TL;DR
- The 2026 Alaska PFD is $1,200 per eligible resident: a $1,000 dividend plus a $200 energy relief payment. The first payments went out October 1, 2026.
- The 2027 amount is not set. State law gives the Department of Revenue until October 1 each year to set it, and the last three were announced on September 18 or 19.
- The 2027 application window is January 1 through March 31, 2027. Applications filed after March 31 are denied as late.
- To get the 2027 dividend you must have been an Alaska resident for all of calendar year 2026. A summer job does not make you one.
- If you move up and establish residency before January 1, 2027, the first dividend you could receive is the 2028 one, paid in the fall of 2028.
The Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, or PFD, is a yearly payment from the State of Alaska to people who live there year-round. It is the fact behind every “get paid to live in Alaska” headline.
It is not a bonus for moving north, and it is not paid to seasonal workers. The amounts, dates and residency rules below come from the state’s own pages, with a plain answer for anyone heading up for a summer job in Alaska.
What is the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend?
The Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend is a yearly payment to Alaska residents from the investment earnings of the state’s mineral royalties. The Permanent Fund Dividend Division, part of the Alaska Department of Revenue, decides who is eligible and sends the money.
The money traces back to oil. In 1976 Alaska voters approved a constitutional amendment, 75,588 to 38,518, that puts at least 25 percent of the state’s mineral lease rentals, royalties and bonuses into a permanent fund. The first deposit, on February 28, 1977, was $734,000.
The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation invests that fund. It reported a total fund value of $88,045,400,000 as of September 30, 2026, a figure it marks as unaudited.
The fund has two parts. The Principal is protected by the state constitution and cannot be spent. The Earnings Reserve Account holds realized earnings, and the Legislature can appropriate a yearly draw from it, capped by law at 5.0% of the fund’s average market value.
That draw supports both the dividend and state services. The Legislature approved the dividend program in 1980, and the first checks, for $1,000 each, were distributed on June 14, 1982.
It is a large program for a small state. For the 2025 dividend the division received 665,327 applications and paid 618,863 of them, a total of $619,648,403.43.
How much is the Alaska PFD, and what will it be in 2027?
The 2026 PFD is $1,200, and the 2027 amount has not been set. The 2026 figure is a $1,000 dividend plus a $200 energy relief payment, sent as one payment, according to the Department of Revenue.
The amount moves a lot from year to year. Over the last 10 years it ran from $992 in 2020 to $3,284 in 2022.
| Dividend year | Amount per person |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $1,200 |
| 2025 | $1,000 |
| 2024 | $1,702 |
| 2023 | $1,312 |
| 2022 | $3,284 |
| 2021 | $1,114 |
| 2020 | $992 |
| 2019 | $1,606 |
| 2018 | $1,600 |
| 2017 | $1,100 |
Source: PFD Division summary of dividend applications and payments for 2017 to 2025, and the Department of Revenue announcement for 2026, accessed Nov 9, 2026. The 2024 amount includes $298.17 of energy relief and the 2026 amount includes $200.
There is no 2027 number because the law does not require one yet. Alaska Statute 43.23.025 has the commissioner of revenue set the value of each dividend by October 1 of that year. The last three announcements were dated September 19, 2024, September 19, 2025 and September 18, 2026.
The division says the dividend is calculated by dividing the amount available for distribution by the number of eligible applicants. The amount available is the open question. The 2025 and 2026 announcements say the amount was determined by the Alaska Legislature, in House Bill 53 and House Bill 263.
So a 2027 figure will not exist until the Legislature acts and the department announces it, which in recent years has happened in mid September. Any site quoting a 2027 amount before then is guessing.
Who qualifies for the Alaska PFD?
You qualify if you were an Alaska resident for the entire calendar year before the year you apply, and you intend to stay indefinitely. The state calls that earlier year the qualifying year. For the 2027 dividend, the qualifying year is 2026.
The division’s eligibility requirements page lists the full test for the 2026 dividend. Moved forward one year for 2027, it reads like this:
- You were a resident of Alaska for all of calendar year 2026.
- On the date you apply, you intend to remain an Alaska resident indefinitely.
- You have not claimed residency in another state or country, or taken a benefit from such a claim, since December 31, 2025.
- You were not sentenced or incarcerated for a felony during 2026, and were not incarcerated in Alaska for a misdemeanor after a prior felony or two or more prior misdemeanors since January 1, 1997.
- If you were out of Alaska more than 180 days, it was for a reason the law allows.
