Retirement income

How much USFR for $1,000 a month?

WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund: its payout record since 2017, the income it would have paid someone living on it, and the amount a monthly income takes at today’s yield.

3.71%yield, last 12 months
monthlypayments
$323,500for $1,000 a month
Nov 2, 2026data as of

Over the last 12 months USFR paid $1.87 a share, a 3.71% yield at today’s price, in 12 monthly payments. At that yield, $1,000 a month before taxes takes about $323,500 invested.

From 2020 to 2025 its yearly payout per share grew 54.2% a year, against 4.5% inflation: up 47.6% a year in today’s dollars.

The payout fell by 5% or more from one year to the next in 3 years: 2020 (−77.4%), 2021 (−90.7%), 2025 (−20.5%).

Bond and T-bill payouts follow interest rates: they rose after rates jumped in 2022, and they fall when rates fall.

$100,000 invested at the start of 2021 with every payout spent paid $45 that year and $3,725 over the last 12 months (up 6626.6% after inflation); the shares are worth $100,430 today.

How much USFR for a monthly income

The amount invested that would have paid each monthly income over the last 12 months, at USFR’s 3.71% trailing yield, before taxes. Yields move, so the second column uses its lowest calendar-year yield of the last five years (0.04% in 2021).

Monthly incomeAt today’s yieldAt the 2021 yield
$500 a month ($6,000 a year)$161,700$15,000,000
$1,000 a month ($12,000 a year)$323,500$30,000,000
$2,000 a month ($24,000 a year)$646,900$60,000,000
$5,000 a month ($60,000 a year)$1,617,300$150,000,000

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.

$452021$1,7992022$5,1922023$5,2332024$4,1532025
$452021$1,7992022$5,1922023$5,2332024$4,1532025
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 ↓$2.09$4,153$4,7320.0%+4.2%
2024$2.63$5,233$5,609+0.1%+5.5%
2023$2.61$5,192$5,730-0.1%+5.3%
2022$0.9026$1,799$2,067+0.2%+2.0%
2021 ↓$0.0224$45$550.0%0.0%
Payout per share in earlier years (2017–2020)
YearPer shareChange
2020$0.2400-77.4%
2019$1.06+23.3%
2018$0.8600+72.0%
2017$0.5000
Payouts per share, adjusted for share splits; full calendar years only. Today’s dollars use the consumer price index (CPI-U).

If you had lived on it since 2021

$100,000 invested in USFR on Jan 4, 2021, every payout spent and nothing reinvested.

Income in 2021$45$55 in today’s dollars
Income, last 12 months$3,725up 6626.6% after inflation
Shares worth today$100,430price +0.4%
Income collected$19,550since 2021
$0$75K$150K20222023202420252026
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.

Treasury interest

Bond interest is taxed as ordinary income, not at the lower qualified-dividend rate. Interest from US Treasuries is exempt from state income tax. 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 bond and T-bill funds follows interest rates.

The rest of the record

Fees, holdings, returns and downturns are on the USFR 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 USFR do I need to make $1,000 a month?

About $323,500, at its 3.71% yield over the 12 months to November 2026, before taxes. Yields move: at its lowest calendar-year yield of the last five years (0.04% in 2021) it would take $30,000,000.

How often does USFR pay?

Every month.

Has USFR ever cut its payout?

Yes. Its yearly payout per share fell by 5% or more in 2020 (−77.4%), 2021 (−90.7%), 2025 (−20.5%), among the full years 2017–2025.

Did USFR’s payout keep up with inflation?

Yes: from 2020 to 2025 the yearly payout per share grew 54.2% a year while prices rose 4.5% a year.

How is USFR’s income taxed?

Bond interest is taxed as ordinary income, not at the lower qualified-dividend rate. Interest from US Treasuries is exempt from state income tax. 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.