Retirement income

JEPQ: what it paid, what it kept

JPMorgan NASDAQ Equity Premium Income ETF: its payout record since 2023, the income it would have paid someone living on it, and the amount a monthly income takes at today’s yield.

12.25%yield, last 12 months
monthlypayments
$98,000for $1,000 a month
Nov 2, 2026data as of

Since May 2022, JEPQ’s price rose 12.7% while it paid out 51.6% of its starting price in distributions.

Over the last 12 months JEPQ paid $6.89 a share, a 12.25% yield at today’s price, in 12 monthly payments. At that yield, $1,000 a month before taxes takes about $98,000 invested.

$100,000 invested at the start of 2023 with every payout spent paid $12,295 that year and $16,943 over the last 12 months (up 24.9% after inflation); the shares are worth $138,299 today.

What JEPQ 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 May 5, 2022+12.7%51.6%+64.3%+85.1%
3 years from Nov 2, 2023+19.3%37.5%+56.8%+63.9%
Prices in our data start May 5, 2022.

How much JEPQ for a monthly income

The amount invested that would have paid each monthly income over the last 12 months, at JEPQ’s 12.25% trailing yield, before taxes. Yields move, so the second column uses its lowest calendar-year yield of the last five years (10.88% in 2025).

Monthly incomeAt today’s yieldAt the 2025 yield
$500 a month ($6,000 a year)$49,000$55,100
$1,000 a month ($12,000 a year)$98,000$110,300
$2,000 a month ($24,000 a year)$195,900$220,600
$5,000 a month ($60,000 a year)$489,800$551,500

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.

$12,2952023$10,9982024$10,8752025
$12,2952023$10,9982024$10,8752025
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$6.12$10,875$12,392+3.3%+15.4%
2024$5.45$10,998$11,791+13.8%+25.8%
2023$5.00$12,295$13,570+22.7%+36.7%
Payouts per share; full calendar years only. Today’s dollars use the consumer price index (CPI-U).

If you had lived on it since 2023

$100,000 invested in JEPQ on Jan 3, 2023, every payout spent and nothing reinvested.

Income in 2023$12,295$13,570 in today’s dollars
Income, last 12 months$16,943up 24.9% after inflation
Shares worth today$138,299price +38.3%
Income collected$53,731since 2023
$0$125K$250K202420252026
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 JEPQ page.

Turn your savings into a monthly paycheck

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Questions investors ask

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

About $98,000, at its 12.25% yield over the 12 months to November 2026, before taxes. Yields move: at its lowest calendar-year yield of the last five years (10.88% in 2025) it would take $110,300.

How often does JEPQ pay?

Every month.

Has JEPQ ever cut its payout?

Not by 5% or more in any full calendar year from 2023 to 2025.

How is JEPQ’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 JEPQ have NAV erosion?

Since May 2022 its price rose 12.7% while it paid out 51.6% 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.