- You were physically in Alaska for at least 72 consecutive hours at some point during 2025 or 2026.
Alaska Statute 43.23.005 also limits the dividend to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, refugees and people granted asylum. And you must file a new application every year.
You can be out of Alaska for up to 180 days in the qualifying year for any reason and stay eligible, under the division’s absence guidelines. Days are a running total for the year. Once you pass 90, you must report every absence on your application.
Longer absences are allowed only for reasons listed in law, such as full-time school, active-duty military service, merchant marine work and continuous medical treatment. Anyone claiming one must still have spent at least 72 consecutive hours in Alaska during the two years before the dividend year.
What you do while away matters more than the day count. Keeping your principal home in another state, accepting full-time permanent work there, registering to vote there or filing a resident tax return there ends your eligibility, even after a short absence.
Does a summer job in Alaska qualify you for the PFD?
No. A summer season does not qualify you, because you must be a resident for a whole calendar year and being physically present does not by itself make you a resident. The division’s establishing residency page says this directly.
Before January 1 of the qualifying year, you must have taken at least one step beyond physical presence to establish residency. Things required by law or contract, or routinely done by temporary residents, do not count by themselves. You also cannot become a resident while out of state.
That rules out most of a seasonal worker’s paper trail. The division lists employer provided housing, employer paid moving expenses, hunting and fishing licenses, utility bills, bank statements and mail as unacceptable proof.
So a bunk at a seafood processing plant, a staff cabin at a fishing lodge or a berth on a commercial fishing boat does not start the clock. Neither does the fishing license you bought in June.
The division does accept other records. Its list of acceptable proof includes:
- A lease or rental agreement in your name, or proof you bought a home
- Receipts for moving your household goods to Alaska, such as a moving truck rental or Alaska ferry shipping
- An Alaska driver’s license, state ID or instructional permit
- Alaska registration for a car or truck
- Alaska voter registration
- Proof of employment, such as a W-2 or pay stub
The proof must be in your name and obtained before the qualifying year starts. The regulation adds that ties set up less than six months before December 31 of the qualifying year will not be counted as showing you were a resident in time for that year’s dividend.
When could you first get the PFD if you move to Alaska?
The first dividend you can get is the one for the year after your first full calendar year as a resident. Arrive and establish residency before January 1, 2027, stay through 2027, apply in early 2028, and you would be paid in the fall of 2028.
| Your situation | Qualifying year | When you apply | First dividend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work May to September 2026, then leave Alaska | None | Not eligible | None |
| Established residency before January 1, 2026 and stayed | 2026 | January 1 to March 31, 2027 | 2027 dividend, fall 2027 |
| Establish residency before January 1, 2027 and stay | 2027 | January 1 to March 31, 2028 | 2028 dividend, fall 2028 |
| Establish residency in May 2027 and stay | 2028 | January 1 to March 31, 2029 | 2029 dividend, fall 2029 |
These dates are our reading of the rules above, not a ruling from the state. The division decides every application on its own facts, and it can ask for proof.
The wait runs from just under two years to nearly three, depending on the month you arrive. Arriving in January is the slowest path, because that first partial year does not count.
Staying put matters as much as arriving. If you take a summer job, decide to stay, sign a lease and get an Alaska license in the fall, that fall paperwork is what starts your residency record. The months in employer housing before it do not.
The PFD is also the only “paid to live in Alaska” program we could confirm. We found no other state program that pays people to move to or live in Alaska on the Department of Revenue and PFD Division pages we read.
Plan a move around the work, not the check. Start with the outdoor jobs in Alaska that are open now, and treat the dividend as something that may come later if you stay.
When and how do you apply for the 2027 PFD?
You apply between January 1 and March 31, 2027. The division’s filing period page says application season is January 1 through March 31 each year, and the online application opens at 9:00 AM on January 1.
The deadline is firm. Alaska Statute 43.23.011 sets the period, and the division’s FAQ says applications filed after March 31 are denied by law as late. Filing early also helps, because applications received sooner are processed sooner.
- Go to pfd.alaska.gov on or after January 1 and choose the online application.
- Sign in with a myAlaska account, or create one, so you can sign electronically. Creating the account is not the same as filing.
- File one application per person. A couple with 3 children files 5 applications.
- Keep the Confirmation Number. Your application is not considered received until it has one.
- If you are a first-time filer, be ready to send an original or certified birth certificate, passport or naturalization certificate when the division asks.
