYI, XYLD.
What is JEPQ's latest distribution?
JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPQ) paid $0.5670 per share on Oct 5, 2026 (ex-dividend Oct 1, 2026), a 11.6% annualized distribution rate at its Oct 19, 2026 price of $58.81.
What is JEPI's latest distribution?
JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPI) paid $0.3410 per share on Oct 5, 2026 (ex-dividend Oct 1, 2026), a 7.2% annualized distribution rate at its Oct 19, 2026 price of $57.04.
What is MSTY's latest distribution?
YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF (MSTY) paid $0.2470 per share on Oct 16, 2026 (ex-dividend Oct 15, 2026), a 92.8% annualized distribution rate at its Oct 19, 2026 price of $13.84. MSTY pays every week.
When do I need to buy an option income ETF to get the next distribution?
You must own the shares before the ex-dividend date. Under the U.S. T+1 settlement cycle, buying on the last trading day before the ex-dividend date is enough; buying on the ex-dividend date or later is not. Weekly funds usually declare each distribution one or two days before its ex-dividend date.
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Distribution rates use each fund's latest distribution and SmarterDividends' latest price; total returns add distributions to the price change without reinvesting them. For information only, not investment advice.