Dividend Filters: Yield, Amount, and Ex-Dividend Date
Filter covered calls and cash-secured puts by underlying dividend yield, next dividend amount, and days until the ex-dividend date.
Why dividends matter on the wheel
Dividends change two things for option sellers:
- Income stack — stock yield plus option premium can beat premium alone on names you'd happily own.
- Ex-date risk — deep ITM short calls can face early exercise around the ex-dividend date. Knowing days-to-ex helps you avoid (or intentionally take) that risk.
The options screener exposes three related controls on both covered calls and cash-secured puts.
Dividend Yield (%)
Filters by the underlying's dividend yield (for example set a minimum above 0 to show only dividend payers). The upper end is open-ended so high-yield ETFs aren't artificially capped.
Recipe — dividend-replacement CSP: set yield floor (e.g. 2%+), keep Exclude Earnings on, and favor liquid large caps with Market Cap.
Dividend Amount ($)
Filters by the cash amount per share of the next dividend (or the most recent regular payment when the next date is estimated). Useful when you care about dollars, not just yield percentage — for example comparing two similar yields with different share prices.
Days to Ex-Dividend
Filters by how many days until the next ex-dividend date (0–120, open-ended at the top).
- Tighten the max (e.g. 0–14) to focus on names going ex soon.
- Raise the min to skip names about to go ex if you're writing calls and want to avoid early-exercise pressure.
How to combine them
| Goal | Typical setup |
|---|---|
| Dividend payers only | Yield min > 0 |
| Fat next check | Raise Dividend Amount min |
| Avoid near ex-date on CCs | Raise Days-to-ex min, or keep ITM cushion conservative |
| Hunt ex-date week | Lower Days-to-ex max |
Always stack liquidity (Volume, Bid-Ask Spread) so you can actually fill.
Common mistakes
1. Chasing yield without quality. Very high yields can signal distress. Pair with fundamentals or stick to names you'd own on assignment.
2. Ignoring ex-date on short calls. ITM covered calls near ex-div are more likely to be called early. Check Days to Ex-Dividend before you sell.
3. Confusing this with the stock screener dividend tutorial. The stock screener dividend yield guide is for the fundamental stock screener. These three filters live on the options CC/CSP screeners.
Dividend Calendar (week view)
Need the market-wide ex-date schedule — not just names already in your screener results? Open the free Dividend Calendar:
- Browse Mon–Fri ex-dividend dates for the selected week.
- Toggle S&P 500 Only when you want large-cap payers.
- Sort by Yield, Amount, or Ticker.
- Tap a company card to open Stock Details for that ticker (chart, GEX, heatmap, fundamentals).
- Use Sell CC / Sell Put on the card footer when you want the screener pre-filtered to that symbol.
Use the calendar to plan the week, then tighten the screener with Days to Ex-Dividend and yield floors.
Where to go next
- Exclude Earnings for event risk.
- Moneyness / cushion when managing call-away risk near ex-date.
- Dividend Calendar for the weekly ex-date grid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the dividend filters on the options screener?
In the filter drawer on both the covered call and cash-secured put screeners: Dividend Yield (%), Dividend Amount ($), and Days to Ex-Dividend.
Should I always filter for dividend stocks on the wheel?
Not required. Many wheel traders prefer liquid ETFs or growth names with little or no yield. Use dividend filters when you specifically want stock income stacked on top of premium.
Why does Days to Ex-Dividend matter for covered calls?
Short calls that are in the money near the ex-dividend date have a higher chance of early exercise. Filtering by days-to-ex helps you avoid or intentionally take that risk.
Where is the Dividend Calendar?
Open /dividend-calendar (More menu → Dividend Calendar). It shows upcoming ex-dividend dates by week with yield, S&P 500 filter, and amount/pay details on each card. Tap a card to open Stock Details; use Sell CC / Sell Put on the card footer for screener deep links.