Dividend calendar by month: building a portfolio that pays every month
Most U.S. dividend stocks pay four times a year, on one of three quarterly cycles. Knowing which cycle each holding is on is the key to building a portfolio that pays something every month. Below: every month of the year and the quarterly payers in FillMonth's dataset that went ex-dividend in it. Source: Yahoo Finance dividend history via yfinance, trailing 12 months of ex-dividend events, data as of 2026-10-23.
Not financial advice. FillMonth is an educational tool. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Past distributions may not continue; verify current data with the issuer and consider a licensed professional.
The three quarterly cycles
- Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct — 20 quarterly payers in the dataset, e.g. ABBV, ABT, BMY, CAT, CL, CPB, CSCO, EPD, GD, GIS, JPM, LOW, MA, MS …
- Feb/May/Aug/Nov — 34 quarterly payers in the dataset, e.g. AAPL, ADM, AEP, AMGN, BX, C, CVX, DUK, ED, EMR, ET, HSY, HTGC, IBM …
- Mar/Jun/Sep/Dec — 48 quarterly payers in the dataset, e.g. ADP, ARCC, ARE, AVGO, BAC, BLK, CCI, DE, DGRO, DLR, DVY, FDVV, GILD, GS …
Own one quarterly payer from each cycle and you get at least one ex-dividend event every month. Add monthly or weekly payers (133 in the dataset; see the monthly and weekly lists) and every month gets something regardless of cycle.
Quarterly, semiannual and annual payers by ex-dividend month
Monthly and weekly payers are left out because they appear in every month.
Worked example: finding the thin months
A sample portfolio of 10 SCHD, 50 O, 20 KO, 30 JEPI, using the same projection as the calendar (monthly payers × latest amount; quarterly payers in the month they went ex-dividend):
| Month | Estimated dividends |
|---|---|
| Jan | $23.83 |
| Feb | $23.83 |
| Mar | $37.00 |
| Apr | $23.83 |
| May | $23.83 |
| Jun | $36.96 |
| Jul | $23.83 |
| Aug | $23.83 |
| Sep | $37.10 |
| Oct | $23.83 |
| Nov | $23.83 |
| Dec | $36.81 |
Estimated total $338.51 a year, or $28.21 a month on average. No month falls more than 20% below the average. To even out a calendar like this, people look at the cycle that lands in the thin months — or at monthly payers, which add the same amount to every month. That is a description of the arithmetic, not a suggestion to buy anything.
Steps to fill your thin months
- Enter your holdings in the free calendar and note which months come up short.
- Check each holding's cycle on its ticker page (for example KO, JNJ, PG).
- Research payers whose ex-dates fall in your thin months — on fundamentals first, schedule second. A payout in the right month is worthless if the business or fund is a poor fit.
- Remember cash lands after the ex-date, sometimes in the following month.