Which paid more, JEPI or QLDY?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, JEPI paid 8.1% of its starting price in cash and QLDY paid 35.3%, so QLDY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.

Which returned more once distributions are counted, JEPI or QLDY?

With every distribution reinvested, JEPI returned +12.0% and QLDY +9.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, JEPI or QLDY?

JEPI charges 0.35% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so JEPI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

JEPI vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its price in cash against JEPI’s 8.1%, though JEPI returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $46.1bn for JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF and $53m for Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF.

JEPI on its own →QLDY on its own →

At a glance

8.1%

JEPI cash paid, 1 year

35.3%

QLDY cash paid, 1 year

+12.0%

JEPI total return, 1 year

+9.1%

QLDY total return, 1 year

JEPI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 2.8 pts behind SPY

JEPI

+12.0%

SPY

+14.8%

2.8 pts behind SPY

JEPI over 1 year: paid 8.1%, price +3.4%, total +12.0%, SPY +14.8%, −2.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

JEPI

+12.0%

8.1% of it arrived as cash

2.8 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

2.8 pts behind SPY

JEPI over 1 year: paid 8.1%, price +3.4%, total +12.0%, SPY +14.8%, −2.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

JEPI

+12.0%

8.1% cash

2.8 pts behind SPY

8.1% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. JEPI over 1 year: paid 8.1%, price +3.4%, total +12.0%, SPY +14.8%, −2.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QLDY · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY

+9.1%

QQQ

+12.3%

3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QLDY

+9.1%

35.3% of it arrived as cash

3.2 pts behind QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QLDY

+9.1%

35.3% cash

3.2 pts behind QQQ

35.3% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

JEPI costs 0.69 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.9 points; JEPI is far larger, $46.1bn against $53m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

JEPI vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	JEPI	QLDY
Paid and earned
Measure	JEPI	QLDY
Total return, 1 year	+12.0%	+9.1%
Price change, 1 year	rose 3.4%	fell 27.2%
Return of capital, issuer estimate		0% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	JEPI	QLDY
Benchmark	S&P 500, measured through SPY	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	JEPI	QLDY
Expense ratio	0.35%	1.04%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$46.1bn	$53m
Holdings
Measure	JEPI	QLDY
Holdings in common	0%

ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · JEPI scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?

IQ Income Score76.9JEPI24.9QLDY

How much of its payouts the fund's total return covered, ranked against 167 income ETFs not writing on a single company. 100 is best. How it is computed

JEPI 76.9

QLDY 24.9

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

One year only, and a ratio of two published numbers: it says nothing about where a distribution came from. All income ETFs ranked by it →

Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, JEPI and QLDY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026 and Nov 4, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first JEPI QLDY

Only in one fund ↓

Only in JEPI

MASTERCARD INC COMMON 1.99%

MICROSOFT CORP COMMON 1.93%

VISA INC COMMON STOCK USD 1.88%

APPLE INC COMMON STOCK 1.86%

AMAZON.COM INC COMMON 1.81%

NEXTERA ENERGY INC 1.81%

3M CO COMMON STOCK USD 1.80%

JOHNSON & JOHNSON COMMON 1.75%

Only in QLDY

Ndx 12/18/2026 2001.44 C 92.84%

United States Treasury Note/bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 0.49%

Exchange Put Opt 11/26 28320 0.15%

Xnd 12/18/2026 10.44 C 0.05%

Nasdaq-1 Put Opt 11/26 28470 -0.24%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

JEPI JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF · Writes calls through equity-linked notes (ELNs) on the S&P 500, paying monthly QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF · Option income on QQQ, paying weekly

Issuer JPMorgan Defiance

Strategy covered call option income

Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY) Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays monthly weekly

Payout rate, annualized 7.1% 19.7%

Expense ratio 0.35% 1.04%

Cash paid, 1 year 8.1% 35.3%

Price change, 1 year +3.4% −27.2%

Total return, 1 year +12.0% +9.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year +14.8% +12.3%

Ahead or behind −2.8 pts −3.2 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate not published 0%

Age 6.5 years 1.1 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $46.1bn $53m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price. Payout rate: the latest payment, annualized, over today’s price.

Window by window

Window by window: JEPI vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	JEPI	QLDY	JEPI	QLDY	JEPI	QLDY
3 months	+3.3%	−4.5%	1.8%	9.5%	+3.4 pts	−1.1 pts
6 months	+7.3%	−3.1%	3.9%	18.5%	+2.3 pts	−2.8 pts
1 year	+12.0%	+9.1%	8.1%	35.3%	−2.8 pts	−3.2 pts
3 years	+37.9%	–	25.2%	–	−45.1 pts	–
Since launchNot the same days: JEPI May 2020 · QLDY Sep 2025	+102.1%	+13.2%	62.2%	39.1%	−82.3 pts	−3.7 pts

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Alert

About each fund

JEPI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, JEPI paid 8.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 3.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +12.0%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 2.8 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 7.1%, paid monthly.

QLDY

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 27.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +9.1%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.2 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.7%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 0% of the distribution paid Nov 2, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

Questions people ask

Which paid more, JEPI or QLDY?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, JEPI paid 8.1% of its starting price in cash and QLDY paid 35.3%, so QLDY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, JEPI or QLDY?: With every distribution reinvested, JEPI returned +12.0% and QLDY +9.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, JEPI or QLDY?: JEPI charges 0.35% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so JEPI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

JEPI vs QDTY JEPI vs QDTE JEPI vs KIQQ JEPI vs QYLD QLDY vs SPYI QLDY vs XYLD QLDY vs OMAH QLDY vs ROCY

Where to next

S&P 500 (SPY) →Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →JEPI on its own →QLDY on its own →JEPI dividend history →JEPI holdings →QLDY dividend history →QLDY holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

JEPI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

JEPI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

JPMorgan website ↗

QLDY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QLDY prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

QLDY 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Defiance page for QLDY ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, JEPI against QLDY, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/jepi-vs-qldy

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.