Modelling a capital gain distribution (CAPG)

You can model a capital gain distribution as a corporate action of type CapitalGainsDistributionEvent in LUSID. See all supported corporate actions.

Note the following:

CapitalGainsDistributionEvent is valid for instruments of type Equity and SimpleInstrument.
Loading the event works the same way as CashDividendEvent, but the payment carries capital gains tax treatment rather than being ordinary dividend income, which is why it has its own event type.
The entitlement date is the exDate specified when you load CapitalGainsDistributionEvent, not recordDate.
The distribution amount is calculated from the number of settled units held on the entitlement date, not total units. This is another difference with CashDividendEvent.
The transaction date of the automatically-generated output transaction is exDate, and the settlement date is paymentDate.

Loading `CapitalGainsDistributionEvent`

You must load CapitalGainsDistributionEvent into a corporate action source registered with one or more portfolios. The event then impacts every registered portfolio with a holding in the underlying instrument. See how to do this.

For more information on fields, see the CapitalGainsDistributionEvent schema. Where set, the following date validation rules apply: announcementDate ≤ exDate ≤ recordDate ≤ paymentDate

Note: You can set paymentDate at event level, at election level, or both. The election-level date takes precedence. At least one must resolve, or LUSID rejects the event.

You must choose one of the following participation types:

Participation type	Election(s)	Election choices	Further action required?
`Mandatory`	Exactly one `CashElection` keyed by currency	Set the following on the single election: ✅ Is declared ✅ Is default ✅ Is chosen	❌ No. The single election always occurs automatically.
`MandatoryWithChoices`	At least one `CashElection`, each keyed by (the different) currency	The above options must be set but can be in any combination on any election.	❓ Optional. The Is Chosen election occurs unless you instruct to receive a different currency per portfolio (see below).

Note there is no lapse outcome; a holder who takes no action always receives the chosen election currency rather than forfeiting the distribution.

Issuers specify multi-currency offers in different ways. See how to handle multiple cash elections.

Instructing to receive a different currency per portfolio

If you load CapitalGainsDistributionEvent as MandatoryWithChoices, you can instruct to receive the distribution in a different currency. If you do not, you receive the chosen election currency.

To do this, load an event instruction into a portfolio. Note this is not an event, and you do not load it into a corporate action source, which means you can instruct differently in different portfolios. See how to do this.

Configuring the economic impact

You must create a CashReceipt transaction type to handle the automatically-generated output transaction. This is not provided for you.

You can give a transaction type any economic impact you like. Our recommendation:

Credits the distribution amount to a cash balance and recognises it as income against the underlying holding, leaving both the number of units and the book cost unchanged.
Because the cost of the holding is untouched, ProfitAndLoss/Unrealised/* metrics are unaffected, and a subsequent disposal realises the same gain it would have done without the event.

Reference examples

Single-currency distribution

An SGD distribution of 0.0027 per unit is announced, with no elective currencies. The single election is declared, chosen and default.

[
  {
    "instrumentEventId": "CapitalGainsDistribution-2026-08-06",
    "instrumentIdentifiers": {
      "Instrument/default/Isin": "SG1AA6000000"
    },
    "description": "Capital gain distribution of 0.0027 SGD per unit",
    "participationType": "Mandatory",
    "instrumentEvent": {
      "instrumentEventType": "CapitalGainsDistributionEvent",
      "announcementDate": "2026-07-24T00:00:00.0000000+00:00",
      "exDate": "2026-08-06T00:00:00.0000000+00:00",
      "recordDate": "2026-08-07T00:00:00.0000000+00:00",
      "paymentDate": "2026-09-25T00:00:00.0000000+00:00",
      "cashElections": [
        {
          "electionKey": "SingaporeDollar",
          "dividendCurrency": "SGD",
          "dividendRate": 0.0027,
          "isDeclared": true,
          "isChosen": true,
          "isDefault": true
        }
      ]
    }
  }
]

A holding of 2,286 units receives a gross cash credit of SGD 6.1722.

Multi-currency distribution

A distribution of 0.10 per unit is announced in USD, with a EUR alternative. USD is the declared currency; the EUR election is chosen at a rate of 0.092 per unit, unless overridden per portfolio by an event instruction.

[
  {
    "instrumentEventId": "CapitalGainsDistribution-2026-08-06",
    "instrumentIdentifiers": {
      "Instrument/default/Isin": "SG1AA6000000"
    },
    "description": "Capital gain distribution of 0.10 USD per unit, paid in EUR by default",
    "participationType": "MandatoryWithChoices",
    "instrumentEvent": {
      "instrumentEventType": "CapitalGainsDistributionEvent",
      "announcementDate": "2026-07-24T00:00:00.0000000+00:00",
      "exDate": "2026-08-06T00:00:00.0000000+00:00",
      "recordDate": "2026-08-07T00:00:00.0000000+00:00",
      "paymentDate": "2026-09-25T00:00:00.0000000+00:00",
      "cashElections": [
        {
          "electionKey": "USDollar",
          "dividendCurrency": "USD",
          "dividendRate": 0.10,
          "isDeclared": true,
          "isDefault": true,
          "isChosen": false
        },
        {
          "electionKey": "Euro",
          "dividendCurrency": "EUR",
          "dividendRate": 0.092,
          "isDeclared": false,
          "isDefault": false,
          "isChosen": true
        }
      ]
    }
  }
]

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