Spillover Dividend

A type of dividend in which the payment year and the taxable year occur at different times. Most often, this occurs when the dividend has been declared near the end of the calender year (during the fourth quarter), but the actual distribution date of the dividend payment does not occur until the first quarter of the following year.

For example, XYZ Corporation declared that shareholders on record on December 16, 2010, would be entitled to receive a $2 dividend on each share that they own - with the distribution date on March 1, 2011. For income tax related purposes, the shareholders will need to include the $2-per-share dividend when they file their annual tax return for 2010, not 2011.