See Ordinary Dividends & Qualified Dividends
Here in IRS Pub 17:
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Ordinary Dividends
Ordinary (taxable) dividends are the most common type of distribution from a corporation or a mutual fund. They are paid out of earnings and profits and are ordinary income to you. This means they are not capital gains. You can assume that any dividend you receive on common or preferred stock is an ordinary dividend unless the paying corporation or mutual fund tells you otherwise. Ordinary dividends will be shown in box 1a of the Form 1099-DIV you receive.
Qualified Dividends
Qualified dividends are the ordinary dividends subject to the same 0%, 15%, or 20% maximum tax rate that applies to net capital gain. They should be shown in box 1b of the Form 1099-DIV you receive.
The maximum rate of tax on qualified dividends is:
0% on any amount that otherwise would be taxed at a 10% or 15% rate.
15% on any amount that otherwise would be taxed at rates greater than 15% but less than 39.6%.
20% on any amount that otherwise would be taxed at a 39.6% rate.
To qualify for the maximum rate, all of the following requirements must be met.
The dividends must have been paid by a U.S. corporation or a qualified foreign corporation. (See Qualified foreign corporation , later.)
The dividends are not of the type listed later under Dividends that are not qualified dividends .
You meet the holding period (discussed next).
**Disclaimer: This post is for discussion purposes only and is NOT tax advice. The author takes no responsibility for the accuracy of any information in this post.**
