About Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares (VWLTX) — Dividend Analysis 2026
The fund’s investment objective is to seek to provide a high and sustainable level of current income that is exempt from federal personal income taxes. The fund has no limitations on the maturity of individual securities but is expected to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of 10 to 25 years. At least 75% of the securities held by the fund are municipal bonds in the top three credit-rating categories as determined by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by the advisor. The fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in medium-grade bonds, as determined by a rating organization or by the advisor. The remaining 5% may be invested in securities with lower credit ratings or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by the advisor. Investors who are looking for a fund that may provide federal tax-exempt interest income and can tolerate interest rate risk may wish to consider this fund.The Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund is a standalone product and is separate and distinct from the Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF (VTEL). Differences in scale, portfolio management strategy (i.e., actively managed or seeking to track in index), certain investment processes, and underlying holdings are expected to produce different investment returns by the funds.
Is VWLTX a good dividend investment in 2026?
VWLTX offers a 3.71% forward yield with a 50% payout ratio. Strand Safety Score: N/A. The 5-year dividend CAGR of 0% is modest — investors should weigh current income against growth alternatives.
VWLTX DRIP calculator — what's the difference?
With DRIP on a $10,000 investment over 10 years, your VWLTX portfolio grows to $14.4K vs $13.7K without reinvestment. This is the compound interest effect in action.
VWLTX dividend growth history & forecast
VWLTX has grown its dividend by 0% over the last year and 0% annually over 5 years. At this pace, an investor who holds for 10+ years will see their yield on cost grow substantially above the current 3.71%.
ETFs do not file income statements or cash flow statements. Their dividend safety depends on the underlying index quality, fund methodology, and holdings composition. Use the Holdings page to analyze individual stocks in this fund.
🌍 VWLTX Yield by Country & Account Type
Real after-tax yield depends on where you live and how you hold VWLTX.
Gross yield
3.71%
Tax rate
15.00%
After-tax yield
3.15%
Real yield (−CPI)
0.35%
Account/Country
Tax Rate
After-tax Yield
Real Yield
$10K Annual Income
🇺🇸 Roth IRA / 401k
0%
3.71%
0.91%
$371 / yr
🇺🇸 US Taxable (15%) ✓
15%
3.15%
0.35%
$315 / yr
🇺🇸 US Taxable (20%)
20%
2.97%
0.17%
$297 / yr
🇬🇧 UK ISA
0%
3.71%
0.91%
$371 / yr
🇬🇧 UK Taxable
8.75%
3.39%
0.59%
$339 / yr
🇨🇦 TFSA
0%
3.71%
0.91%
$371 / yr
🇨🇦 CA Taxable
25%
2.78%
-0.02%
$278 / yr
🇦🇺 Super (pension)
15%
3.15%
0.35%
$315 / yr
🇦🇺 AU Taxable
30%
2.60%
-0.20%
$260 / yr
🇩🇪 DE Taxable
26.375%
2.73%
-0.07%
$273 / yr
🇫🇷 FR Taxable
30%
2.60%
-0.20%
$260 / yr
Real yield = after-tax yield minus US CPI of 2.8%. 12-month CPI (US BLS via FMP economic-indicators). Click any row to select. US withholding tax (30%, reducible by treaty) applies to non-US residents holding US stocks in taxable accounts.
🎯 VWLTX Income Goal & Break-Even
Dividend Break-Even
32yr
Years for dividends to fully repay your VWLTX investment of $10.69/share (🇺🇸 US Taxable (15%) · 15.00% tax)
$10K invested · 10 Years
Dividends earned (DRIP)
$3.6K
Lost to inflation (2.8% CPI)
−$2.5K
Real purchasing power gain
$1.2K
12-month CPI (US BLS via FMP economic-indicators).
How much do I need to invest in VWLTX for:
Shares needed
71,188
Capital required
$761,000
Monthly income
$2,000
Based on current dividend of $0.40/share/yr · 🇺🇸 US Taxable (15%) · static projection (no growth assumed).
📅 VWLTX Dividend Payment Schedule
VWLTX pays quarterly — 4 times per year. Next ex-div: TBD.
Jan
Feb
Mar
💰
Apr
May
Jun
💰
Jul
Aug
Sep
💰
Oct
Nov
Dec
💰
10 shares
$0.84 / payment
$3.37 / year after tax
100 shares
$8.43 / payment
$33.71 / year after tax
1,000 shares
$84.28 / payment
$337.14 / year after tax
📊 VWLTX vs Financial Services Benchmarks
How VWLTX compares to typical Financial Services averages.
Benchmark: Financial Services
Dividend Yield▲+0.81% vs sectorBetter
VWLTX
3.71%
avg
2.90%
5Y Dividend CAGR▼-7.10% vs sectorBelow avg
VWLTX
0.00%
avg
7.10%
Payout Ratio▼+12.00% vs sectorBelow avg
VWLTX
50.00%
avg
38.00%
Benchmarks: S&P 500 sector averages (2024–2026). Sources: Morningstar, Bloomberg, NAREIT. 5Y CAGR for VWLTX sourced from FMP /financial-growth endpoint — real data, not estimates.
🏛️ VWLTX Insider Activity
No recent SEC filings reported in the last 90 days.
📊 About This Data
Dividend yields, payout ratios, and financial metrics are sourced from Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) and cross-referenced with SEC EDGAR filings. Data is cached and updated every 24 hours via our nightly refresh. DRIP projections are forward-looking estimates, not guarantees.
Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. DividendFlow is not a registered investment advisor. Projections generated by the VWLTX dividend calculator are estimates based on historical data and user inputs. Actual future returns, stock prices, and dividend payments will vary. Dividends can be cut or suspended at any time. All investments carry risk, including the loss of principal. Please consult a qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions. Full disclaimer →