Paper applications are available at distribution centers around the state. The division has information offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau.
Children need their own applications, filed by an adult sponsor who is eligible. A child born on or before December 31 of the qualifying year can get that dividend. A child whose sponsor is not eligible cannot.
Watch for scams during filing season. The division’s home page warns of phishing texts that ask myAlaska users to change their passwords, and says myAlaska does not send those messages. Our guide to outdoor job scams covers the same playbook.
When is the PFD paid, and is it taxed?
The PFD is paid in the fall, starting in early October, and it is taxable income on your federal return. The 2027 payment dates have not been published, so the 2026 schedule is the best guide.
| Application marked “Eligible-Not Paid” by | 2026 payment date |
|---|---|
| September 18, 2026 (filed online with direct deposit) | October 1, 2026 |
| October 12, 2026 (online or paper, deposit or check) | October 22, 2026 |
| November 11, 2026 | November 19, 2026 |
| December 9, 2026 | December 17, 2026 |
Source: PFD Division home page and Department of Revenue 2026 announcement, accessed Nov 9, 2026.
Earlier years followed the same pattern. The first payments went out October 3 in 2024 and October 2 in 2025, with a second run later each October.
Direct deposit can go to any bank that accepts ACH transfers. The deadline to change direct deposit details is August 31. Checks are mailed from Juneau, and the division says the Postal Service never forwards them, so keep your address current.
On taxes, the division’s tax information page says dividends for adults are taxable for federal income tax purposes. A child’s dividend may be taxable too, depending on the amount. The full amount is reportable even if part of it was garnished.
The IRS gives the dividend its own line. On the 2025 Schedule 1 (Form 1040), it is line 8g, “Alaska Permanent Fund dividends.” The division posts a 1099-MISC in your myPFD account.
If your name and Social Security number do not match IRS records, or you give no number, the division withholds 24% for the IRS. We are not tax advisers. For your own return, ask the IRS or a tax preparer.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Alaska PFD in 2027?
It has not been set. State law has the Department of Revenue set each year’s amount by October 1, and the last three were announced on September 18 or 19. The 2026 amount was $1,200, which included a $200 energy relief payment.
Can I get the PFD if I work one summer in Alaska?
No. You must be an Alaska resident for an entire calendar year, with at least one step beyond physical presence taken before that year starts. Employer provided housing and a fishing license do not count as proof of residency.
Does Alaska pay you to move there?
No. The PFD pays people who are already established residents, and the earliest a newcomer can receive one is the fall after their first full calendar year in the state. We found no other state program that pays people to move to Alaska.
Do children get the Alaska PFD?
Yes, if an eligible Alaska resident sponsors the child’s application. A child born or adopted during the qualifying year can qualify. A child who missed dividends can apply for them after turning 18 and before turning 20.
How long can I be out of Alaska and still get the PFD?
Up to 180 days in the qualifying year for any reason, as long as you keep your Alaska residency. The division counts the day you leave as a day in Alaska and the day you return as a day absent. Longer absences need a reason listed in law.
Is the Alaska PFD taxable?
Yes, federally. The PFD Division says dividends for adults are taxable for federal income tax purposes, and the 2025 IRS Schedule 1 (Form 1040) has a dedicated line, 8g, for Alaska Permanent Fund dividends.
Sources
- Alaska Department of Revenue, Permanent Fund Dividend Division, home page (2026 amount and payment schedule, myAlaska phishing warning), accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- Alaska Department of Revenue, 2026 Permanent Fund Dividend announcement (release 26-004, dated September 18, 2026), and the 2025 and 2024 announcements, accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- PFD Division, Summary of Dividend Applications and Payments (amounts, applications and totals by year), accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- PFD Division, Eligibility Requirements, Establishing Residency and Absence Guidelines, accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- PFD Division, Frequently Asked Questions (qualifying year, deadline, children, payments, checks), accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- PFD Division, Filing Period, Applying for a Child and Direct Deposit Information, accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- PFD Division, Statutes and Regulations booklet (AS 01.10.055, AS 43.23.005, 43.23.008, 43.23.011, 43.23.025, 43.23.295; 15 AAC 23.143), linked from its statutes and regulations page, accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- PFD Division, Tax Information, About Us and Historical Timeline, accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, History, The Fund and Performance (fund value as of September 30, 2026), accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service, Schedule 1 (Form 1040), 2025, line 8g, accessed Nov 9, 2026.