Tracking dividends

Dividend tracking is a core feature of TrackMyShares, helping income-focused investors monitor their passive income streams.

Dashboard dividend summary

Your dashboard shows key dividend metrics:

Annual dividend income

The estimated yearly dividend income based on your current holdings and their declared dividends. This is a forward projection — it shows what you can expect to earn over the next 12 months if holdings and dividends stay the same. It updates as:

• You add or remove holdings
• Companies announce dividend changes
• Share quantities change

To see actual income received from past payments, click the dividend cell for any holding in the table.

Dividend yield

Your portfolio's weighted average dividend yield, calculated as:

Portfolio yield = Total annual dividends ÷ Total portfolio value

Projected vs. actual dividends

The dividend figures shown in the portfolio summary card and the holdings table are forward projections — they estimate your future annual income based on current share quantities and declared dividend rates. These projections update when you add or remove shares, or when companies change their dividends.

To see your actual dividend income, click the dividend cell for any holding in the table. This opens the dividend history dialog, which shows every past payment with:

• Shares held — The number of shares you owned on each ex-dividend date (transaction-based portfolios)
• Per share amount — The dividend paid per share
• Your income — The actual income you received, calculated from the shares you held at the time

This is especially useful when your share count has changed over time — the dialog reflects what you actually earned, not what you would earn at today's quantity.

Note: Historical share counts are only available for transaction-based portfolios. For cost-basis portfolios, income is calculated using your current share count.

Viewing dividends per holding

Click the dividend cell in the holdings table to see detailed dividend information:

• Annual dividend — Expected dividend per share per year
• Dividend yield — Annual dividend as percentage of share price
• Payment frequency — How often dividends are paid (monthly, quarterly, etc.)
• YoY growth — Year-over-year change in dividend payments
• Next ex-date — Estimated next ex-dividend date
• Payment history — Full list of past dividend payments with your actual income per payment

Note: Dividend data depends on company announcements. Not all stocks have complete dividend information available.

Dividend payment schedule

Different stocks pay dividends on different schedules:

Frequency	Common examples
Monthly	Some REITs, bond ETFs
Quarterly	Most US stocks, many ETFs
Semi-annual	Many Australian stocks
Annual	Some companies, certain ETFs

TrackMyShares shows the payment frequency for each holding so you can plan your income.

Dividend yield explained

Dividend yield tells you how much income a stock generates relative to its price:

Dividend yield = Annual dividend per share ÷ Current share price × 100

Example

A stock paying $4 annual dividend, priced at $100:

• Yield = $4 ÷ $100 × 100 = 4%

What's a good yield?

This depends on your goals and market conditions:

• 0-2% — Growth stocks, often reinvesting profits
• 2-4% — Balanced stocks, moderate income
• 4-6% — Income-focused stocks
• 6%+ — High yield, potentially higher risk

Warning: Very high yields can indicate a falling share price or unsustainable dividends. Always research before investing.

Dividend income projection

TrackMyShares estimates your future dividend income based on:

• Your current holdings and quantities
• Declared dividend amounts
• Expected payment dates

This helps you plan for expected income throughout the year.

Accuracy

Projections are estimates based on current data:

• Companies can cut, raise, or skip dividends
• Special dividends may not be included
• Currency conversion uses current rates

Ex-dividend dates

The ex-dividend date is important for dividend investors:

• Buy before the ex-dividend date to receive the dividend
• Buy on or after the ex-dividend date, and you won't receive the dividend

TrackMyShares shows upcoming ex-dividend dates for your holdings so you can plan purchases.

Franking credits (Australia)

For Australian investors, many dividends come with franking credits (imputation credits), representing tax already paid by the company.

• Fully franked — Maximum tax credit attached
• Partially franked — Some tax credit attached
• Unfranked — No tax credit

When recording a dividend transaction, you can enter the franking credits as a dollar amount from your broker statement. This field only appears for Australian (ASX) stocks. The credits appear in your tax report as a franking tax offset.

For a detailed explanation of how franking credits work, how to record them, and how they appear in your tax report, see our franking credits guide.

Withholding tax

If you hold foreign stocks (e.g., US stocks as an Australian resident), your broker typically withholds tax on dividends. You can record this withholding tax amount when adding a dividend transaction. It appears in your tax report as a foreign income tax offset, which you may be able to claim back.

Dividend reinvestment

Some investors reinvest dividends to buy more shares (DRP/DRIP). While TrackMyShares doesn't automate this, you can:

1. Record the dividend as received
2. Record a buy transaction for the reinvested shares
3. Track your growing position over time