BOSTON, April 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE: PDT) (the "Fund"), a closed-end fund managed by John Hancock Advisers, LLC and subadvised by John Hancock Asset Management a division of Manulife Asset Management (US) LLC, announced today sources of its monthly distribution of $0.0900 per share paid to all shareholders of record as of April 11, 2016, pursuant to the Fund's managed distribution plan.

Notification of Sources of Distribution

This notice provides shareholders of the John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE: PDT) with important information concerning the distribution declared on April 1, 2016, and payable on April 29, 2016. No action is required on your part.



    Distribution Period:                  April 2016

    Distribution Amount Per Common Share:            $0.0900

The following table sets forth the estimated sources of the current distribution, payable April 29, 2016, and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short term capital gains; net realized long term capital gains; and return of capital or other capital source. All amounts are expressed on a per common share basis and as a percentage of the distribution amount.



    Source                                                                             Current              % Breakdown        Total Cumulative           % Breakdown
                                                                                   Distribution ($)        of the Current      Distributions for          of the Total
                                                                                                            Distribution        the Fiscal Year            Cumulative
                                                                                                                                to Date ($)(1)           Distributions
                                                                                                                                                         for the Fiscal
                                                                                                                                                        Year to Date(1)
    ---                                                                                                                                                  --------------

    Net Investment Income                                                                           0.0784                 87%                   0.5406                      100%

    Net Realized Short-                                                                             0.0000                  0%                   0.0000                        0%
       Term Capital Gains

    Net Realized Long-                                                                              0.0116                 13%                   0.0000                        0%
       Term Capital Gains

    Return of Capital or                                                                            0.0000                  0%                   0.0000
       Other Capital Source
                                                                                                                                                                             0%
    ---                                                                                                                                                                     ---

    Total per common share                                                                          0.0900                100%                   0.5406                      100%


                                                                                                                                                                     13.45%

    Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the 5 years ended on March 31, 2016



    Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of  NAV as of March 31, 2016                                                                       6.71%
                                                                                                                                                                       ----


    Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through March 31, 2016                                                                           9.79%
                                                                                                                                                                       ----


    Cumulative fiscal year-to-date distribution rate expressed as a percentage of NAV as of                                                                           3.36%
    March 31, 2016

(1) The Fund's current fiscal year began on November 1, 2015, and will end on October 31, 2016.

You should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of this distribution or from the terms of the Fund's managed distribution plan.

The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this Notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.

The Fund has declared the April 2016 distribution pursuant to the Fund's managed distribution plan (the "Plan"). Under the Plan, the Fund makes fixed monthly distributions in the amount of $0.0900 per share, which will continue to be paid monthly until further notice.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact your financial professional or call the John Hancock Investments Closed-End Fund Information Line at 1-800-843-0090, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by the United States securities laws. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Fund's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

An investor should consider a Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing.

About John Hancock Investments
John Hancock Investments provides asset management services to individuals and institutions through a unique manager-of-managers approach. A wealth management business of John Hancock Financial, we managed more than $131 billion in assets as of December 31, 2015, across mutual funds, college savings plans, and retirement plans.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial
John Hancock Financial is a division of Manulife Financial, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, the Company offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were C$935 billion (US$676 billion) as of December 31, 2015. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers and administers a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

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SOURCE John Hancock Investments