Should I worry about early assignment on my short call before the ex-dividend date?

How this is calculated

• A short call is generally only at meaningful early assignment risk before an ex-dividend date if it is in the money and its extrinsic (time) value is less than the dividend the option holder would capture by exercising and owning the stock on the record date.
• Extrinsic value equals the option's premium minus its intrinsic value. Intrinsic value equals the amount the stock price is above the strike, or zero if the call is out of the money.
• This is a standard options-mechanics indicator, not a guarantee. Assignment is decided by the option holder and can happen at any time, for any reason, even when this indicator reads low risk.
• Out-of-the-money calls are rarely exercised early to capture a dividend, since exercising would mean paying more for the stock than its current market price.