How much do I need to invest in ASX shares for $100 in weekly passive income?

Dividend shares can pay you passive income. Here's how much you have to invest.

| More on:
A man thinks very carefully about his money and investments.

Image source: Getty Images

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More

Key points

  • Most investors would know that ASX shares pay dividends
  • In fact, almost all ASX shares are dividend payers
  • But how much would you need to invest to get $100 a week in passive income?

It's a well-known fact that many, if not most, ASX shares pay their investors dividends on a regular basis. Name a prominent blue-chip ASX share, and chances are they will be giving their investors passive income in dividend form.

That's certainly the case for everything from Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) to JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH) and Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS).

But how much would you need to gain yourself a meaningful stream of secondary, passive income? Say $100 per week?

Well, let's answer that right now.

The answer is somewhat complicated because every ASX share pays out a different dividend and thus offers a different dividend yield. Most ASX shares pay bi-annual dividends, so investors get a paycheque every six months. But some do quarterly, or even monthly, dividends.

So $100 per week works out to be $5,200 per year.

Thus, one would need $100,000 in a dividend-paying share with a 5.2% yield to gain $100 a week in dividend income.

But let's use some real-life examples. Sure, you could start with CBA. Commonwealth Bank shares currently have a dividend yield of 4.37%. This means you would need to have around $119,000 invested to get $100 per week in income.

Or else JB Hi-Fi. It's currently boasting a dividend yield of 8.36%, meaning you would only need just over $62,000 for that same level of income.

But we'll use an ASX-wide exchange-traded fund (ETF) for our analysis, since this gives a more accurate representation of what income the entire share market produces for investors.

How much do you have to invest in ASX shares for $100 a week in passive income?

So over the past 12 months, the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) has doled out $6.36 in dividend distributions per share. This index fund covers every share on the ASX 300 Index (all 300 of them), so this dividend payment is a reflection of the income that these 300 shares have generated over the past year.

On current pricing, this trailing dividend record gives this ETF a distribution yield of 7.22%. So we would have needed around $72,000 invested to get our $100 per week.

But dividends from ASX shares change all the time. To illustrate, this ETF only paid out $3.42 in dividend distributions per unit over 2021. That would work out to a yield of almost half of what we had in 2022 – 3.88%.

Thus, if that was our yield, we would need around $130,000 invested to get the same dividend cash flow.

So it's hard to pinpoint an exact number to get a consistent yield of $100 per week from ASX dividend shares. But one thing is certain: if you choose quality shares, your income will go up over the long term.

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Telstra Group and Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Telstra Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Jb Hi-Fi. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

More on Share Market News

A railway worker walks along the train tracks in a visi vest and speaking into a walkie talkie.
Share Market News

Are Aurizon shares a buy, hold or sell based on Macquarie's report?

Here’s what this broker has to say about this Industrials stock

Read more »

A man has a surprised and relieved expression on his face. as he raises his hands up to his face in response to the high fluctuations in the Galileo share price today
Broker Notes

Leading broker puts buy rating on Zip shares

Big returns could be on offer for investors according to its analysts.

Read more »

Contented looking man leans back in his chair at his desk and smiles.
Share Market News

5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday

A positive session is expected for Aussie investors today. Here's what is happening.

Read more »

Man standing on rock next to turquoise salt lagoon.
Share Gainers

Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

The ASX 200 finally had a green session this hump day.

Read more »

gaming asx share price rise represented by slot machine paying jackpot
Broker Notes

What does Macquarie expect from Aristocrat Leisure shares when it reports on 14 May?

Here's what the broker is expecting from this gaming technology company next week.

Read more »

Man pointing at a blue rising share price graph.
Share Gainers

Guess which ASX 300 stock just rocketed 17%!

Investors are sending the ASX 300 stock soaring higher on Wednesday. But why?

Read more »

Broker written in white with a man drawing a yellow underline.
Broker Notes

Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today

Here's what brokers are recommending as buys this week.

Read more »

A male investor wearing a blue shirt looks off to the side with a miffed look on his face as the share price declines.
Share Fallers

Why Aurizon, JB Hi-FI, Nuix, and Platinum shares are tumbling today

These shares are falling on hump day. But why?

Read more »