REITs and Dividend Income (2024)

FAQs

What is a qualified dividend income for a REIT? ›

Qualified dividends are a particular type of dividend you can report on taxes as a capital gain instead of income. Capital gains typically have lower tax rates than income taxes, allowing for increased savings when you file taxes.

For each tax year, the REIT must derive: at least 75 percent of its gross income from real property-related sources; and. at least 95 percent of its gross income from real property-related sources, dividends, interest, securities, and certain mineral royalty income.

Qualified REIT dividends from a fund are reported in Box 5, Section 199A dividends, of your Form 1099‑DIV.

By design, REITs must distribute at least 90% of their taxable income to shareholders as dividends. As a result, dividends are an important component of REIT total returns. For investors seeking income, REITs can deliver.

To qualify for the qualified dividend rate, the payee must own the stock for a long enough time, generally 60 days for common stock and 90 days for preferred stock. To qualify for the qualified dividend rate, the dividend must also be paid by a corporation in the U.S. or with certain ties to the U.S.

What are the dividend distribution requirements for a REIT? In order to qualify as a REIT, the REIT must distribute at least 90% of its taxable income. To the extent that the REIT retains income, it must pay taxes on such income just like any other corporation.

Derive at least 75% of its gross income from rents from real property, interest on mortgages financing real property or from sales of real estate. Pay at least 90% of its taxable income in the form of shareholder dividends each year. Be an entity that is taxable as a corporation.

In order to meet the 95% test, at least 95% of a REIT's gross income must be derived from sources described in the 75% test as well as from earnings from certain types of portfolio income such as interest, dividends and gains from sales of securities.

Bad REIT earnings tend to run afoul of Section 856, which provides that at least 95% of a REIT's gross income must be derived from “rents from real property.” It also provides that at least 75% of its gross income must be derived from that source.

Your “qualified” dividends may be taxed at 0% if your taxable income falls below $44,625 (if single or Married Filing Separately), $59,750 (if Head of Household), or $89,250 (if (Married Filing Jointly or qualifying widow/widower) (tax year 2023). Above those thresholds, the qualified dividend tax rate is 15%.

Do dividends count as income? ›

Key Takeaways

All dividends paid to shareholders must be included on their gross income, but qualified dividends will get more favorable tax treatment. A qualified dividend is taxed at the capital gains tax rate, while ordinary dividends are taxed at standard federal income tax rates.

The investor who bought 500 shares of stock at $5 per share for $2,500 benefited when the stock price rose. Regardless of the movement in the price of the stock, the investor benefits if Company XYX announces a special dividend of $0.10 per share. In this case, the investor has a dividend income of $50 (500 x $0.10).

Reinvesting REIT dividends can help retirement savers grow their portfolio's investment, and historically steady REIT dividend income can help retirees meet their living expenses. REIT dividends historically have provided: Wealth Accumulation. Reliable Income Returns.

You can easily make your purchase through a brokerage account. Keep in mind that though you can earn passive income from REIT dividends, the IRS does not tax these dividends as passive income. Instead, the income you earn from REIT dividends is usually taxed as ordinary income.

REITs and stocks can both pay dividends, usually on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis. Some investments will also offer special dividends, but they're unpredictable.

The deduction allows eligible taxpayers to deduct up to 20 percent of their QBI, plus 20 percent of qualified real estate investment trust (REIT) dividends and qualified publicly traded partnership (PTP) income.

Qualified dividends are eligible for a lower tax rate than other ordinary income. Generally, these dividends are reported to the estate or trust in box 1b of Form(s) 1099-DIV. See Pub. 550 for the definition of qualified dividends if the estate or trust received dividends not reported on Form 1099-DIV.

Generally speaking, we talk about how REIT dividends are taxed as ordinary income. This is what ordinary dividends are -- ordinary income. They don't get the beneficial tax treatment of qualified dividends, which are taxed at much lower capital gains tax rates. So, if you held shares of Realty Income Corp.

In exchange for paying 90 plus percent of its income out to investors as dividends, the REIT itself does not pay federal corporate income taxes. This results in REITs often paying higher dividends than companies in other industries. The dividends paid by the REIT are Section 199A dividends.