Dividend Calculator
Estimate dividend income, portfolio growth, and the effect of reinvesting — with every assumption visible.
Search identifies a security from public SEC data only. It does not fill in current prices or dividends, so enter those yourself below.
Your Dividend Calc · Dividend Projection
Estimates in USD.
Starting investment: $50,000 · Share price: $100 · Annual dividend per share: derived from yield · Dividend payments: 4/year · Annual contribution growth: 0%.
Contributions arrive at period start. Price and dividend growth compound monthly. Payments occur at period end, with tax deducted before reinvestment. Fractional shares are allowed. Cash is excluded from portfolio value.
Your assumptions
Illustrative inputs, not recommendations. All calculations run in your browser.
Projected summary
$11,807 a year · gross, before tax
- Final portfolio
- $295,168Shares × price
- Total dividends
- $125,168Before tax, all years
- Contributions
- $170,000Including $50,000 initial
- Shares
- 2,951.68Fractional shares allowed
With $500 a month and full reinvestment, estimated gross income reaches $984 a month in year 20.
Projection Insights
What drives your projected income and portfolio.
- Yield on contributed capital
- 6.95%
- Dividends reinvested
- $125,168
- Cash kept
- $0
- Today’s dollars
- $180,133
All projection details
Income
- Quarterly equivalent
- $2,952
- Year 20 gross payments
- $11,429
Reinvestment
- Estimated dividend tax
- $0
Capital
- Added after the start
- $120,000
Today’s dollars
At 2.5% inflation. An assumption, not a guarantee of purchasing power.
Use this projection
Calculated locally from your assumptions.
0% to 100% DRIP, side by side
Same inputs, year 20. Only the share of after-tax dividends you reinvest changes; the rest is kept as cash.
View as table
| Reinvestment | Monthly income |
|---|---|
| 0% | $567 |
| 25% | $647 |
| 50% | $741 |
| 75% | $852 |
| 100% | $984 |
100% vs 0% reinvestment
- Monthly income, year 20
- +$417
- Final portfolio
- +$125,168
- Cash kept along the way
- −$88,600
- Shares held
- +1,251.7
Differences, not recommendations. Cash kept is money you could spend; reinvested dividends buy shares that pay future dividends.
See every level over time
When could income reach each level?
3 of 5 levels reached within 20 years under your assumptions.
- $100/monthYear 1
- $250/monthYear 3
- $500/monthYear 11
- $1,000/monthNot within 20 years
- $2,000/monthNot within 20 years
Based on the year-end gross run-rate (annual income ÷ 12). Illustrations of your inputs, not predictions of when income will arrive.
Explore your projection
Portfolio and income over time
- Portfolio value
- Total contributions
View as table
| Year | Portfolio value | Total contributions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $58,182 | $56,000 |
| 2 | $66,696 | $62,000 |
| 3 | $75,555 | $68,000 |
| 4 | $84,775 | $74,000 |
| 5 | $94,368 | $80,000 |
| 6 | $104,352 | $86,000 |
| 7 | $114,740 | $92,000 |
| 8 | $125,551 | $98,000 |
| 9 | $136,800 | $104,000 |
| 10 | $148,506 | $110,000 |
| 11 | $160,687 | $116,000 |
| 12 | $173,364 | $122,000 |
| 13 | $186,554 | $128,000 |
| 14 | $200,281 | $134,000 |
| 15 | $214,564 | $140,000 |
| 16 | $229,428 | $146,000 |
| 17 | $244,895 | $152,000 |
| 18 | $260,991 | $158,000 |
| 19 | $277,739 | $164,000 |
| 20 | $295,168 | $170,000 |
Portfolio value is shares × share price. Cash kept from dividends is not included.
How this is calculated
The calculator simulates every month: contributions buy shares at the start of each period, price and dividend grow monthly, and each payment is taxed at your flat rate before your chosen share is reinvested. Nothing here is a forecast.
This projection, year 20
$11,807 annual run-rate ÷ 12 = $984 a month
The run-rate is shares × annual dividend per share at year end. It differs from the $11,429 actually paid during year 20.
How was this calculated?
- Entry mode
- By Amount
- Dividend entry
- By Yield
- Initial investment
- $50,000
- Initial shares
- 500
- Share price
- $100
- Annual dividend per share
- $4
- Starting yield
- 4%
- Dividend growth
- 0%
- Price growth
- 0%
- Reinvestment after tax
- 100%
- Dividend tax
- 0%
- Inflation
- 2.5%
- Contribution per payment
- $500
- Contribution frequency
- 12/year
- Contribution growth
- 0%
- Dividend frequency
- 4/year
- Yield cap
- No cap
- Horizon
- 20 years
Contributions buy fractional shares at period start. Price and raw annual dividend grow monthly at (1 + annual rate)^(1/12) − 1. The optional cap limits effective annual dividend to price × cap each month; raw dividend growth continues independently. Generic period-end payments equal shares × effective annual dividend / payments per year. Flat tax is deducted before DRIP; retained cash earns no interest and is excluded from portfolio value. Inflation discounts only ending portfolio value. Fees and capital-gains taxes are excluded.
