Data as of .
TCAL vs YQQQ: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year YQQQ paid 23.1% of its price in cash against TCAL’s 11.4%, though TCAL returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: TCAL 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, TCAL and YQQQ hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in TCAL | Only in YQQQ |
|---|---|
| DANAHER CORP 2.01% | United States Treasury Note/Bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 28.76% |
| WATERS CORP 1.97% | United States Treasury Bill 07/08/2027 28.59% |
| VERALTO CORP 1.87% | United States Treasury Bill 02/18/2027 17.25% |
| WASTE CONNECTIONS INC 1.80% | United States Treasury Bill 12/10/2026 13.01% |
| YUM BRANDS INC 1.72% | United States Treasury Bill 10/15/2026 7.09% |
| MCDONALD S CORP 1.70% | First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/2031 5.94% |
| VISA INC-CLASS A SHARES 1.69% | QQQ 10/16/2026 720.02 P 1.66% |
| LINDE PLC 1.63% | QQQ US 09/25/26 P690 0.06% |
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TCAL | YQQQ | TCAL | YQQQ | TCAL | YQQQ | |
| 3 months | +4.2% | +5.8% | 3.5% | 6.5% | +1.9 pts | +8.3 pts |
| 6 months | +5.3% | −13.9% | 6.3% | 10.8% | −12.7 pts | −38.2 pts |
| 1 year | +3.0% | −3.5% | 11.4% | 23.1% | −13.5 pts | −25.3 pts |
| Since launch | +3.9% | −17.6% | 15.2% | 37.0% | −32.7 pts | −71.2 pts |
| TCAL T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Premium Income ETF Covered call on SPY, paying monthly | YQQQ YieldMax(R) Short N100 Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on QQQ, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | T. Rowe Price | YieldMax |
| Strategy | covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 9.4% | 21.3% |
| Expense ratio | 0.34% | 1.11% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 11.4% | 23.1% |
| Price change, 1 year | −8.6% | −25.7% |
| Total return, 1 year | +3.0% | −3.5% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.6% | +21.8% |
| Ahead or behind | −13.5 pts | −25.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 0% |
| Age | 540 days | 764 days |
| Net assets | $276m | $27m |
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.
YQQQ in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, YQQQ paid 23.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 25.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −3.5%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 25.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 21.3%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 0% of the distribution paid Sep 18, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, TCAL or YQQQ?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, TCAL paid 11.4% of its starting price in cash and YQQQ paid 23.1%, so YQQQ paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, TCAL or YQQQ?
- With every distribution reinvested, TCAL returned +3.0% and YQQQ returned −3.5% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so TCAL returned more.
- Which is cheaper, TCAL or YQQQ?
- TCAL charges 0.34% a year and YQQQ charges 1.11%, 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, TCAL against YQQQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/tcal-vs-yqqq Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.