Get the weekly note
ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

XISE FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - September

Buffer with income on SPY, paying monthly

Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, XISE paid 6.0% in cash and still finished 11.3 points behind SPY.

First Trust · Income ETFs · data as of

Key facts

6.0%Cash paid, 1 year, on its starting price
+6.2%Total return, 1 year
−11.3 ptsAgainst SPY
6.0%Latest payout, annualized

Method

ETFIQ Return Stability Score

42.3108th of 161

XISE paid 6.0% in cash and its price rose 0.0%, so the payout came out of returns rather than principal.

Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?

Against its benchmark
MLPD −38.1 ptsMDST −30.2 ptsSLTY −29.1 ptsBLOX −27.8 ptsEIPI −27.8 ptsYQQQ −27.6 ptsULTY −23.3 ptsGDXY −22.0 ptsHIGH −20.8 ptsTOPW −18.6 ptsTDVI −18.3 ptsYMAX −18.1 ptsHISF −17.3 ptsACKY −17.2 ptsWEEI −16.9 ptsNDIV −16.6 ptsLQDW −16.2 ptsOARK −15.8 ptsFDND −15.5 ptsTCAL −15.0 ptsQRMI −14.8 ptsSDVD −14.8 ptsLFGY −14.5 ptsSLJY −14.5 ptsSCLZ −14.1 ptsYFYA −13.9 ptsQUSA −13.5 ptsHYGW −13.0 ptsJULH −13.0 ptsXLRI −13.0 ptsMAGY −12.9 ptsYYY −12.7 ptsXLKI −12.6 ptsJULJ −12.4 ptsLJUL −12.4 ptsJANJ −12.3 ptsLJAN −12.3 ptsFGSI −12.2 ptsLOCT −12.1 ptsRNTY −12.1 ptsAIPI −12.0 ptsIWMY −12.0 ptsOCTJ −11.9 ptsHIPS −11.7 ptsJUCY −11.6 ptsXLEI −11.6 ptsAPRJ −11.3 ptsLAPR −11.3 ptsXIJN −11.1 ptsCVRD −11.0 ptsJANH −11.0 ptsAPRH −10.9 ptsXBTY −10.7 ptsXIDE −10.7 ptsOCTH −10.6 ptsJEPI −10.3 ptsXIMR −10.1 ptsSRHR −9.7 ptsXRMI −8.7 ptsVEGA −8.3 ptsBUYW −8.2 ptsIAUI −7.9 ptsBAGY −7.7 ptsXV −7.5 ptsKHPI −7.3 ptsYBTC −7.3 ptsFTHI −7.0 ptsYLDE −6.8 ptsIGLD −6.1 ptsQQQI −6.1 ptsRDVI −6.0 ptsSPIN −5.9 ptsFEPI −5.8 ptsIWMW −5.8 ptsTYLG −5.7 ptsBITY −5.6 ptsSPUT −5.4 ptsWTPI −5.2 ptsPAPI −4.7 ptsXLVI −4.7 ptsETCO −4.3 ptsJEPQ −4.1 ptsCAIE −4.0 ptsFTKI −3.9 ptsGPTY −3.7 ptsIQQQ −3.7 ptsGIAX −3.4 ptsBIGY −3.3 ptsISPY −3.1 ptsRYLD −3.1 ptsWEEL −2.9 ptsYMAG −2.9 ptsRDTY −2.6 ptsXLBI −2.5 ptsNBOS −1.8 ptsRYLG −1.8 ptsSPYI −1.7 ptsFTQI −1.6 ptsKNG −1.6 ptsTSPY −1.6 ptsTHTA −1.5 ptsQQQY −1.3 ptsRDTE −1.3 ptsDIVO −1.2 ptsSIXH −1.2 ptsXYLD −1.2 ptsDFII −1.1 ptsGPIQ −1.1 ptsQDTY −1.1 ptsXYLG −1.1 ptsXDTE −0.9 ptsQDTE −0.7 ptsQYLD −0.7 ptsXLII −0.7 ptsXPAY −0.7 ptsEGGY −0.6 ptsJOYT −0.6 ptsSDTY −0.6 ptsWDTE −0.4 ptsBTCC −0.3 ptsQYLG −0.3 ptsGPIX 0.0 ptsDJIA +0.1 ptsDYLG +0.3 ptsIWMI +0.3 ptsKGLD +0.3 ptsXLFI +0.3 ptsIVVW +0.4 ptsLTTI +0.5 ptsLQTI +0.6 ptsPBP +0.6 ptsHYTI +0.9 ptsTDAQ +0.9 ptsCSHI +1.3 ptsBALI +1.4 ptsYETH +1.5 ptsHYBL +1.6 ptsXLUI +1.6 ptsCHPY +1.9 ptsBTCI +2.1 ptsSOXY +2.3 ptsITWO +2.5 ptsDOGG +2.7 ptsCEPI +2.9 ptsXLYI +2.9 ptsYBIT +2.9 ptsTLTP +3.4 ptsDUBS +4.0 ptsSEPI +4.7 ptsXLCI +5.2 ptsIDVO +5.4 ptsTLTW +5.4 ptsBCCC +6.3 ptsOMAH +6.5 ptsIDUB +6.9 ptsXLSI +8.8 ptsUSOY +10.5 ptsBUCK +10.9 ptsKLIP +20.9 ptsNVYY +24.6 ptsXISE −11.3 ptsXISE −11.3 pts−38.1 pts+24.6 pts

