{"format":"alysly-page/1","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/distributing-or-accumulating/","json":"https://alysly.com/json/learn/distributing-or-accumulating/index.json","lang":"en-US","title":"Distributing or Accumulating ETFs? The Difference – Alysly","description":"Distributing ETFs pay out dividends, accumulating ETFs reinvest them automatically. How the two differ in reinvestment, income and tax.","published":"2026-07-11T10:41:44+02:00","modified":"2026-09-28T12:19:59+02:00","alternates":[{"lang":"de-DE","url":"https://alysly.com/de/lernen/ausschuettend-oder-thesaurierend/","json":"https://alysly.com/json/de/lernen/ausschuettend-oder-thesaurierend/index.json"}],"about":"Machine-readable version of the page at url. It contains the text, tables and key figures published there, but not the interactive charts and tools.","breadcrumb":[{"name":"Investing & Trading Basics","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/"},{"name":"Level 0","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/#level-0"},{"name":"Distributing or Accumulating ETFs? The Difference","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/distributing-or-accumulating/"}],"content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"Level 0 Investing & ETF Basics · Part 6/16"},{"type":"heading","level":1,"text":"Distributing or Accumulating ETFs? The Difference"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"By Alexander Bock, founder and data analyst","links":[{"text":"Alexander Bock","href":"https://alysly.com/about/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"ETFs receive dividends from the companies they hold. What happens to those dividends is the key difference."},{"type":"image","src":"https://alysly.com/img/ta/acc-vs-dist.1e92520da1b849c068b6e50b644de43470053c812cf34da84906546f18f55ac7.webp","alt":"Two lines over 20 years: accumulating investment and distributing investment without reinvestment, with the payouts stacked on top"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"€10,000 at a 7% total annual return, 2% of it dividends, before tax: (1) accumulating keeps the dividend in the fund, about €38,700 after 20 years; (2) distributing without reinvestment grows the unit value by only 5% to about €26,500; (3) adding the paid-out, uninvested dividends gives about €33,100. If distributions are reinvested, the gap disappears apart from costs and taxes."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"distributing-dist--d","text":"Distributing (“Dist” / “D”)"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Dividends are paid out to the cash account regularly (e.g. quarterly). The money is freely available; it is only reinvested through a separate purchase."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Characteristics: a regular cash flow; a tax-free allowance is used directly by the payouts. Reinvesting may incur order fees."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"accumulating-acc--c","text":"Accumulating (“Acc” / “C”)"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Dividends are automatically reinvested inside the fund. No cash is paid out; instead the value of the units rises."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Characteristics: compounding without any action; no ongoing cash flow. In Germany the Vorabpauschale advance tax may apply (see ETFs & tax).","links":[{"text":"ETFs & tax","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/etf-taxes-germany/"}]},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"the-differences-at-a-glance","text":"The Differences at a Glance"},{"type":"table","caption":"Distributing or Accumulating ETFs? The Difference","columns":["","Distributing","Accumulating"],"rows":[["Dividends","paid to cash account","stay in the fund"],["Reinvestment","by own purchase","automatic"],["Ongoing income","yes","only by selling units"],["Taxation in Germany","on payouts","Vorabpauschale"],["Effort","a bit more","low"]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Every ETF page shows under “Distribution” whether an ETF distributes or accumulates. Many indices exist in both variants – identical inside, only dividend handling differs.","links":[{"text":"ETF page","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Live data"},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Accumulating vs Distributing – Real ETFs"},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Accumulating (Acc) · 38"},{"type":"table","caption":"Accumulating (Acc) · 38","rows":[[{"text":"iShares Core DAX UCITS ETF (DE) EXS1 · TER 0.16%","links":[{"text":"iShares Core DAX UCITS ETF (DE)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/ishares-core-dax-ucits-etf-de/"}]}],[{"text":"iShares NASDAQ 100 UCITS ETF (DE) EXXT · TER 0.30%","links":[{"text":"iShares NASDAQ 100 UCITS ETF (DE)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/ishares-nasdaq-100-ucits-etf-de/"}]}],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® S&P® 500 UCITS ETF (Acc) SPYL · TER 0.03%","links":[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® S&P® 500 UCITS ETF (Acc)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-sp-500-ucits-etf-acc/"}]}],[{"text":"iShares S&P 500 Information Technology Sector UCITS ETF USD (Acc) QDVE · TER 0.15%","links":[{"text":"iShares S&P 500 Information Technology Sector UCITS ETF USD (Acc)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/ishares-sp-500-information-technology-sector-ucits-etf-usd-acc/"}]}],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI All Country World Investable Market UCITS ETF (Acc) SPYI · TER 0.17%","links":[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI All Country World Investable Market UCITS ETF (Acc)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-msci-all-country-world-investable-market-ucits-etf-acc/"}]}],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI All Country World UCITS ETF (Acc) SPYY · TER 0.12%","links":[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI All Country World UCITS ETF (Acc)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-msci-all-country-world-ucits-etf-acc/"}]}],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF SPYM · TER 0.18%","links":[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-msci-emerging-markets-ucits-etf/"}]}],[{"text":"iShares Core MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) IMEA · TER 0.12%","links":[{"text":"iShares Core MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/ishares-core-msci-europe-ucits-etf-eur-acc/"}]}]]},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Distributing (Dist) · 11"},{"type":"table","caption":"Distributing (Dist) · 11","rows":[[{"text":"iShares STOXX Europe 600 UCITS ETF (DE) EXSA · TER 0.20%","links":[{"text":"iShares STOXX Europe 600 UCITS ETF (DE)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/ishares-stoxx-europe-600-ucits-etf-de/"}]}],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI All Country World Investable Market UCITS ETF (Dist) SPSA · TER 0.17%","links":[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI All Country World Investable Market UCITS ETF (Dist)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-msci-all-country-world-investable-market-ucits-etf-dist/"}]}],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI World UCITS ETF (Dist) SWWD · TER 0.12%","links":[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI World UCITS ETF (Dist)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-msci-world-ucits-etf-dist/"}]}],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI World Small Cap UCITS ETF (Dist) WDSD · TER 0.45%","links":[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI World Small Cap UCITS ETF (Dist)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-msci-world-small-cap-ucits-etf-dist/"}]}],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® S&P® Emerging Markets Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (Dist) SPYV · TER 0.55%","links":[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® S&P® Emerging Markets Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (Dist)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-sp-emerging-markets-dividend-aristocrats-ucits-etf-dist/"}]}],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® S&P® 500 UCITS ETF (Dist) SPY5 · TER 0.03%","links":[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® S&P® 500 UCITS ETF (Dist)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-sp-500-ucits-etf-dist/"}]}],[{"text":"SPDR S&P US Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (Dist) SPYD · TER 0.35%","links":[{"text":"SPDR S&P US Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (Dist)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/spdr-sp-us-dividend-aristocrats-ucits-etf-dist/"}]}],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® S&P® Global Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (Dist) ZPRG · TER 0.45%","links":[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® S&P® Global Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (Dist)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-sp-global-dividend-aristocrats-ucits-etf-dist/"}]}]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"This article is for information only and is not tax or investment advice."},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":[{"text":"Previous ETF Fees: TER and Hidden Costs","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/etf-fees/"},{"text":"Next Savings Plan or Lump Sum: What Historical Data Shows","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/savings-plan-vs-lump-sum/"}]},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Indices"},{"type":"table","caption":"Indices, performance over the selected period","columns":["Index","1M"],"rows":[[{"text":"Dow Jones","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/dow-jones/"},{"text":"+1.7%","data":{"m1":"+1.7%","m3":"-1.4%","m6":"+4.5%","ytd":"+7.6%","max":"+30.1%"}}],[{"text":"S&P 500","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/sp500/"},{"text":"-0.9%","data":{"m1":"-0.9%","m3":"+1.2%","m6":"+4.9%","ytd":"+10.8%","max":"+35.8%"}}],[{"text":"MSCI World","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/msci-world/"},{"text":"-0.8%","data":{"m1":"-0.8%","m3":"+0.6%","m6":"+4.0%","ytd":"+10.2%","max":"+35.3%"}}],[{"text":"MSCI ACWI","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/msci-acwi/"},{"text":"-1.7%","data":{"m1":"-1.7%","m3":"-0.2%","m6":"+2.9%","ytd":"+10.3%","max":"+41.7%"}}]]},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"ETFs"},{"type":"table","caption":"ETFs, performance over the selected period","columns":["Fund","1M"],"rows":[[{"text":"SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY","links":[{"text":"SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/us/spy/"}]},{"text":"-0.9%","data":{"m1":"-0.9%","m3":"+1.2%","m6":"+4.9%","ytd":"+10.8%","max":"+35.8%"}}],[{"text":"Vanguard S&P 500 ETF VOO","links":[{"text":"Vanguard S&P 500 ETF","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/us/voo/"}]},{"text":"-0.9%","data":{"m1":"-0.9%","m3":"+1.2%","m6":"+4.9%","ytd":"+10.8%","max":"+34.3%"}}],[{"text":"iShares Core MSCI World UCITS ETF USD (Acc) EUNL","links":[{"text":"iShares Core MSCI World UCITS ETF USD (Acc)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/ishares-core-msci-world-ucits-etf-usd-acc/"}]},{"text":"-0.8%","data":{"m1":"-0.8%","m3":"+0.6%","m6":"+4.6%","ytd":"+10.9%","max":"+489.0%"}}],[{"text":"Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF 1c XMME","links":[{"text":"Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF 1c","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/xtrackers-msci-emerging-markets-ucits-etf-1c/"}]},{"text":"-6.3%","data":{"m1":"-6.3%","m3":"+2.4%","m6":"+0.7%","ytd":"+15.2%","max":"+95.2%"}}]]},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Stocks"},{"type":"table","caption":"Stocks, performance over the selected period","columns":["Stock","1M"],"rows":[[{"text":"NVIDIA Corporation NVDA","links":[{"text":"NVIDIA Corporation","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/nvidia-corporation/"},{"text":"United States","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/browse/?country=United%20States"}]},{"text":"-10.4%","data":{"m1":"-10.4%","m3":"+1.9%","m6":"+3.1%","ytd":"+9.7%","max":"+60.6%"}}],[{"text":"Apple Inc. AAPL","links":[{"text":"Apple Inc.","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/apple-inc/"},{"text":"United States","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/browse/?country=United%20States"}]},{"text":"+3.5%","data":{"m1":"+3.5%","m3":"+11.6%","m6":"+23.0%","ytd":"+26.8%","max":"+51.4%"}}],[{"text":"Tesla Inc. TSLA","links":[{"text":"Tesla Inc.","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/tesla-inc/"},{"text":"United States","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/browse/?country=United%20States"}]},{"text":"+12.7%","data":{"m1":"+12.7%","m3":"+28.5%","m6":"+2.3%","ytd":"-11.1%","max":"+65.9%"}}]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Data note 1","href":"#dn-1"},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"More Studies"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":[{"text":"Jul 21, 2026 Collectibles ×5.4 for the same cards, matched-model index, Mar 2022 – Aug 2026 Is the Pokémon Card Market in a Bubble? 4,159 Sales Analyzed Prices for PSA-graded cards multiplied. Measured on the same cards they rose 438%, while the raw median shows 786% because pricier cards came up for sale later.","href":"https://alysly.com/analysis/pokemon-card-market-bubble/"},{"text":"May 19, 2026 Crypto 45.6% Bitcoin’s annualized volatility, Jul 2024 – Sep 2026 Bitcoin in Investment Portfolios: The Real Numbers Bitcoin is calmer than it was and still about three times as volatile as the stock market. It moves with stocks, not with gold.","href":"https://alysly.com/analysis/bitcoin-investment-portfolios/"},{"text":"Mar 17, 2026 Wealth €1.2m needed for €3,000 a month indefinitely at a 3% real return Living Off Your Returns: What It Really Takes The capital you need is arithmetic. The return you assume is a guess, and it can triple the answer.","href":"https://alysly.com/analysis/living-off-returns/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"View all studies","href":"https://alysly.com/analysis/#studies"},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Learn"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":[{"text":"Savings Plan or Lump Sum: What Historical Data Shows Invest a sum at once or spread it out? What historical comparisons show, where their limits are and how to run both in the calculator.","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/savings-plan-vs-lump-sum/"},{"text":"The Rule of 72: Estimating Doubling Time A rule of thumb for compounding: 72 divided by the annual return gives roughly the years until a sum doubles – with its limits and the exact calculation.","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/rule-of-72/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Course overview","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Updated Sep 28, 2026 · Content and figures checked Oct 19, 2026"},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"note-legend-h","text":"Data Notes"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"All calculations run automatically and are not investment advice."},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":[{"id":"dn-1","text":"Returns computed automatically from the price series, excluding dividends, taxes and costs."}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Data and methodology: Alysly · Responsible for content: Alexander Bock","links":[{"text":"Alysly","href":"https://alysly.com/methodology/"},{"text":"Alexander Bock","href":"https://alysly.com/about/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"View all data notes","href":"https://alysly.com/notes/"}],"structured_data":[{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://alysly.com/#org","name":"Alysly","url":"https://alysly.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://alysly.com/img/icon-512.png","width":512,"height":512},"description":"Data-driven insights, transparent analysis and powerful tools for long-term investors.","email":"mail@alysly.com","contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","email":"mail@alysly.com","availableLanguage":["de","en"]},"address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Haltern am See","postalCode":"45721","addressCountry":"DE"},"founder":{"@id":"https://alysly.com/#founder"},"sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/company/alyslycom/","https://www.youtube.com/@alyslycom","https://x.com/alyslycom"],"publishingPrinciples":"https://alysly.com/methodology/"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://alysly.com/#founder","name":"Alexander Bock","jobTitle":"Founder and data analyst","url":"https://alysly.com/about/","sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/abxk/"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://alysly.com/#site","url":"https://alysly.com/","name":"Alysly","alternateName":"Alysly Investment Analysis","inLanguage":"en-US","publisher":{"@id":"https://alysly.com/#org"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/browse/?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://alysly.com/learn/distributing-or-accumulating/#webpage","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/distributing-or-accumulating/","name":"Distributing or Accumulating ETFs? 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