Qualified dividend
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Qualified dividends, as defined by the United States Internal Revenue Code, are ordinary dividends that meet specific criteria to be taxed at the lower long-term capital gains tax rate rather than at higher tax rate for an individual's ordinary income. The rates on qualified dividends range from 0 to 23.8%. The category of qualified dividend (as opposed to an ordinary dividend) was created in the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 – previously, there was no distinction and all dividends were either untaxed or taxed together at the same rate.
To qualify for the qualified dividend rate, the payee must own the stock for a long enough time, generally 60 days for common stock and 90 days for preferred stock.
To qualify for the qualified dividend rate, the dividend must also be paid by a corporation in the U.S. or with certain ties to the U.S.