Australian Dividends

Submitted by Share Trading on 13 August, 2010 - 13:06

Find out about Australian Dividends

Dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business (called retained earnings), or it can be paid to the shareholders as a dividend. With dividend imputation, if a company pays company tax, the dividends carry a tax credit which can be offset against your tax liability on the dividends. If a company pays the full company tax rate, the dividends are fully franked.

Many Australian companies retain a portion of their earnings and pay the remainder as a dividend. Paying dividends is not an expense; rather, it is the division of after tax profits among shareholders. Retained earnings (profits that have not been distributed as dividends) are shown in the shareholder equity section in the company´s balance sheet - the same as its issued share capital. Public companies usually pay dividends on a fixed schedule, but may declare a dividend at any time, sometimes called a special dividend to distinguish it from a regular one. Here is a list of historical Australian dividends distributed by Australian companies.

List of Dividends Declared by Australian Companies

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