Understand the four dates
| Date | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Declaration | The issuer announces the dividend. |
| Ex-dividend | Shares trade without entitlement to that dividend. |
| Record | The issuer determines registered holders. |
| Payment | The issuer plans to distribute the cash. |
Buying before the ex-dividend date
For an ordinary dividend, you generally need to buy before the ex-dividend date to qualify for that payment. Buying on the ex-dividend date normally does not qualify.
Canada moved to T+1 settlement in May 2024. Under the usual schedule, the ex-dividend date now generally coincides with the record date. Special distributions can follow different rules. Check the exchange and issuer announcement.
Read an example schedule
Fictional example: an ex-dividend date of November 12 and a payment date of November 27 describe the same distribution. November 27 is the expected cash payment date. These are not dates for any real security.
The time a payment appears in your brokerage account can depend on processing. A past ex-dividend date can therefore accompany a future payment date.
Use the My Dividends calendar
The public table separates ex-dividend and payment dates and links to a source. Missing dates are explicitly marked as unavailable.
Your personal calendar organizes payments for holdings you enter. Distinguish an available announcement from a projection based on historical payments.