Data as of .
QQQI vs TCAL: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year QQQI paid 15.2% of its price in cash against TCAL’s 11.4%, and returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: QQQI scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
A percentile among the 173 income ETFs writing on an index or proxy. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All income ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, QQQI and TCAL hold 14% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | QQQI | TCAL |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com Inc | 4.36% | 1.53% |
| Microsoft Corp | 5.84% | 1.50% |
| Costco Wholesale Corp | 1.74% | 1.20% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 1.92% | 1.14% |
| Broadcom Inc | 2.70% | 0.95% |
| Netflix Inc | 1.33% | 0.95% |
| Linde PLC | 0.94% | 1.63% |
| Gilead Sciences Inc | 0.82% | 1.48% |
| PepsiCo Inc | 0.78% | 1.16% |
| Walmart Inc | 2.28% | 0.77% |
| Starbucks Corp | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| CSX Corp | 0.38% | 0.50% |
| Only in QQQI | Only in TCAL |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA Corp 8.58% | DANAHER CORP 2.01% |
| Apple Inc 7.79% | WATERS CORP 1.97% |
| Micron Technology Inc 5.03% | VERALTO CORP 1.87% |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc 4.02% | WASTE CONNECTIONS INC 1.80% |
| Alphabet Inc 3.24% | YUM BRANDS INC 1.72% |
| Meta Platforms Inc 3.14% | MCDONALD S CORP 1.70% |
| Alphabet Inc 2.99% | VISA INC-CLASS A SHARES 1.69% |
| Tesla Inc 2.91% | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 1.60% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 21, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QQQI | TCAL | QQQI | TCAL | QQQI | TCAL | |
| 3 months | −0.7% | +4.2% | 3.4% | 3.5% | +1.8 pts | +1.9 pts |
| 6 months | +16.7% | +5.3% | 7.7% | 6.3% | −7.5 pts | −12.7 pts |
| 1 year | +16.4% | +3.0% | 15.2% | 11.4% | −5.3 pts | −13.5 pts |
| Since launch | +59.6% | +3.9% | 39.9% | 15.2% | −12.3 pts | −32.7 pts |
| QQQI NEOS Nasdaq-100(R) High Income ETF Option income on QQQ, paying monthly | TCAL T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Premium Income ETF Covered call on SPY, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | NEOS | T. Rowe Price |
| Strategy | option income | covered call |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 14.0% | 9.4% |
| Expense ratio | 0.68% | 0.34% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 15.2% | 11.4% |
| Price change, 1 year | −0.1% | −8.6% |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.4% | +3.0% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +21.8% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | −5.3 pts | −13.5 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 98% | not published |
| Age | 962 days | 540 days |
| Net assets | $14.8bn | $276m |
QQQI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QQQI paid 15.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +16.4%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 5.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 14.0%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 98% of the distribution paid Jun 18, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
TCAL in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, TCAL paid 11.4% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 8.6%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +3.0%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 13.5 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.4%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, QQQI or TCAL?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QQQI paid 15.2% of its starting price in cash and TCAL paid 11.4%, so QQQI paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, QQQI or TCAL?
- With every distribution reinvested, QQQI returned +16.4% and TCAL returned +3.0% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so QQQI returned more.
- Which is cheaper, QQQI or TCAL?
- QQQI charges 0.68% a year and TCAL charges 0.34%, so TCAL 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.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, QQQI against TCAL, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qqqi-vs-tcal Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.