JEPI vs JEPQ
JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF vs JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF
The short answer: Same JPMorgan covered-call income strategy, applied to two different equity universes: JEPI uses S&P 500-style stocks, JEPQ uses Nasdaq-100 names.
Metric
JEPI
JEPQ
Issuer
JPMorgan
JPMorgan
Benchmark
S&P 500 (overlay strategy)
Nasdaq-100 (overlay strategy)
Inception
May 20, 2020
May 3, 2022
Expense Ratio(lower is better)
3500 bps
3500 bps
AUM(higher = more liquid)
$45.6B
$37.7B
Dividend Yield (TTM)
8.29%
10.43%
Dividend Frequency
Monthly
Monthly
Beta (vs S&P 500)(1 = market)
0.48
0.76
1-Year Return
9.35%
27.79%
3-Year Return (annualized)
9.75%
20.42%
5-Year Return (annualized)
7.57%
—
10-Year Return (annualized)
—
—
Data as of May 9, 2026. Returns annualized; past performance is not indicative of future results.
Total Return
YTDJEPI: -1.82% · JEPQ: 4.07%
1YJEPI: 9.35% · JEPQ: 27.79%
3Y ann.JEPI: 9.75% · JEPQ: 20.42%
5Y ann.JEPI: 7.57% · JEPQ: —
10Y ann.JEPI: — · JEPQ: —
Which should you pick?
Choose JEPI
Pick JEPI if you want lower volatility and broader diversification. Its underlying portfolio is built from low-vol S&P 500 names, so drawdowns are typically smaller.
Choose JEPQ
Pick JEPQ if you want a higher yield and are comfortable with tech concentration. Higher Nasdaq volatility means higher option premiums, which translates to a juicier monthly distribution.
Either is fine if…
Some investors hold both as complementary income sleeves: JEPI for the defensive equity exposure, JEPQ for the growth-tilted exposure.
Holdings & sectors
JEPI – Top Holdings
- MAMastercard Inc1.8%
- PGRProgressive Corp1.7%
- VVisa Inc1.7%
- AMZNAmazon.com Inc1.6%
- MSFTMicrosoft Corp1.6%
JEPQ – Top Holdings
- AAPLApple Inc7.5%
- MSFTMicrosoft Corp6.8%
- NVDANVIDIA Corp6.2%
- AMZNAmazon.com Inc4.5%
- AVGOBroadcom Inc3.8%
Sector Breakdown
Technology
JEPI
13.0%
JEPQ
45.0%
Communication
JEPI
9.0%
JEPQ
15.0%
Consumer Discretionary
JEPI
10.0%
JEPQ
13.0%
Healthcare
JEPI
14.0%
JEPQ
7.0%
Financials
JEPI
16.0%
JEPQ
4.0%
Industrials
JEPI
13.0%
JEPQ
5.0%
Consumer Staples
JEPI
10.0%
JEPQ
6.0%
Energy
JEPI
6.0%
JEPQ
1.5%
Utilities
JEPI
4.0%
JEPQ
2.0%
Materials
JEPI
3.0%
JEPQ
1.0%
Real Estate
JEPI
2.0%
JEPQ
0.5%
At a glance
Expense ratio
JEPI3500 bps
JEPQ3500 bps
AUM
JEPI$45.6B
JEPQ$37.7B
Dividend yield
JEPI8.29%
JEPQ10.43%
5Y return (ann.)
JEPI7.57%
JEPQ—
JEPI vs JEPQ – FAQ
- Why does JEPQ pay more than JEPI?
- Nasdaq-100 stocks are more volatile than the S&P 500. Higher volatility means higher option premiums when JPMorgan sells covered calls, which directly translates to higher distributions.
- Is JEPQ riskier than JEPI?
- Yes. JEPQ has more concentration in tech (about 45% vs JEPI's 13%) and higher beta. In a tech-led drawdown, expect JEPQ to fall further than JEPI.
- Do JEPI and JEPQ pay monthly?
- Yes. Both make monthly distributions, which is one of the main reasons retirees and income-focused investors prefer them over quarterly-paying funds.
- What's the expense ratio?
- Both charge 0.35%, which is high relative to plain-vanilla index ETFs but reasonable for an actively managed covered-call strategy.
- Can I hold both JEPI and JEPQ?
- Yes. Many income investors split allocation 50/50 to balance defensive and growth-oriented covered-call exposure. Just be aware that combined tech weighting will still be substantial.
Related Comparisons
- SCHD vs JEPISCHD is a dividend-growth ETF aimed at long-term total return. JEPI sells covered calls to generate high monthly income, sacrificing some upside.
- VOO vs JEPIVOO is the broad S&P 500 for total return. JEPI is an actively managed monthly-income strategy that sacrifices upside for high yield.