How much is the TLT monthly dividend?
The monthly dividend for the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) changes every month. While this might be confusing if you expect a fixed payment, there’s a simple reason for this variability.
Unlike a single company’s stock, TLT is a basket holding hundreds of different U.S. Treasury bonds. The total income that basket generates each month can vary slightly. Think of it like owning several rental properties; the total rent you collect might change if a tenant’s lease is renewed at a different rate.
This guide explains why the TLT dividend changes, shows recent payment history, and teaches you where to find the most up-to-date figures for yourself.
What Exactly Are You Buying When You Buy a Share of TLT?
To understand the dividend, you must first know what TLT is. When you buy one share of TLT, you are purchasing an Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF), which is an all-in-one investment package.
Inside the TLT package are Treasury bonds. A Treasury bond is a loan you make to the U.S. government. In exchange for your loan, the government promises to pay you back with interest over a set period.
The iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (ticker: TLT) is a fund that holds a large collection of these long-term government loans. Because the government pays interest on all those loans, TLT collects that interest and passes it along to its shareholders, making it a treasury bond ETF known for monthly income.
Why Your TLT Dividend Payment Isn’t the Same Each Month
The dividend comes from the interest paid by government bonds, but the payment isn’t fixed because the fund’s holdings aren’t set in stone.
Think of the TLT fund manager as constantly refreshing the portfolio, selling older bonds and buying new ones to keep the fund focused on long-term government loans. The monthly dividend you receive is your slice of the total interest paid by all the bonds currently in that basket.
This constant refreshment is the key to why the dividend changes. If new bonds TLT buys pay a higher interest rate than the old ones it sold, the fund’s total income can go up, and so can your dividend. Conversely, if new bonds have lower interest rates, the fund’s total income will decrease, leading to a smaller dividend.
Your dividend payment changes because the collection of bonds inside the fund changes.
A Look at the TLT Dividend Payment History
Seeing the numbers can make this clearer. While the exact amount fluctuates, the monthly dividend for TLT has recently been in a fairly consistent range. Here is a sample of the dividend payment history from early 2024, which is the cash amount paid for each share of TLT you own:
- March 2024: $0.31 per share
- April 2024: $0.29 per share
- May 2024: $0.30 per share
- June 2024: $0.31 per share
To figure out your total payment, use this formula: (Number of shares you own) x (Dividend per share) = Your total payment. For example, if you owned 100 shares of TLT in June 2024, your dividend payment would have been 100 x $0.31, which equals $31.
Past payments do not guarantee future results, but you don’t have to guess what the next payment will be. You can easily find the most current dividend information yourself.
How to Find the Current TLT Dividend Yourself in Under 60 Seconds
The best tool is knowing where to find the official numbers yourself instead of relying on search results that might be outdated. The company that created TLT is iShares, and its dedicated webpage is the direct source.
On the iShares TLT webpage, you’ll find a tab or section labeled “Distributions.” This section shows a complete TLT dividend payment history and the official TLT dividend schedule. This is the single best place to find the number you’re looking for.
Getting comfortable with this page means you never have to guess again. You can check the dividend for the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF dividend anytime, giving you full control over your information.
What Does the ‘TLT Dividend Yield’ Percentage Mean?
Dividend yield is like the “interest rate” for your investment. It shows how much income the TLT ETF generates annually relative to its share price. When you look up what is the current dividend yield for TLT, you’re getting a snapshot of its income-generating power at that moment.
The yield percentage is a powerful tool for comparison, allowing you to gauge the income from TLT against different investments, like a savings account or another fund. It’s an apples-to-apples way to see which option is working harder to generate cash for every dollar you put in.
Crucially, the yield is not fixed. Because both the monthly dividend payment and TLT’s share price can change, the yield percentage is a dynamic number, not a permanent promise.
Don’t Miss a Payout: Understanding the TLT Ex-Dividend Date
Timing is everything when it comes to receiving dividends. You must own shares before a specific cutoff, called the ex-dividend date, to get on the list for that month’s payout. If you buy on or after the ex-dividend date, the next payment goes to the previous owner.
After the ex-dividend date passes, a separate payment date occurs when the cash lands in your brokerage account, typically a few business days later. This delay explains the practical difference between the TLT dividend record date vs payment date.
IShares publishes a full TLT dividend schedule on its website. Searching for the TLT ex-dividend date 2024 will show the calendar with every ex-dividend and payment date, ensuring you never miss an expected payout.
A Potential Tax Benefit of TLT Dividends You Should Know
When considering how are TLT dividends taxed, the monthly income you receive is generally subject to federal income tax, similar to interest from a savings account.
However, because this is a treasury bond ETF for monthly income, the dividends come directly from U.S. government bonds. This gives them special treatment: the income you receive from TLT is typically exempt from all state and local income taxes. This benefit doesn’t apply to most stock dividends or corporate bond interest.
This tax advantage can make a real difference to your bottom line, especially if you live in a state with a high income tax. It’s a powerful feature that makes TLT’s income potentially more valuable than that of other investments taxed at every level.
The Other Side of the Coin: Is Relying on TLT for Income Risky?
The monthly dividend is only half the story. You must also consider the risks of relying on TLT for income, specifically the changing value of your TLT shares. Your investment has two moving parts: the income it pays and its market price.
The share price of TLT moves up and down daily, creating “price risk”—the chance that your initial investment could lose value. For instance, even while you’re collecting dividends, shares you bought for $100 could drop to $90. If you sold at that point, you would lose money on your original investment.
This is the crucial difference between an ETF like TLT and money in a savings account. A bank deposit is protected, but the principal you invest in even the best long-term bond ETFs is not. Understanding this risk is as important as understanding the income.
Is TLT the Right Monthly Income Source for You?
The income from TLT is dynamic because its underlying government bond holdings change. More importantly, you now know where to find the official, up-to-date dividend amount for yourself. This knowledge empowers you to make informed decisions rather than guessing.
Your next step is to practice. Visit the official iShares website, find the current dividend, and calculate your potential monthly income. This small action builds the confidence to evaluate any treasury bond ETF and transforms a complex topic into a manageable skill.
Ultimately, you can now confidently assess if this type of variable income stream aligns with your personal financial goals, including whether to spend the payments or explore potential dividend reinvestment (DRIP) benefits. The power is in your ability to find and interpret the data.