29.5% of the 161 sit at or below XISE on this measure.

What happened to the principal
ETCO −75.0%XBTY −74.7%YETH −67.4%YBTC −61.4%BTCC −59.9%YBIT −58.9%BAGY −58.0%SLTY −54.4%ULTY −53.3%NVYY −52.4%BITY −51.9%BCCC −49.4%BTCI −46.9%DFII −44.8%LFGY −43.0%YMAX −41.0%BLOX −38.8%TOPW −36.6%OARK −33.3%KLIP −32.8%GDXY −32.5%YMAG −27.1%YQQQ −26.3%MAGY −25.8%IWMY −23.1%CEPI −21.0%RDTY −19.9%RDTE −19.4%QDTE −18.5%EGGY −15.1%TLTP −14.5%XLYI −14.1%LTTI −13.8%ACKY −13.7%WDTE −13.7%QQQY −13.0%QDTY −12.8%XDTE −12.8%AIPI −12.2%QUSA −11.8%LQTI −10.4%TLTW −10.3%SDTY −9.9%GIAX −9.8%XLUI −9.5%HIGH −9.3%LQDW −9.3%TCAL −9.0%FEPI −8.5%XV −8.4%IGLD −8.1%XLRI −8.0%XLCI −7.9%FDND −7.6%YYY −7.5%XLSI −7.3%RNTY −6.5%HYTI −6.3%GPTY −6.0%OMAH −6.0%XLBI −5.7%HYGW −5.6%IWMW −5.3%HIPS −5.2%XPAY −4.9%HISF −4.7%QRMI −4.2%USOY −4.0%XLFI −3.8%FGSI −3.2%BUCK −2.5%HYBL −2.5%JUCY −2.3%XRMI −2.3%MLPD −1.7%CAIE −1.6%IAUI −1.6%YFYA −1.6%IVVW −1.4%CVRD −1.3%JEPI −1.1%KNG −0.9%XIJN −0.7%JULJ −0.6%WTPI −0.5%CSHI −0.4%JULH −0.3%LJUL −0.2%JANH +0.1%JANJ +0.1%LAPR +0.1%LOCT +0.1%LJAN +0.2%OCTJ +0.2%XLII +0.2%APRJ +0.3%OCTH +0.3%XIDE +0.3%XIMR +0.4%APRH +0.5%TSPY +0.6%KHPI +0.7%BIGY +0.8%WEEL +0.9%SRHR +1.0%FTHI +1.1%QQQI +1.5%XLVI +2.1%SPYI +2.6%QYLG +2.8%YLDE +2.8%BUYW +2.9%SDVD +3.0%XYLG +3.4%KGLD +3.8%THTA +3.9%DJIA +4.2%FTKI +4.3%SCLZ +4.4%PAPI +4.5%RYLD +4.7%XLKI +5.0%PBP +5.1%IWMI +5.3%DYLG +5.4%TDAQ +5.9%XYLD +5.9%JEPQ +6.0%SPIN +6.1%NBOS +6.5%SPUT +6.5%RYLG +7.1%GPIX +7.9%FTQI +8.0%DOGG +8.2%ISPY +8.4%QYLD +8.4%DIVO +8.9%MDST +9.3%VEGA +9.4%BALI +9.5%GPIQ +9.8%SLJY +11.0%RDVI +11.7%TDVI +11.7%IQQQ +12.3%SEPI +13.8%XLEI +13.8%SIXH +14.1%ITWO +14.3%EIPI +14.6%JOYT +16.1%IDVO +16.4%DUBS +18.9%WEEI +18.9%IDUB +19.0%TYLG +21.2%NDIV +22.9%CHPY +24.9%SOXY +68.6%XISE 0.0%XISE 0.0%−75.0%+68.6%

