Which paid more, JULJ or LJUL?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, JULJ paid 5.6% of its starting price in cash and LJUL paid 5.2%, so JULJ paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.

Which returned more once distributions are counted, JULJ or LJUL?

With every distribution reinvested, JULJ returned +5.4% and LJUL +5.3% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, JULJ or LJUL?

JULJ and LJUL both charge 0.79% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

JULJ vs LJUL: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, JULJ paid 5.6% of its price in cash against LJUL’s 5.2% and the two finished level on total return.

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Net assets on Nov 4, 2026: $14m for Innovator Premium Income 30 Barrier ETF - July and $9.0m for Innovator Premium Income 15 Buffer ETF - July.

JULJ on its own →LJUL on its own →

At a glance

5.6%

JULJ cash paid, 1 year

5.2%

LJUL cash paid, 1 year

+5.4%

JULJ total return, 1 year

+5.3%

LJUL total return, 1 year

JULJ · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 9.4 pts behind SPY

JULJ

+5.4%

SPY

+14.8%

9.4 pts behind SPY

JULJ over 1 year: paid 5.6%, price −0.4%, total +5.4%, SPY +14.8%, −9.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

JULJ

+5.4%

5.6% of it arrived as cash

9.4 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

9.4 pts behind SPY

JULJ over 1 year: paid 5.6%, price −0.4%, total +5.4%, SPY +14.8%, −9.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

JULJ

+5.4%

9.4 pts behind SPY

5.6% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. JULJ over 1 year: paid 5.6%, price −0.4%, total +5.4%, SPY +14.8%, −9.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

LJUL · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 9.5 pts behind VOO

LJUL

+5.3%

VOO

+14.8%

9.5 pts behind VOO

LJUL over 1 year: paid 5.2%, price 0.0%, total +5.3%, VOO +14.8%, −9.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

LJUL

+5.3%

5.2% of it arrived as cash

9.5 pts behind VOO

Total return, distributions reinvested

9.5 pts behind VOO

LJUL over 1 year: paid 5.2%, price 0.0%, total +5.3%, VOO +14.8%, −9.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

LJUL

+5.3%

9.5 pts behind VOO

5.2% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. LJUL over 1 year: paid 5.2%, price 0.0%, total +5.3%, VOO +14.8%, −9.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.79% a year; their one-year returns differ by 0.1 points; JULJ is 1.6 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

JULJ vs LJUL: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	JULJ	LJUL
Paid and earned
Measure	JULJ	LJUL
Total return, 1 year	+5.4%	+5.3%
Price change, 1 year	fell 0.4%	fell 0.0%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	39% of the Oct 2, 2026 payment	40% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	JULJ	LJUL
Benchmark	S&P 500, measured through SPY	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, measured through VOO
Cost and size
Measure	JULJ	LJUL
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.79%
Net assets	$14m	$9.0m
Holdings
Measure	JULJ	LJUL
Holdings in common	0%

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

IQ Income Score54.2JULJ57.8LJUL

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

JULJ 54.2

LJUL 57.8

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, JULJ and LJUL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

JULJ Innovator Premium Income 30 Barrier ETF - July · Defined income on SPY, paying quarterly LJUL Innovator Premium Income 15 Buffer ETF - July · Buffer with income on VOO, paying monthly

Issuer Innovator Innovator

Strategy defined income buffer with income

Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY) Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)

Pays quarterly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 5.4% 5.3%

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.79%

Cash paid, 1 year 5.6% 5.2%

Price change, 1 year −0.4% 0.0%

Total return, 1 year +5.4% +5.3%

Benchmark return, 1 year +14.8% +14.8%

Ahead or behind −9.4 pts −9.5 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 39% 40%

Age 3.3 years 2.3 years

Net assets $14m $9.0m

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: JULJ vs LJUL: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	JULJ	LJUL	JULJ	LJUL	JULJ	LJUL
3 months	+1.3%	+1.1%	1.3%	1.3%	+1.5 pts	+1.3 pts
6 months	+2.6%	+2.8%	2.7%	2.6%	−2.4 pts	−2.3 pts
1 year	+5.4%	+5.3%	5.6%	5.2%	−9.4 pts	−9.5 pts
3 years	+18.6%	–	17.3%	–	−64.3 pts	–
Since launchNot the same days: JULJ Jul 2023 · LJUL Jul 2024	+21.3%	+14.0%	19.0%	12.6%	−58.5 pts	−30.5 pts

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Alert

About each fund

JULJ

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, JULJ paid 5.6% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.4%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 9.4 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 5.4%, paid quarterly. Innovator estimates that 39% of the distribution paid Oct 2, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

LJUL

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, LJUL paid 5.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.3%. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 9.5 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 5.3%, paid monthly. Innovator estimates that 40% of the distribution paid Nov 2, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, JULJ or LJUL?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, JULJ paid 5.6% of its starting price in cash and LJUL paid 5.2%, so JULJ paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, JULJ or LJUL?: With every distribution reinvested, JULJ returned +5.4% and LJUL +5.3% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, JULJ or LJUL?: JULJ and LJUL both charge 0.79% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

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Where to next

S&P 500 (SPY) →Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) →JULJ on its own →LJUL on its own →JULJ dividend history →LJUL dividend history →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

JULJ and LJUL filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

JULJ prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

JULJ 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Innovator page for JULJ ↗

LJUL prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

LJUL 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Innovator page for LJUL ↗

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, JULJ against LJUL, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/julj-vs-ljul

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