Retirement income

How much SDY for $1,000 a month?

SPDR S&P Dividend ETF: its payout record since 2006, the income it would have paid someone living on it, and the amount a monthly income takes at today’s yield.

2.32%yield, last 12 months
quarterlypayments
$517,200for $1,000 a month
Nov 2, 2026data as of

Over the last 12 months SDY paid $3.78 a share, a 2.32% yield at today’s price, in 4 quarterly payments. At that yield, $1,000 a month before taxes takes about $517,200 invested.

From 2015 to 2025 its yearly payout per share fell 2.2% a year, against 3.2% inflation: down 5.3% a year in today’s dollars.

The payout fell by 5% or more from one year to the next in 5 years: 2009 (−21.4%), 2016 (−37.9%), 2018 (−44.7%), 2022 (−5.9%), and earlier.

$100,000 invested at the start of 2016 with every payout spent paid $3,903 that year and $5,213 over the last 12 months (down 4.7% after inflation); the shares are worth $224,583 today.

How much SDY for a monthly income

The amount invested that would have paid each monthly income over the last 12 months, at SDY’s 2.32% trailing yield, before taxes.

Monthly incomeAt today’s yield
$500 a month ($6,000 a year)$258,600
$1,000 a month ($12,000 a year)$517,200
$2,000 a month ($24,000 a year)$1,034,500
$5,000 a month ($60,000 a year)$2,586,200

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.

$3,23020062007$4,05520082009$3,71820102011$3,50620122013$5,21320142015$3,90320162017$2,59420182019$2,82720202021$2,47320222023$2,70120242025
$3,9032016$5,1672017$2,5942018$2,9722019$2,8272020$3,2462021$2,4732022$2,6222023$2,7012024$2,7722025
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$3.64$2,772$3,159+6.0%+8.9%
2024$3.39$2,701$2,896+5.3%+8.0%
2023$3.29$2,622$2,894-0.4%+2.3%
2022 ↓$3.19$2,473$2,842-3.0%-0.4%
2021$3.39$3,246$4,029+23.6%+27.1%
2020$3.03$2,827$3,673-1.2%+2.1%
2019$2.64$2,972$3,910+21.0%+24.1%
2018 ↓$2.45$2,594$3,474-5.3%-2.8%
2017$4.43$5,167$7,089+10.1%+15.5%
2016 ↓$2.83$3,903$5,468+17.9%+21.9%
2015$4.56$5,797$8,225-6.5%-0.7%
2014$3.74$5,213$7,406+9.7%+15.1%
2013$2.88$4,848$6,999+22.1%+27.2%
2012$1.90$3,506$5,136+7.2%+10.8%
2011$1.74$3,328$4,976+2.9%+6.4%
2010$1.74$3,718$5,733+11.0%+14.9%
2009 ↓$1.73$4,179$6,550+11.6%+16.6%
2008 ↓$2.20$4,055$6,335-25.4%-21.8%
2007$2.76$4,449$7,216-11.3%-7.1%
2006$1.77$3,230$5,389+12.8%+16.2%
Payouts per share; full calendar years only. Today’s dollars use the consumer price index (CPI-U).

If you had lived on it since 2016

$100,000 invested in SDY on Jan 4, 2016, every payout spent and nothing reinvested.

Income in 2016$3,903$5,468 in today’s dollars
Income, last 12 months$5,213down 4.7% after inflation
Shares worth today$224,583price +124.6%
Income collected$48,320since 2016
$0$150K$300K20172019202120232025
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

Quarterly, in March, June, September, December. Payment dates shift a little from year to year; the fund announces each one shortly before it is paid.

Stock dividends

Dividends from US companies held long enough are usually qualified, taxed at the lower long-term capital-gains rates; foreign and REIT holdings add some non-qualified income. 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.

The rest of the record

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

Turn your savings into a monthly paycheck

ReadyAimRetire builds a month-by-month income plan from all your accounts, Social Security and pensions, and shows how long it lasts, before and after taxes.

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Questions investors ask

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

About $517,200, at its 2.32% yield over the 12 months to November 2026, before taxes.

How often does SDY pay?

Quarterly: in the last 12 months it paid in March, June, September, December.

Has SDY ever cut its payout?

Yes. Its yearly payout per share fell by 5% or more in 2008 (−20.3%), 2009 (−21.4%), 2016 (−37.9%), 2018 (−44.7%), 2022 (−5.9%), among the full years 2006–2025.

Did SDY’s payout keep up with inflation?

No: from 2015 to 2025 the yearly payout per share fell 2.2% a year while prices rose 3.2% a year.

How is SDY’s income taxed?

Dividends from US companies held long enough are usually qualified, taxed at the lower long-term capital-gains rates; foreign and REIT holdings add some non-qualified income. 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).

How these figures are built

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