55% of the 161 sit at or below XISE on this measure.

Weighted evenly, those two positions are what the score combines, across the 161 income ETFs writing on an index or proxy. Neither spread above is the score: a fund can sit further right on one and score lower. A position in this set, not a rating: it moves when the set moves, and it is not a figure to average against another desk's.

What the score is computed from
What it measuresThis fundIts percentileWeight
against its benchmark−11.3 pts29.550%
what happened to the principal0.0%5550%

All income ETFs ranked by this score · How it is computed

What a holder got

XISE against SPYXISE returned +6.2% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for S&P 500 (SPY), a gap of −11.3 pts. Of that, 6.0% arrived as cash rather than price.+6.2%XISE total return+17.5%S&P 500 (SPY)6.0% of it arrived as cash

Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, XISE returned +6.2% with distributions reinvested and S&P 500 (SPY) returned +17.5%, so a holder came out behind it by 11.3 points. The lighter segment is the 6.0% that arrived as cash rather than as price.

Method

Period by period

XISE over each window to Sep 11, 2026. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowCash paidPriceTotal returnSPYAhead or behind
3 months1.5%−0.1%+1.4%+3.3%−1.9 pts
6 months3.0%+1.4%+4.5%+16.0%−11.5 pts
1 year6.0%0.0%+6.2%+17.5%−11.3 pts
Since launch18.7%+0.6%+21.1%+78.2%−57.1 pts

Method

When XISE pays

XISE pays monthly. The last distribution was $0.1517 a share, which went ex on Sep 1, 2026, with payment about 2 days later. The next has not been declared. On its own cadence of about 30 days the ex-date falls near Oct 1, 2026; that date is an ETFIQ projection, not the issuer’s.

Expected distributions for XISE. Where the basis is a projection, ETFIQ has carried the fund’s own spacing forward from its last ex-date and held the amount at the last one paid; neither is an issuer statement. Source: ETFIQ.
Ex-datePay dateAmountBasis
Oct 1, 2026Oct 5, 2026$0.1517ETFIQ projection from the fund’s own cadence
Every distribution ETFIQ holds for XISE (13, most recent first)
Cash distributions per share for XISE. Source: ETFIQ from Tiingo end-of-day distributions.
Ex-dateAmount
Sep 1, 2026$0.1517
Aug 3, 2026$0.1517
Jul 1, 2026$0.1517
Jun 1, 2026$0.1517
May 1, 2026$0.1517
Apr 1, 2026$0.1517
Mar 2, 2026$0.1517
Feb 2, 2026$0.1517
Jan 2, 2026$0.1517
Dec 1, 2025$0.1517
Nov 3, 2025$0.1517
Sep 19, 2025$0.1463
Sep 2, 2025$0.1463