Assumptions in this projection
Read the methodology- Starting yield
- 4%
- Dividend growth
- 0%
- Price growth
- 0%
- Reinvestment
- 100%
- Tax
- 0%
- Inflation
- 2.5%
- Contribution
- $500 × 12/yr
- Horizon
- 20 years
- Yield cap
- No cap
| Year | Starting value | Contributions | Gross dividends | Taxes | Reinvested | Cash retained | Ending value | Annual income | Monthly equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | $6,000 | $2,182 | $0 | $2,182 | $0 | $58,182 | $2,327 | $194 |
| 2 | $58,182 | $6,000 | $2,514 | $0 | $2,514 | $0 | $66,696 | $2,668 | $222 |
| 3 | $66,696 | $6,000 | $2,860 | $0 | $2,860 | $0 | $75,555 | $3,022 | $252 |
| 4 | $75,555 | $6,000 | $3,219 | $0 | $3,219 | $0 | $84,775 | $3,391 | $283 |
| 5 | $84,775 | $6,000 | $3,594 | $0 | $3,594 | $0 | $94,368 | $3,775 | $315 |
| 6 | $94,368 | $6,000 | $3,983 | $0 | $3,983 | $0 | $104,352 | $4,174 | $348 |
| 7 | $104,352 | $6,000 | $4,389 | $0 | $4,389 | $0 | $114,740 | $4,590 | $382 |
| 8 | $114,740 | $6,000 | $4,810 | $0 | $4,810 | $0 | $125,551 | $5,022 | $419 |
| 9 | $125,551 | $6,000 | $5,249 | $0 | $5,249 | $0 | $136,800 | $5,472 | $456 |
| 10 | $136,800 | $6,000 | $5,706 | $0 | $5,706 | $0 | $148,506 | $5,940 | $495 |
| 11 | $148,506 | $6,000 | $6,181 | $0 | $6,181 | $0 | $160,687 | $6,427 | $536 |
| 12 | $160,687 | $6,000 | $6,676 | $0 | $6,676 | $0 | $173,364 | $6,935 | $578 |
| 13 | $173,364 | $6,000 | $7,191 | $0 | $7,191 | $0 | $186,554 | $7,462 | $622 |
| 14 | $186,554 | $6,000 | $7,726 | $0 | $7,726 | $0 | $200,281 | $8,011 | $668 |
| 15 | $200,281 | $6,000 | $8,284 | $0 | $8,284 | $0 | $214,564 | $8,583 | $715 |
| 16 | $214,564 | $6,000 | $8,864 | $0 | $8,864 | $0 | $229,428 | $9,177 | $765 |
| 17 | $229,428 | $6,000 | $9,467 | $0 | $9,467 | $0 | $244,895 | $9,796 | $816 |
| 18 | $244,895 | $6,000 | $10,095 | $0 | $10,095 | $0 | $260,991 | $10,440 | $870 |
| 19 | $260,991 | $6,000 | $10,749 | $0 | $10,749 | $0 | $277,739 | $11,110 | $926 |
| 20 | $277,739 | $6,000 | $11,429 | $0 | $11,429 | $0 | $295,168 | $11,807 | $984 |
Contributions in each row exclude the initial investment. Income columns are the year-end gross run-rate; dividend columns are simulated payments within that year.
Saved scenarios
Name and keep up to 10 scenarios in this browser, then load, rename, duplicate, or delete them. No account needed.
For learning and planning only. These estimates follow your assumptions; actual prices, dividends, and taxes can differ. Results are not investment advice or a promise of future income.
Dividend questions, answered
How much do I need to invest to make $1,000 a month in dividends?
Divide the annual income you want by the dividend yield. At a 4% yield with no tax, $12,000 a year ÷ 0.04 = $300,000. With a 20% flat dividend tax you need $15,000 of gross income, or $375,000. The Income Goal mode and calculator show the same arithmetic for your own yield and tax rate.
How do I calculate dividend income?
Multiply the shares you own by the annual dividend per share, or multiply the amount invested by the dividend yield. $10,000 at a 4% yield is $400 a year: about $33.33 a month on average, or $100 a quarter. This calculator then projects how contributions, growth, and reinvestment change that figure over time.
How does DRIP affect dividend growth?
Reinvested dividends buy more shares, and those shares earn dividends of their own. You can reinvest any share from 0% to 100% here; the DRIP comparison view shows 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% side by side with the cash each level keeps.
Is the monthly result a monthly payment?
No. It is the annual gross dividend run-rate at the end of the projection divided by 12. The illustrative calendar in the Monthly Dividend Calculator follows your payment frequency.
What is yield on cost?
Yield on cost is the current annual dividend per share divided by the price you originally paid per share. A $4 dividend on shares bought at $50 is an 8% yield on cost, even if today’s price gives a lower current yield. The projected summary reports a related figure, yield on contributed capital: ending annual gross income divided by the initial investment plus recurring contributions. Neither is total return.
Does a higher yield mean a better investment?
The calculator does not rank investments. Yield is one input; prices and dividends can change independently, including dividend cuts.
Is this live market data?
No. Results come from the assumptions you enter. The optional stock and ETF search identifies securities using public SEC data only; price and dividend data are not connected, so you enter current values yourself.