FolioTrackingUnderstand received dividends and forward forecasts
A dividend tracker should distinguish money already received from money that might arrive next year. FolioTracking's Dividends & Cash tab brings together imported payments, withholding and dividend analytics. Its forecast uses the information in your records rather than treating every dividend-paying holding as a guaranteed income stream.
Actual distributions can change, stop or move dates. A forecast is an estimate for personal planning, not a promise, recommendation or tax statement. Start by checking that your imported report includes detailed cash transactions, currencies and a useful reporting period.
Track gross, tax and net separately
Gross dividends are the payment before withholding. Net dividends reflect the eligible withholding expense represented in your records. These figures can differ from a broker's broader cash balance, which also includes trades, deposits, withdrawals and other charges. Preserve the original payment currency when reviewing a converted total.
Tax rows do not always point neatly to one payment. Where matching is possible, the app uses strict financial attributes and one-to-one checks; it does not attach an ambiguous tax row just to make a payment look complete. Without account identifiers, a same-portfolio, same-date, same-currency and same-symbol match must still be unambiguous. Rows from different portfolios must never be joined.
Corrections, refunds and reversals can complicate a monthly view. Open Data notes when the imported history needs explanation, and compare the ledger with your broker statement. An unmatched withholding row is not automatically irrelevant tax, and a tax refund is not a new gross dividend.
Use trailing income for the past
Trailing twelve-month income summarizes the eligible payments in the recent twelve-month window. Monthly and yearly views help reveal payment patterns; the available history limits what a comparison can say. A year-to-date comparison is meaningful only when the corresponding prior period is covered.
A partial first year is not evidence that the company suddenly increased its dividend. Similarly, a monthly average spreads observed income over time; it is not a statement that each month will pay that amount. Check the history-available date before comparing periods.
Understand the forward estimate
The core forward estimate is latest eligible dividend per share × expected payment frequency × current shares. FolioTracking looks for evidence such as explicit per-share information in payment descriptions and dated share history. The current position alone cannot prove how many shares received an old payment.
If the required evidence is missing or inconsistent, the app can show an unavailable estimate rather than inventing a dividend rate. A purchase after a dividend date, a sale, a special payment or an incomplete import can all make a simple cash-total-divided-by-current-shares calculation misleading.
Stock splits also matter. A historical per-share payment and today's share count may be on different scales. Available split information and dated share records help the app validate that relationship. This does not turn the forecast into a broker-confirmed schedule or guarantee that split coverage is complete for every symbol.
Read estimated withholding carefully
For a holding with eligible evidence, the observed withholding rate is calculated at symbol level within the same portfolio: eligible withholding expense divided by eligible gross dividends over the trailing twelve months. Eligible tax rows can inform that ratio even when they are not matched to one individual payment.
A zero gross total or an invalid ratio makes the tax/net estimate unavailable. Corrections can affect the observed rate and should be flagged rather than hidden. Your future tax treatment may differ because of residence, forms, account type, law or the issuer's country; the app is not calculating your personal tax liability.
Review the payers behind each month
Select a history or forecast month to see the payments or expected payers behind the bar. Estimated months reflect observed payment patterns, not necessarily announced future pay dates. Keep gross and net views distinct and review changes in share counts before relying on a projected total.
Use the IBKR Flex Query setup guide to improve report coverage, and keep option premium separate using the options wheel journal guide. Signed-in records are saved in Supabase; guest records stay in the browser. Financial portfolio values are not sent to analytics. Verify important amounts with your broker.
Free public beta. Informational tracking, not investment advice. Verify figures with your broker.