Options income tracker

By Cash Flow University. Last updated October 19, 2026

To track options income, record every trade with its legs and count the result when the trade closes. Set one dollar goal for the period and compare it to realized results. Show premium from open trades on its own line, since an open short option can still be bought back at a loss.

Pick one rule for what counts as income

Options income can mean premium collected, which is the cash that lands in your account when you sell an option, or realized income, which is the result of the trades you have closed. The two differ whenever you buy an option back, because the buyback comes out of what you collected.

Count a trade when it closes. A short option stays open until it expires or you buy it back, and a move against you can make the buyback cost more than you collected. Closed results also give you a number you can compare from month to month.

Example with made-up numbers

A month with four trades and a $500 goal.

Trades so far this month
Trade	Status	Counts toward income
A	Closed Oct 3	+$212
B	Closed Oct 9	-$145
C	Closed Oct 17	+$96
D	Open. Sold for $140, now $85 to buy back	$0 until it closes

Realized income: 212 minus 145 plus 96 = $163
Left to reach the goal: 500 minus 163 = $337
Premium still open: $140, from trade D, on its own line

Show open premium on its own line

Keep a separate line for premium still open. It tells you what you have at work without mixing it into results. When those options close, their results move into income, whatever they turn out to be.

Set a goal for one period

Pick one dollar figure and one period: a week, a month or a year. Check progress against realized results only.

Rolls and assignments

Decide the rule before a roll or an assignment comes up. A roll closes one option and opens another. If you count each leg when it closes, the old option's result lands on the day you buy it back, even though the roll was one decision. An assignment ends an option and moves shares: a put you sold delivers 100 shares per contract into your account, and a call you sold takes them out. The option's premium is a result when the option ends, and the shares are a separate position.

The options roll guide shows how to write a roll down.

The assignment guide shows how to write an assignment down.

What the number leaves out

Results are before fees. Compare each month with your broker statement. A gap points to a missing trade, a wrong fill or fees.

Track income in CFU Book

You set one income goal, weekly, monthly or annual. The dashboard shows what you have realized, how much is left and how many days remain. Your income goal counts what you have closed, dividends included. Premium on trades that are still open shows on its own line as Premium still open.

On the income goal, CFU Book counts each leg on the day it closes. When you roll a cash secured put or a covered call, the old option counts on the day you buy it back, with its own credit and the buyback together. The premium of the new option shows as Premium still open until that leg closes.

CFU Book can email you a weekly summary and a monthly summary. You switch each one on or off in Profile, and every email has an unsubscribe link.

The CFU Book home screen: open positions, risk and P&L tiles, the time of the last price update, and a monthly goal card with the amount realized, the amount to go, the days left and the premium still open. — Sample data.

Questions and answers

How do you track options income?

Record every trade with its legs, then count income when a trade closes. Add up the results by month and compare them with a target. Use the same rule every month so the totals stay comparable.

Should premium count as income when it is collected?

Premium on an open short option can still be bought back at a loss, so count it when the trade closes. A $140 credit followed by a $200 buyback is a $60 loss. Show open premium on its own line, so you can see it without counting it.

How do you set a monthly income goal for options?

Pick one dollar figure for the month and check progress against realized results only. Subtract what you have made from the goal to see what is left, then compare that with the days remaining. The goal is a tracking target for your own records.

Does options income include fees?

Not in CFU Book. Results are before fees. Compare your journal with your broker statement at the end of each month, because fees are one reason the two can differ.