Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SCHA vs SCHD: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SCHA returned +17.8% to SCHD's +34.5%; 2% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Aug 31, 2026: $22.6bn for Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF and $112.3bn for Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF.
Pair scorecard
SCHA costs 0.03 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 16.7 points; SCHD is 5.0 times larger.
| Measure | SCHA | SCHD |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +17.8% | +34.5% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.9%, high on Jun 30, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Total Stock Market Index | Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Aug 31, 2026 | $22.6bn | $112.3bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 2% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 10.1% | 41.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Aug 31, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 28, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 782 weekly returnsSCHD returned more: +554.4% to +372.3%. SCHD swung less: 14.8% to 20.5%. SCHD fell less at its worst: −31.5% to −40.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SCHA | SCHD | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +372.3% | +554.4% | SCHD | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +10.9% | +13.3% | SCHD | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +281.9% | +306.8% | SCHD (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 20.5% | 14.8% | SCHD | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.1% | 10.4% | SCHD | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −40.9% | −31.5% | SCHD | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.52 | 0.80 | SCHD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.76 | 1.15 | SCHD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.27 | 0.42 | SCHD | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 782 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SCHA and SCHD hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026.
half
2% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SCHA and SCHD on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SCHA and SCHD do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. SCHA follows Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Total Stock Market Index and SCHD follows Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index.
- Holdings in common. 2% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 SCHA returned +17.8% and SCHD +34.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 16.7 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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SCHA
SCHA tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.8% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Aug 31, 2026, 7% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,705 positions, with the top ten at 10.1%. It sat 7.9% below its high of Jun 30, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
SCHD
SCHD tracks an index of US dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +34.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings filed for Aug 31, 2026, 95% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 99 positions, with the top ten at 41.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SCHA or SCHD?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SCHA returned +17.8% and SCHD +34.5%.
- Which is cheaper, SCHA or SCHD?
- SCHA is cheaper, by 0.03 percentage points a year. That is about $3 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, SCHA against SCHD, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/scha-vs-schd
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SCHA against SCHD. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/scha-vs-schd
[SCHA against SCHD (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/scha-vs-schd)
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