More than 600,000 applications were received before the deadline on March 31, 2025 to apply for one of the most popular stimulus payment programs in the United States. The figure reflects a significant participation, considering that the total population of the state of Alaska is around 740,000 inhabitants. This is the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD), which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in profits from the oil industry.
The exact amount of Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) for 2025 has not yet been finalized, as legislative negotiations remain ongoing. The House of Representatives proposed a payment of $1,400, while the Senate proposed a smaller amount of $1,000. For his part, the governor suggested a dividend of $3,900, although that figure is unlikely due to budget constraints. The final amount is expected to be announced in September.
Proposed $3,900: The debate about how much the PFD stimulus check will be
The APF, created in 1976, invests oil revenues and natural resources. Its management by the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC) includes anti-inflation strategies and reinvestments, although updated post-2019 data is not publicly available.
The Alaska Permanent Fund (APF), valued at $64 billion in 2019, funds the PFD. Its returns are divided between inflation protection, operating expenses and dividends. The exact distribution depends on legislative decisions, subject to tensions between public services and citizen benefits.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s $3,900 proposal faces financial hurdles. According to legislative analysis, it would require withdrawing more than $1.5 billion from the reserve fund, an unsustainable measure given the projected deficit of $1.9 billion for fiscal year 2025.
The deadline to apply for the 2025 PFD closed on March 31. Residents must meet criteria such as continuous residence in Alaska through 2024 and absence limits of no more than 180 days, except in cases such as military service or studies.
But the granting of these payments are not “free”: certain conditions must be met.
Applicants can check the status of their application through the “myPFD” platform or submit the “Address Change Form” to update their address. Errors in personal information can delay or invalidate payment, according to the Alaska Department of Revenue.
Eligibility also depends on not obtaining state IDs outside of Alaska, as the Alaska DMV website for Real ID warned on April 28, 2025. This measure seeks to prevent fraud and ensure proper residency verification.
Proposals for $1,000, $1,400, and $3,900 for PFD stimulus checks
The House ($1,400) and Senate ($1,000) proposals seek to reduce the state deficit. The House option would reduce the shortfall to $400 million, while the Senate option prioritizes a balanced budget, offering the lowest inflation-adjusted dividend in the history of the program.
The debate also contemplates alternative formulas, such as the “75-25 split”, which would allocate 75% of the yield to state services and 25% to dividends. Although not yet approved, this formula projects a PFD of approximately $1,420, according to estimates from the Senate Finance Committee.
The PFD is subject to federal tax, as the IRS confirmed in its statement “Clarification about Alaska Permanent Fund Dividends | Internal Revenue Service.” In 2024, the $1,702 payment should have been reported as taxable income, although Alaska does not impose state taxes on the dividend.