BEL Dividend Record Date: Bharat Electronics Payouts
On 13 August 2026, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) shares traded ex-dividend for a ₹0.55 final payout — less than a third of the ₹1.95 interim whose record date fell only five months earlier, in March. That gap is why the BEL dividend record date needs more context than a single calendar entry: the defence electronics maker pays out two or three times a year, the amounts differ sharply by season, the record date has even been revised mid-announcement, and eligibility turns on holding the shares on exactly the right day. This guide maps BEL’s payout calendar against verified record dates and explains how T+1 settlement decides who gets paid.
Research date: Record dates, amounts and payment dates below were cross-checked on 22 August 2026 against BEL’s exchange-reported dividend announcements, republished in the records listed under Sources. Future dividends are board decisions; nothing here predicts the next declaration.
One company, two payout seasons
BEL runs its dividend year in two distinct halves. Between late January and early March, the board declares one or two interim dividends, with record dates following within days. In May, the annual results carry a recommended final dividend. Its record date then sits in mid-August — 14 August in 2024, 14 August in 2025, 13 August in 2026, each time brushing up against the Independence Day holiday — with shareholder approval at the late-August AGM and payment in late September.
| Step in BEL’s dividend year | When it has happened | What is decided |
|---|---|---|
| Interim declaration | Late January to early March | Board approves the interim on its own authority |
| Interim record date | Early February and/or early-to-mid March | Register read; payment due within 30 days of declaration |
| Final recommendation | With annual results, 19–20 May in recent years | Board recommends; the final is not yet payable |
| Final record date | Mid-August, just before Independence Day | Holders on this date receive the final, once approved |
| AGM and payment | AGM in late August; payment in late September | Shareholders approve; BEL paid on 23 September in both 2024 and 2025 |
The asymmetry between the two halves matters. An interim dividend needs only a board resolution, so announcement, record date and cash arrive within weeks. A final dividend is recommended in May but becomes payable only after shareholders approve it at the AGM, which is why a payout announced with the annual results turns into cash roughly four months later. The record date for the March 2026 interim, for instance, arrived about a week after the declaration; the ₹0.90 final for FY2025 was recommended on 19 May 2025, approved at the 71st AGM on 28 August 2025 and paid on 23 September 2025, per the company’s announcements as reported by Angel One and Business Standard.
Verified record dates: FY2024 to FY2026
Every row below was verified against BEL’s exchange-reported corporate actions as republished by the dividend-history records and market reports listed under Sources. Amounts are per equity share of ₹1 face value. Payment dates are shown only where a published announcement confirmed them.
| Financial year | Dividend type | Amount per share | Record date | Payment date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | First interim | ₹0.70 | Sat, 10 Feb 2024 | — |
| FY2024 | Second interim | ₹0.70 | Sat, 23 Mar 2024 | — |
| FY2024 | Final | ₹0.80 | 14 Aug 2024 | 23 Sep 2024 |
| FY2025 | Interim | ₹1.50 | 11 Mar 2025 | — |
| FY2025 | Final | ₹0.90 | 14 Aug 2025 | 23 Sep 2025 |
| FY2026 | Interim | ₹1.95 | 6 Mar 2026 | — |
| FY2026 | Final | ₹0.55 | 13 Aug 2026 | After AGM approval |
FY2023 followed the older three-payout shape: two interims of ₹0.60 each, with record dates of 10 February 2023 and 25 March 2023, plus a ₹0.60 final in August — ₹1.80 for the year in total.
Two shifts stand out in the table. First, from FY2025 BEL consolidated its January–February and March interims into a single, larger March payment: ₹1.50 in March 2025, then ₹1.95 in March 2026. Second, the final has stopped being the main event. The FY2026 final of ₹0.55 is the smallest leg BEL has paid in years, yet the full-year total still rose — ₹2.20 in FY2024, ₹2.40 in FY2025, ₹2.50 in FY2026. Reading any single record date in isolation therefore misleads in both directions: the March interim overstates the routine payout, and the August final understates it.
As of the research date, no dividend beyond the FY2026 final had been announced. A record date exists only once the company files it with the exchanges.
Ex-date and record date under T+1: usually the same day
The record date is the day BEL reads its shareholder register; whoever holds the shares in their demat account that day receives the dividend. The ex-date is the first trading day a buyer no longer acquires that entitlement. The general mechanics are covered in Gale’s explainer on what a dividend record date is; the BEL-specific point is how the two dates line up in practice.
