Which months do NSE companies go ex-dividend?
How dividend ex-dates spread across the calendar over the last five full years, month by month, from NSE corporate actions.
Figures as of 29 Oct 2026 (end of day) · 4 min read · first published 27 Oct 2026
A dividend goes to the people who hold the share before its ex-date, the first day it trades without the payout. When do those dates fall? Across 2021 to 2025, NSE recorded 7,038 dividend ex-dates, and they were far from evenly spread: 63% fell in just three months (July, August, September).
Why the clusters
Most Indian companies close their books in March. A final dividend is proposed with the annual results and then approved at the annual general meeting, which for March year-end companies mostly falls in the middle of the year, so the ex-dates bunch up after it. Smaller groups come from interim dividends declared alongside quarterly results, which is why other months have a second, lower peak. A company can also pay more than once a year, so one company can appear several times.
What this record can't tell you
This counts ex-dates in NSE's corporate-action file, not rupees paid, so a month with many small payouts looks the same as one with a few large ones.
It says nothing about which companies pay, how much, or whether any company will pay again. Each company's board decides.
The calendar lists upcoming ex-dates, and any stock page shows that company's own dividend history. To see what a company's payouts would add up to, try the dividend income calculator.
A description of past data, not a view on any company or index, a forecast or investment advice. Past patterns do not tell you what will happen next. Disclaimer