People who live in Alaska have until Monday, March 31, at 11:59 p.m. (local time) to apply for the 2025 Permanent Fund Dividend. Online applications must be turned in by midnight, and mail-in applications must have a postmark that is no later than the due date. The official pfd.alaska.gov website has information and a link to the digital form.
Even though March 31 is Seward’s Day, the program offices will be open during that time (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to 4 p.m.) to accept applications in person.
Officials said again that applicants must meet strict requirements, including living in the state continuously throughout 2023, not having any active criminal convictions, and not being out of the state for more than 180 days in a row, with some exceptions that are allowed by law.
Stimulus check in Alaska: Apply NOW for the Permanent Fund Dividend
In the past few years, the PFD fund has given out stimulus checks ranging from $1,000 to $3,284. This is because Alaska’s oil revenues and government spending change from year to year.
Defense groups want to go back to the old method, which would have led to checks for $2,400 in 2024. But lawmakers put infrastructure and education investments at the top of their lists because they want the budget to be stable in the long term.
The Department of Revenue says that as of Friday, the 28th, more than 564,000 people had applied. There were checks sent to 624,489 residents in 2023. The checks cost more than $1 billion.
The exact amount for this year will be set when the Legislature approves the state budget in May. Since 2017, the value has been decided by politics instead of following the legal process that was in place until 2016.
The payment will come from both oil revenues and Alaska’s Permanent Fund, which was set up in 1976. In 2023, there was an energy bonus of $298, but this year there are no plans for any extra help. The base dividend last year was $1,403, but analysts expect it to go up and down because of disagreements in the legislature and changes in the state’s income.
In September, the final number of recipients and each person’s amount will be made public. It is thought by experts that the rise in requests and the fall in oil funds could make the payment less attractive. At the moment, 40% of the fund’s profits go to public services. This change was made in 2018 to help the state’s finances.
Officials in Alaska tell people who want to apply to check the requirements and get proof of residency. People who might be excluded can file an appeal until December 31. The process can take up to eight weeks to confirm eligibility. Since 2022, an anti-fraud system with biometric verification has been used to stop people from applying more than once.