Every income ETF going ex-dividend in the next fortnight

Method

In plain words

Since it launched on Sep 18, 2023, XISE has returned +21.1% with distributions reinvested, against +78.2% for S&P 500 (SPY), and has paid out 18.7% of its starting value in cash along the way. It pays monthly, and at its current price the latest distribution annualizes to 6.0%. No Rule 19a-1 notice has been published for this fund, so there is no issuer estimate of how much of its distributions was a return of capital.

XISE (FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - September), income ETFs fields as of Sep 11, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
Strategybuffer with income
BenchmarkS&P 500 (SPY)
Paysmonthly
Net assets (issuer page, as of Sep 11, 2026)$36m
Latest payout, annualized (ETFIQ)6.0%
Expense ratio (485BPOS XBRL, Dec 29, 2025)0.85%
Cash paid, last 12 months, over today’s price (ETFIQ)6.0%
LaunchedSep 18, 2023
Paysmonthly
Typical gap between ex-dates30 days
Typical wait from ex-date to payment2 days
Last paid, per share$0.1517 ex Sep 1, 2026
Sum of the last 12 distributions$1.815

Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation from exchange prices and cash distributions (Tiingo end-of-day), total return with distributions reinvested. Return of capital is the issuer’s estimate. How these figures are computed

Questions people ask

How much has XISE paid over the last year?
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, XISE paid 6.0% of its starting price in cash distributions, while the price rose 0.0%.
Is XISE ahead of SPY?
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, with every distribution reinvested, XISE returned +6.2% against +17.5% for S&P 500 (SPY), so a holder was behind it by 11.3 points.
How often does XISE pay, and how much?
XISE pays monthly. The latest distribution annualizes to 6.0% at its price on Sep 11, 2026, which is not a promise; the next one can differ.
When does XISE next pay a distribution?
XISE pays monthly. The last distribution went ex on Sep 1, 2026 at $0.1517 a share. The next is not declared; on a cadence of about 30 days the ex-date falls near Oct 1, 2026, which is an ETFIQ projection. Payment usually follows the ex-date by 2 days.
What does XISE cost?
The prospectus expense ratio is 0.85% a year.

The words on this page

Total return
What a holder actually ended up with: price change plus every distribution, reinvested. The only figure that answers whether you came out ahead.
Cash paid
Distributions over the window as a share of what the fund cost at the start. A measure of cash delivered, not of return: a fund can pay a great deal and still lose money.
Ahead or behind
The fund’s total return minus the benchmark’s over exactly the same days, in percentage points. Both sides reinvest.
Return of capital
The issuer’s own estimate, in a Rule 19a-1 notice, of how much of a distribution was your own money returned. An estimate and a tax characterization, not a measure of erosion.
Covered call
Selling call options on shares the fund holds. It collects a premium and gives up the gains above the strike, which is why these funds pay well and lag a rising market.

Every term used here, defined in full on the income ETFs vocabulary page.

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.

Funds near this one

Put this on your own page

The payout bar for XISE, redrawn every trading night. Free to use with the credit link.

XISE payout bar, ETFIQ

Copy the embed code
<a href="https://etfiq.com/funds/xise"><img src="https://etfiq.com/embed/income/xise.svg" alt="XISE payout bar, ETFIQ" width="640"></a>
<p><a href="https://etfiq.com/funds/xise">XISE payout bar, updated daily by ETFIQ</a></p>

Where XISE is written about

XISE, Income ETFs, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 11, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. ETFIQ is an independent publisher, is not a fund issuer, broker-dealer or investment adviser, and makes no recommendations.
Use this data, or open the live card

Open XISE live on ETFIQ, where the figures refresh with the data.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, XISE, income ETFs, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/funds/xise Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How these figures are computed · Standards and sources