Every year, residents of Alaska receive a cash payment called the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD). This money comes from the state’s oil profits and is shared with people who live there full-time. With the announcement for the 2025 PFD expected soon, many Alaskans are eagerly waiting to know how much they will receive in their bank accounts.
Let’s break down everything you need to know about the PFD program, including how it works, important dates, who can receive the money, and the expected payment amount for this year.
What is the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD)?
The PFD is a yearly payment given to Alaska residents from profits made by the state’s oil investments. This program was created in 1976 and started giving out yearly dividends from 1983. The amount of money each person gets depends on how well the fund performs in investments and decisions made by the state government.
By December 2024, the Alaska Permanent Fund had grown to nearly $83 billion. That’s the pool of money used to fund the PFD every year.
Key Dates for the 2025 PFD Stimulus Check
The PFD follows a yearly cycle with set dates. Here’s the schedule for 2025:
Application Deadline: All applications had to be submitted by March 31, 2025. Over 564,000 people applied this year.
Announcement Date: The official PFD amount will be announced in September 2025, just like in previous years.
Payment Date: Payments will start from October 2025. In 2024, for example, direct deposits began on October 3, while paper checks were mailed a bit later.
If there are any late applications or extra checks, those might be sent out in March, April, or May 2026, according to the Alaska Department of Revenue.
Who is Eligible for the Alaska PFD?
To qualify for the 2025 PFD payment, you must meet these conditions:
You should be a full-time resident of Alaska for at least one full year before applying.
You must have been physically present in Alaska for at least 72 hours in the last two years.
You should not have had any serious criminal convictions in the past year.
If you applied before March 31, 2025, and meet the rules above, you’ll be considered for the payment.
How Much Will the 2025 PFD Check Be?
As of now, the exact amount for 2025 is not announced. The final number depends on:
- The total number of people who applied
- How well the fund’s investments performed
- Government decisions on fund use
To give an idea, the 2024 PFD check was $1,702, which included:
- $1,403.83 as the main dividend
- $298.17 as a one-time energy subsidy approved in 2023
This was a $390 increase from the 2023 payment of $1,312, showing a 29.7% jump. However, it was still lower than the 2022 record payout of $3,284, which included a large energy relief subsidy of $662.
Could PFD Payments Go Up in Future?
There are new proposals being discussed in Alaska’s government to increase how much oil companies and online businesses pay in taxes. The idea is that this extra income could be used to increase PFD checks or support other state services.
Senate Bill 92 suggests taxing companies like Hilcorp, which currently pays no state taxes due to its “S” corporation status. This could bring in $100 million every year until 2030.
Senate Bill 113 aims to collect taxes from online businesses based outside Alaska, possibly earning between $25 to $65 million annually.
Even though these plans could help increase state revenue, many oil companies are against it, warning that higher taxes might reduce investment in Alaska. There’s a history of resistance too—Measure 1 in 2020 tried to raise oil taxes, but 62% of voters rejected it.
The Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend is a unique program that shares the state’s oil wealth with its people. While the final amount for 2025 will only be known in September, residents can expect it around the same timeline as previous years.
With new tax proposals being discussed, future PFD payments might rise—but only time will tell if those changes will be approved. For now, Alaska residents who applied on time can look forward to their yearly boost in October 2025.
