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Data as of .

HJAN vs QLDY: which paid, and which earned it?

HJAN and QLDY both write options for income.

Innovator Premium Income 9 Buffer ETF - January and Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread(TM) Income ETF.

0.0%HJAN cash paid, 1 year
29.2%QLDY cash paid, 1 year
0.0%HJAN total return, 1 year
+10.6%QLDY total return, 1 year
HJAN0.8 pts behind SPY · since launch to Sep 18, 2026
SPY+0.8%HJAN0.0%0.8 pts behind SPYTotal return, distributions reinvestedSPY+0.8%HJAN0.0%0.8 pts behind SPY
QLDY11.2 pts behind QQQ · 1 year to Sep 18, 2026
QQQ+21.8%QLDY+10.6%29.2% of it arrived as cash11.2 pts behind QQQTotal return, distributions reinvestedQQQ+21.8%QLDY+10.6%11.2 pts behind QQQ

Performance, window by window

HJAN and QLDY over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowTotal returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
HJANQLDYHJANQLDYHJANQLDY
3 monthsnot published−6.6%not published8.3%not published−4.1 pts
6 monthsnot published+20.1%not published18.7%not published−4.2 pts
1 yearnot published+10.6%not published29.2%not published−11.2 pts
Since launch0.0%+10.6%0.0%29.2%−0.8 pts−11.2 pts
Open the live comparison on ETFIQ
HJAN and QLDY on the same fields, as of Sep 18, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
HJAN
Innovator Premium Income 9 Buffer ETF - January
Buffer with income on SPY
QLDY
Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread(TM) Income ETF
Option income on QQQ, paying weekly
IssuerInnovatorDefiance
Strategybuffer with incomeoption income
BenchmarkS&P 500 (SPY)Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)
Paysnot establishedweekly
Payout rate, annualizednot published19.6%
Expense ratio0.79%1.04%
Cash paid, 1 year0.0% (since launch on Sep 10, 2026)29.2%
Price change, 1 year0.0%−20.3%
Total return, 1 year0.0% (since launch on Sep 10, 2026)+10.6%
Benchmark return, 1 year+0.8%+21.8%
Ahead or behind−0.8 pts−11.2 pts
Return of capital, latest estimatenot published100%
Age8 days365 days
Net assetsnot published$52m

HJAN in plain words

Over the period since launch on Sep 10, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026, HJAN paid 0.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned 0.0%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +0.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.8 pts.

QLDY in plain words

Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QLDY paid 29.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 20.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +10.6%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 11.2 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.6%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 17, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, HJAN or QLDY?
HJAN charges 0.79% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so HJAN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

HJAN against QLDY, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, HJAN against QLDY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/hjan-vs-qldy Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How every figure is computed · Standards and sources