On the main portfolio page, the figure that states total gains since you started investing, is dividend income included in this figure, or is it separate and treated (for the purpose of this calculation) as though I had deposited the money myself?
Dividends are counted as a gain, yes.
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So am I correct in assuming it is simply an equation of real money put into FT account against value of current portfolio? So if I buy with my dividends it won’t come into that equation and screw the results. That’s how I believed it to be but curious 
You’re pretty much right, it’s calculated as (current portfolio - cashflow into the account).
Cashflow is affected by a few factors, but primarily deposits / withdrawals
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But it doesn’t show within the investment, right? So if I invest X, and the value stays stable, when I receive a dividend it will show as a portfolio gain but not an uplift in that specific investment?
Also correct - since they’re distributed as cash, they’ll show up in your cash balance (and total portfolio value) rather than the value of the specific investment.
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How soon after the pay date would you reasonably expect to see the cash dividend your account @simonpoole
TIA
Mine’s usually been within a couple of days, but the pay date is often about 2 weeks after ex dividend.
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