How Much Dividend Does Microsoft Pay? | Current Payout

Investors start with a question: how much dividend does microsoft pay? The cash amount per share shapes your income plan and how the stock fits inside a portfolio.

Right now, Microsoft pays $0.91 in cash dividend per share each quarter. That works out to $3.64 per share each year before any taxes or fees, based on the latest board decision.

How Much Dividend Does Microsoft Pay? Payout And Yield Basics

This section shows what the $0.91 figure means for annual income and dividend yield.

Official investor material confirms that Microsoft pays a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, with payments scheduled four times a year for shareholders of record on set dates.

Dividend Metric	Current Figure	What It Means For You
Quarterly dividend per share	$0.91	Cash amount paid for each share you own each quarter.
Annual dividend per share	$3.64	Four quarterly payments added together across a full year.
Dividend yield	About 0.75%	Annual dividend divided by the recent share price.
Payment frequency	Quarterly	Payments usually land about once in three months.
Recent raise	8 cent increase	Last raise moved the rate from $0.83 to $0.91 per share.
Growth streak	20+ years	Microsoft has raised its dividend each year for two decades.
Payout ratio	About one quarter of earnings	Most profits stay inside the company for reinvestment.

Because the dividend yield depends on the share price, the current yield of around 0.75 percent can move up or down even when the cash amount per share stays the same. A lower share price raises the yield, while a higher share price pulls the yield down.

For the latest official numbers, many investors visit the Microsoft dividend FAQ and the detailed dividends and stock history page. Those pages list the current dividend per share, ex-dividend dates, and payment dates for past years.

Microsoft Dividend Per Share By Quarter And Yield Range

The question how much dividend does microsoft pay? usually leads straight to a second point: how steady are those payments across many years. Microsoft pays on a regular quarterly pattern, and the board has a long record of small but steady raises over time.

In recent years the quarterly dividend stepped up from $0.68 per share to $0.75, then to $0.83, and now to $0.91. Each move showed up first in a board press release and then in the dividend tables on the investor site. The pattern gives income investors a sense of how fast the payout might rise if profits keep growing.

Dividend yield does not only track the board decision. It also responds to swings in the share price. When the market price rises faster than the dividend, the yield percentage shrinks. When the market price drifts lower, the same cash payout brings a higher yield. That tradeoff matters if you compare Microsoft with bank deposits, bond funds, or high yield stocks.

How The Yield Number Connects To Share Price

You can estimate dividend yield with a simple formula. Take the annual dividend per share, divide by the current share price, then turn that figure into a percentage. With a $3.64 annual dividend and a share price that gives a yield near 0.75 percent, you can judge whether the income stream suits your goals.

Because the yield moves each trading day, many investors treat it as a rough guide and focus instead on the cash amount and growth trend.

Payout Ratio And Earnings Strength

Payout ratio compares the total dividend with the profits that Microsoft earns. Recent data shows a payout ratio near one quarter of earnings, which leaves a large share of profits free for new projects, share repurchases, and cash reserves. A moderate payout ratio often points to room for more dividend growth over time, even if profits slow during a tough year.

Strong earnings from cloud services, office software, and other lines give the board room to maintain or lift the dividend while still funding large investment plans. That mix helps many shareholders view the dividend as a steady, though modest, source of income.

How To Estimate Your Microsoft Dividend Cash Flow

Once you know the current rate, you can turn it into a cash forecast for your own account. The math stays simple even for large holdings, and a short worksheet can show how much income to expect each quarter and each year.

Step 1: Confirm The Latest Dividend Rate

Before you run any numbers, check that you have the current rate. Dividend announcements on the company investor site and notices from your broker both list the latest figure. Since the board can raise or hold the dividend from one year to the next, this step prevents old data from slipping into your plan.

Step 2: Multiply By Your Share Count

Next, multiply the quarterly dividend by the number of shares you own. As an example, if you hold 50 shares, a $0.91 quarterly dividend turns into $45.50 roughly once in three months. Across a full year, the same holding brings $182 in gross dividend income, before any tax.

If you add more shares over time, the cash payout rises in direct proportion. Many investors reinvest the dividend through an automatic plan, buying extra shares each quarter so that the income base grows even without fresh cash deposits.

Step 3: Factor In Taxes And Account Type

Dividend cash that lands in a taxable brokerage account may face income tax, while dividends inside a retirement account may gain friendlier treatment, depending on local rules. Check the tax guidance that applies in your country or region, and ask a licensed adviser if you need help with complex situations such as cross border holdings.

Some investors also watch for withholding on dividends when they hold shares through a foreign broker or in a different tax region from the company.

Dividend Growth Trend For Microsoft Shareholders

For many investors, a rising dividend matters even more than the current yield. Microsoft has lifted its dividend at a steady pace over many years, often once per year with a board vote each September. That pattern has turned a small payout in the early 2000s into a much larger cash stream today.

While past raises never lock in later moves, a long history of steady increases gives context for long term income plans. The rate of growth also shapes how fast your income might climb if you hold the stock for many years.

Announcement Year	New Quarterly Dividend	Change Versus Prior Rate
2023	$0.68	Raised from $0.62 per share.
2024	$0.75	Raised from $0.68 per share.
Late 2024	$0.83	Raised from $0.75 per share.
2025	$0.83	Maintained for several quarters.
Late 2025	$0.91	Raised from $0.83 per share.

This table sketches the recent pattern of raises for the Microsoft dividend. The cash amount stepped up many times over just a few years, while each individual raise stayed modest in size. When you hold shares through many cycles, those small steps compound into a large change in your annual income.

A board can pause raises at any time if profits soften or cash needs rise, yet Microsoft has kept increases in place through many different economic cycles.

Risks And Points To Watch With Microsoft Dividends

No dividend is risk free, even for a large and profitable company, so it helps to weigh the main risks before you rely on the Microsoft payout for steady cash.

Business Performance And Cash Flow

Dividend safety rests on cash flow from the core business. Large declines in earnings, sharp swings in currency markets, or new regulation in key regions could squeeze profits and make it harder to maintain a rising payout.

That said, Microsoft has a mix of cloud services, software subscriptions, and other lines that tend to deliver recurring revenue. This mix can soften the hit from any single product cycle and give the board flexibility to keep the dividend steady during weaker periods.

Capital Allocation Choices

Company leaders decide how to split cash between dividends, share repurchases, debt reduction, and large projects. A shift toward higher investment or buybacks could slow the pace of dividend raises, even if earnings stay strong. In a different case, if growth spending eases, the board might prefer to move more cash into the dividend.

Investors who rely on dividend income often read quarterly reports and annual filings with care.

Should You Rely On Microsoft Dividends For Income?

Microsoft sits in a middle ground on income. The yield near 0.75 percent stays low compared with many utility or telecom stocks, yet the growth track for the dividend looks stronger than many high yield names can sustain.

Others may prefer higher yield shares, bond funds, or cash accounts for day to day living costs. In that case, Microsoft might sit in the growth slice of a portfolio, with its dividend treated as a bonus stream, not the main source of cash.

Either way, answering the question how much dividend Microsoft pays gives you a clear starting point for income planning today. You can see the current cash rate, the yield near today’s price, and the recent growth path, then decide how Microsoft fits into your own long term plan.