ASX dividend shares delivered $28.3 billion in passive income in the three months to 31 March.
That's according to the latest research from Janus Henderson.
And with many ASX shares offering franking credits, this can significantly increase the amount of passive income you get to hold onto come tax time.
Having just run back over the list of top payers, one ASX company leapt out at me.
Namely, Yancoal Australia Ltd (ASX: YAL).
Just how much passive income has this ASX coal miner delivered in 14 months?
The ASX coal stock and its shareholders have been major beneficiaries of rocketing coal prices.
Thermal coal hit all-time highs in September as many nations continue to shun Russian supplies following its invasion of Ukraine.
And with profits soaring, Yancoal thrilled passive income investors with a series of sky-high dividends.
In its full calendar year results, released on 27 February, the ASX miner reported a profit before tax of $5.1 billion. That was up from $1.1 billion in 2021.
Government coffers were also rewarded, with Yancoal shelling out $1.5 billion in tax. That saw its after-tax profits come in at $3.6 billion, compared to $791 million the prior year.
The big lift in profits, and in the passive income divvied out to shareholders, came amid all-time high revenue of $10.6 billion, up from $5.1 billion in 2021.
So how about those dividends?
If we're only looking at the past 12 months, Yancoal paid an interim dividend of 52.7 cents per share on 20 September, unfranked. The coal miner delivered a final dividend of 70 cents per share on 28 March. That one was fully franked.
That's $1.227 per share in passive income, with some handy potential tax benefits.
"The 2022 final dividend is the first time the company has been in a position to frank its dividends and pass on the benefit of franking credits to its shareholders," Yancoal noted.
At yesterday's closing price of $5.00 per share, Yancoal trades on an eye-popping trailing yield of 24.5%.
But let's go back a little further than 12 months.
If you'd snapped up some of the ASX coal miner's shares in early March 2022, 14 months ago, you would have been eligible for Yancoal's final 2021 dividend of 70.4 cents per share.
The stock traded ex-dividend on 15 March 2022.
On 4 March, shares closed the day trading for $4.88 apiece.
If you'd bought the stock then you could have acquired 1,229 shares for $6,000, with a little pocket change left over.
And you would have received three dividend payouts by now, totalling $1.931 per share.
Or a stellar $2,373 in passive income from your $6,000 investment in just over 14 months.