Since Indian equities completed the move to T+1 settlement in January 2023, a purchase settles into the demat account the next working day, so the ex-date and record date generally fall on the same day. BEL’s recent history shows the rule and both of its wrinkles:
- Same day (the normal case). The FY2025 interim went ex on Tuesday, 11 March 2025 — its record date. The FY2025 final: both on Thursday, 14 August 2025. The FY2026 final: both on Thursday, 13 August 2026.
- One day apart (record date on a non-trading day). BEL fixed Saturday record dates for both FY2024 interims — 10 February and 23 March 2024. The shares went ex-dividend on the preceding Fridays, so the buyer’s practical cut-off was the Thursday before each.
- A revised date (the filing is the final word). For the FY2026 interim, BEL first fixed 5 March 2026 as the record date, then moved it. Per the company’s exchange filing, “the revised record date for the purpose of payment of Interim Dividend on Equity Shares for the Financial Year 2025-26 is Friday, 6th March, 2026.” Anyone working from the first announcement had the wrong day.
The working rule: eligibility requires buying at least one trading day before the ex-date, the ex-date matches the record date unless that date is a holiday or weekend — and the latest exchange filing overrides every earlier report.
What the record date does to the price and the cash
On the ex-date, the share price typically opens lower by roughly the dividend amount, all else equal, because the entitlement has left the stock. Buying BEL on the last eligible day does not capture free income: the price gives back what the dividend pays, before tax and transaction costs.
The cash itself follows two different clocks. Interims must be paid within 30 days of declaration. Finals wait for the AGM: the FY2024 and FY2025 payouts were both credited on 23 September, roughly six weeks after their mid-August record dates, and the FY2026 final of ₹0.55 follows the same AGM route, with the register closed from 14 to 16 August 2026 for the 72nd AGM per the company’s notice as reported by Zee Business. For an Indian resident individual, dividend income is taxable at the applicable slab, and the company deducts TDS above the statutory threshold before crediting, subject to current law and the shareholder’s tax status.
One screening trap follows directly from the two-season calendar. A trailing-yield screen run in April catches the fat March interim plus the previous final; one run in February may catch only the thin August final. Gale’s guide to high-paying dividend stocks in India treats reconstructing the full-year payout from exchange-confirmed distributions as a core check for exactly this reason.
How to track the next BEL record date
- Gale’s dividend record-date calendar — a live calendar of upcoming NSE record dates, updated daily from NSE’s published corporate-action feed, with BEL listed whenever a new date is filed.
- NSE’s corporate-actions portal — the issuer-reported purpose, ex-date and record date for every listed corporate action.
- BEL’s website — the company’s investor section carries its announcements and AGM notices.
When the dividend is paid is a separate question from whether the business behind it is worth owning at the current price. BEL’s order book, margins and valuation are discussed in Gale’s separate BEL research page, which covers the business rather than corporate-action mechanics.
FAQ
When is the next BEL dividend record date?
As of 22 August 2026, the most recent record date was 13 August 2026 for the ₹0.55 FY2026 final, and no later dividend had been announced. BEL’s established cadence places the next interim decision between late January and early March, but the date exists only once the board declares it and files it with the exchanges.
Is the BEL ex-date the same as the record date?
Usually yes, under T+1 settlement. The exceptions are record dates fixed on non-trading days — both FY2024 interims used Saturdays, pushing the ex-date to the previous Friday — and the occasional revision, as with the FY2026 interim’s move from 5 March to 6 March 2026.
How many dividends does BEL pay in a year?
Two in recent years: a single interim declared between late February and early March, and a final recommended with the May results and paid after the AGM. In FY2023 and FY2024 the company split the interim into two smaller payments, taking the count to three.
Do I receive the dividend if I buy BEL shares on the record date?
No. A purchase on the record date settles the next working day, after the register has been read. Eligibility requires buying early enough that the shares are delivered by the record date — in practice, at least one trading day before the ex-date.
Sources and data notes
- NSE corporate actions — issuer-reported ex-dates, record dates and purposes.
- Exchange-reported dividend history for BEL as republished by Trendlyne and Dhan, cross-checked on 22 August 2026.
- Market reports of the individual declarations: Angel One (FY2025 final and 71st AGM), Goodreturns (FY2024 final), Business Standard (FY2025 interim), BusinessToday (FY2026 interim record-date revision) and Zee Business (FY2026 final and book closure).
- Settlement mechanics per NSE’s move to T+1, completed January 2023, under which ex-date and record date generally coincide.
Record dates and amounts are historical facts as filed; future dividends are board decisions that can change in amount, timing or existence. Before acting on any date, confirm the latest filing on NSE or the company’s investor-relations page.
This article is for research and education, not personalised investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. Gale is not a SEBI-registered investment adviser. Dividends are not guaranteed, and market prices adjust around ex-dates; verify current filings and consider a qualified professional before acting.