The 15 highest-paying stock-based income ETFs we track, ranked by trailing yield. Looking for junk bonds? "High yield" also describes corporate bond funds: see the best high-yield bond ETFs, such as HYG, JNK, USHY, and SPHY.
Updated October 31, 2026 · fund data as of October 30, 2026 · Best picks for retirees
| Ticker | Name | Yield | Expense Ratio | Pays | AUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QQQI | NEOS Nasdaq-100 High Income ETF | 14.77% | 0.68% | Monthly | $14.9B |
| RYLD | Global X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF | 12.19% | 0.60% | Monthly | $1.3B |
| SPYI | NEOS S&P 500 High Income ETF | 12.06% | 0.68% | Monthly | $12.2B |
| QYLD | Global X Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF | 11.98% | 0.60% | Monthly | $8.5B |
| JEPQ | JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF | 11.96% | 0.35% | Monthly | $44.3B |
| GPIQ | Goldman Sachs Nasdaq-100 Premium Income ETF | 10.62% | 0.29% | Monthly | $6.2B |
| XYLD | Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF | 10.32% | 0.60% | Monthly | $3.4B |
| SDIV | Global X SuperDividend ETF | 9.80% | 0.58% | Monthly | $1.2B |
| GPIX | Goldman Sachs S&P 500 Premium Income ETF | 8.32% | 0.29% | Monthly | $6.0B |
| JEPI | JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF | 7.93% | 0.35% | Monthly | $45.3B |
| DIVO | Amplify CWP Enhanced Dividend Income ETF | 6.39% | 0.56% | Monthly | $7.7B |
| PFF | iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF | 5.73% | 0.45% | Monthly | $12.3B |
| IDV | iShares International Select Dividend ETF | 5.67% | 0.50% | Quarterly | $8.2B |
| SPHD | Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF | 4.78% | 0.30% | Monthly | $3.2B |
| PEY | Invesco High Yield Equity Dividend Achievers ETF | 4.30% | 0.54% | Monthly | $1.1B |
Yield is trailing 12-month distributions divided by the latest price, calculated the same way for every fund, as of October 30, 2026. Distributions, prices, and fees change; confirm with the issuer before investing.
Not all "high yield" is built the same. Reading the table above as a ranked list will mislead anyone who doesn't know what drives each payout. Broadly, the funds here earn their yields in four different ways:
A 10% distribution yield looks spectacular next to a 3% one, but the two are rarely comparable dollar-for-dollar. Three things to check before using yield alone to rank funds:
Retirees usually need three things at once: income high enough to cover expenses, income that keeps up with inflation, and a portfolio that won't run out over 25+ years. No single fund on this list does all three, which is why most retirement income portfolios combine two or three:
| Role | Candidates | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Current income | JEPI, DIVO | High monthly income, with lower volatility than the S&P 500 in JEPI's case. |
| Growing income | SCHD, PEY | Quality dividend payers whose payouts have historically risen over time. Mostly qualified dividends. |
| Defensive yield | SPHD, SPYD | High real-dividend yield from utilities, staples, and REITs, with no cap on upside. |
| Stability | BND, SGOV | Pay monthly and dampen stock drawdowns. See monthly bond ETFs. |
Be careful with the very top of the table. A yield like QYLD's 11.98% is paid for with a share price that tends to erode over full market cycles, so a retiree drawing that income can end up with a smaller principal a decade later. A blended yield of 4–6% from funds whose prices can still grow is usually more durable than a 10%+ yield from a single covered-call fund. Model your mix with the portfolio builder, or see the full retirement income ETF guide with three sample portfolios and income per $100k.
Searchers often ask for a high-yield list that shows how distributions are actually taxed. Here is the broad-strokes version for a U.S. taxable account (check each fund's 19a notices and year-end 1099 for exact splits):
| Fund | Typical distribution character |
|---|---|
| SCHD, VYM, SPYD, SPHD, DVY, PEY | Mostly qualified dividends — long-term capital-gains rates |
| JEPI, JEPQ | Mostly ordinary income (option premium via equity-linked notes) |
| QYLD, SPYI, QQQI | Often a large return-of-capital component — defers tax, lowers cost basis |
| VNQ, USRT, RWR (REITs) | Mostly ordinary income; a portion qualifies for the 20% QBI deduction |
Rule of thumb: hold the ordinary-income payers (covered-call and REIT funds) in tax-advantaged accounts first. The tax optimization guide walks through account placement.
Among broad, diversified funds, QQQI tops this list at 14.77%, followed by RYLD, SPYI, QYLD, and JEPQ, all around 12%. Higher advertised yields exist in leveraged and single-stock income products, but their distributions and NAVs are much less stable, so we don't rank them alongside broad funds.
They are the first ten rows of the table above, which we keep ranked by trailing yield. Today every one of the top ten gets most of its payout from option premium, apart from SDIV, which selects the highest-yielding stocks worldwide. Ordinary dividend funds such as SPHD and PEY start further down the list.
Safer choices exist within the category. Covered-call yields are more stable in sideways markets but cap growth, which matters over a 25-year retirement. Many retirees blend one covered-call fund for current income with a quality screen like SCHD or SPHD for growing, mostly-qualified income.
Because the payout is option premium, the fund sells away upside to generate it. In strong bull markets a 10%-yielding covered-call fund can badly trail a 3%-yielding equity fund on total return; in flat or falling markets the premium cushions losses. Yield is a strategy choice, not a bonus.
All the covered call funds pay monthly, as do SPHD, PEY, and SDIV. SPYD, IDV, VNQ, and most other dividend funds pay quarterly. The table shows each fund. See the full monthly dividend ETF list.