Retirement income

JEPI: what it paid, what it kept

JPMorgan Equity Premium Income Fund: its payout record since 2021, the income it would have paid someone living on it, and the amount a monthly income takes at today’s yield.

7.96%yield, last 12 months
monthlypayments
$150,800for $1,000 a month
Nov 2, 2026data as of

Since February 2021, JEPI’s price rose 2.8% while it paid out 48.9% of its starting price in distributions.

Over the last 12 months JEPI paid $4.57 a share, a 7.96% yield at today’s price, in 12 monthly payments. At that yield, $1,000 a month before taxes takes about $150,800 invested.

The payout fell by 5% or more from one year to the next in 2 years: 2023 (−27.5%), 2024 (−8.7%).

$100,000 invested at the start of 2022 with every payout spent paid $10,123 that year and $7,263 over the last 12 months (down 37.6% after inflation); the shares are worth $91,203 today.

What JEPI kept: price against payouts

High payouts can come partly out of the share price. “Price change” is what the shares did; “paid out” is the distributions as a share of the starting price; “income spent” is the two together, what someone living on the payouts got. An ETF’s price stays close to its net asset value (NAV), so the price stands in for NAV.

PeriodPrice changePaid outIncome spentReinvested
Since Feb 22, 2021+2.8%48.9%+51.7%+65.9%
5 years from Nov 2, 2021-6.9%39.3%+32.4%+42.8%
3 years from Nov 2, 2023+7.6%24.7%+32.3%+35.6%
Prices in our data start Feb 22, 2021; payouts are on record from Jul 1, 2020.

How much JEPI for a monthly income

The amount invested that would have paid each monthly income over the last 12 months, at JEPI’s 7.96% trailing yield, before taxes. Yields move, so the second column uses its lowest calendar-year yield of the last five years (7.66% in 2024).

Monthly incomeAt today’s yieldAt the 2024 yield
$500 a month ($6,000 a year)$75,400$78,300
$1,000 a month ($12,000 a year)$150,800$156,700
$2,000 a month ($24,000 a year)$301,500$313,300
$5,000 a month ($60,000 a year)$753,800$783,300

Income on $100,000, year by year

What $100,000 invested at the start of each year would have paid during that year, and the same income in today’s dollars. Years with a payout at least 5% below the year before are marked.

$10,1232022$8,4832023$7,6582024$8,2462025
$10,1232022$8,4832023$7,6582024$8,2462025
Income in each calendar year on $100,000 invested at the start of that year.
YearPer shareIncome on $100KIn today’s dollarsPrice that yearTotal return
2025$4.74$8,246$9,396-0.4%+8.2%
2024 ↓$4.22$7,658$8,209+4.4%+12.3%
2023 ↓$4.62$8,483$9,362+0.9%+9.9%
2022$6.37$10,123$11,634-13.4%-3.1%
Payout per share in earlier years (2021–2021)
YearPer shareChange
2021$4.16
Payouts per share; full calendar years only. Today’s dollars use the consumer price index (CPI-U).

If you had lived on it since 2022

$100,000 invested in JEPI on Jan 3, 2022, every payout spent and nothing reinvested.

Income in 2022$10,123$11,634 in today’s dollars
Income, last 12 months$7,263down 37.6% after inflation
Shares worth today$91,203price -8.8%
Income collected$37,139since 2022
$0$75K$150K2023202420252026
The shares’ value (lower line) and the shares plus the income collected so far (upper line), month by month.

Payments and taxes

When it pays

Every month. Payment dates shift a little from year to year; the fund announces each one shortly before it is paid.

Option premiums and dividends

Most of the payout comes from selling options. That part does not qualify for the lower dividend rate: it is usually taxed as ordinary income, and some funds pay part as return of capital, which lowers your cost basis instead. The fund’s year-end tax form (1099-DIV) splits it. Inside an IRA or 401(k), none of it is taxed until you withdraw.

Yield is not a promise

The yield here is what the fund paid over the last 12 months, divided by today’s price. Future payouts depend on what the fund earns, which for option-income funds follows market volatility.

The rest of the record

Fees, holdings, returns and downturns are on the JEPI page.

Turn your savings into a monthly paycheck

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Questions investors ask

How much JEPI do I need to make $1,000 a month?

About $150,800, at its 7.96% yield over the 12 months to November 2026, before taxes. Yields move: at its lowest calendar-year yield of the last five years (7.66% in 2024) it would take $156,700.

How often does JEPI pay?

Every month.

Has JEPI ever cut its payout?

Yes. Its yearly payout per share fell by 5% or more in 2023 (−27.5%), 2024 (−8.7%), among the full years 2021–2025.

How is JEPI’s income taxed?

Most of the payout comes from selling options. That part does not qualify for the lower dividend rate: it is usually taxed as ordinary income, and some funds pay part as return of capital, which lowers your cost basis instead. The fund’s year-end tax form (1099-DIV) splits it. Inside an IRA or 401(k), none of it is taxed until you withdraw (and in a Roth, not then either, if the rules are met).

Does JEPI have NAV erosion?

Since February 2021 its price rose 2.8% while it paid out 48.9% of the starting price. It kept its price while paying out. (An ETF’s price stays close to its net asset value, so the price stands in for NAV.)

How these figures are built

For education only, not a recommendation to buy or sell any fund. Past payouts do not predict future payouts.