People living in Alaska had until Tuesday, April 1, 11:59 p.m. to ask for the 2025 Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD). The application process began in January, but the amount has not yet been decided. Genevieve Wojtusik, who is in charge of the PFD Division, confirmed that state offices in Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks closed at 4 p.m.
However, online applications were still accepted until midnight, which means that hundreds of thousands of people had already filled them out.
If you are one of the lucky Alaskans who was able to apply for this big stimulus check, keep reading to find out when and how much people think they will get this year: In 2025, more than 600,000 people can get it.
Permanent Fund Dividend: The stimulus check that everyone waits for every year
The PFD offices were open on April 1, even though it was Seward Day, a holiday honoring the purchase of Alaska in 1867. Wojtusik said, “The team in Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks was ready to take requests.” The goal of the measure is to make it easier for residents to get in before the official closing.
A record 678,000 applications were sent in in 2019. That number is not likely to be topped this year, though another 20,000 could be sent in in the next few days. The PFD was $1,702 last year and went to more than 624,000 residents. The most money was given out in 2022, $3,284 to each person.
The director of PFD talked about the benefits of the digital application. For example, people who choose direct deposit will get their money in October, while people who choose physical checks will have to wait a few more weeks. “To speed up the process, we recommend that you submit the application online,” he said again. The state gave out more than $1 billion in dividends in 2023.
They propose PFD stimulus checks of up to $3,900
The Permanent Fund Dividend is a zero-dollar payment given to Alaska residents. It is paid for by oil revenues in the state and is managed by the Alaska Permanent Fund.
People who live in the state should get a fair share of the oil profits because, if you are going to use its resources, at least leave some money for each family to live on in one of the most expensive states in the country.
The PFD was created in 1982 and is figured out each year by dividing the amount of money in the Permanent Fund by the number of people who are eligible to apply. The Alaska legislature has set the amount through budget talks since 2017. The legislature does not always use the same formula, so there is some variation.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy wanted to give a $3,900 dividend by 2025, but lawmakers could change it. This year’s amount would be about 1,400 if the informal formula used before is used. The payment in 2023 came with an extra energy bonus worth an extra $1,702. The final choice will depend on how the budget is negotiated.
