FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

To be eligible for a PFD, you must have been an Alaska resident for the entire calendar year preceding the date you apply for a dividend and intend to remain an Alaska resident indefinitely at the time you apply for a dividend. There are other criteria for eligibility under Alaska Statute 43.23.005 and AS 43.23.008.

For steps to establish residency: Establishing Residency

The ‘qualifying year’ is the calendar year preceding the year an individual applies for a current year dividend. For example, for a person who is applying for a dividend in 2021, the qualifying year is 2020. Eligibility for the dividend program is determined by an individual’s residency activity during the qualifying year.

Yes, as long as he or she has an eligible Alaska resident sponsor and is otherwise eligible.

No, a child must have an eligible sponsor.

Yes, if he or she received conditional or permanent status, refugee or asylee status before January 1 of the qualifying year and is otherwise eligible. If you started the application process to convert to conditional or permanent status, you may be eligible. Contact us for more information if you are a non-resident of the United States and have questions about your status as it relates to the dividend program.

It varies depending on why you are absent. If you are absent for a reason specifically allowed by law you could be out of Alaska for the entire qualifying period and still be eligible. If you are absent for more than 180 days for a reason other than one specifically listed in Alaska Statute 43.23.008(a), you will not be eligible for a dividend. If you have not taken any action inconsistent with an intent to return to Alaska to remain indefinitely, absences of 180 days or less allow you to retain eligibility. Regardless of why you are absent, at all times during your absence you must demonstrate intent to remain an Alaska resident indefinitely. In addition, you must return to Alaska for at least 72 consecutive hours every two years and 30 cumulative days every five years to retain your eligibility. You will be required to provide proof of your returns to Alaska. Save your boarding passes or any other proof for you and your dependents.

Yes, you may accompany your spouse on an allowable absence but you must be otherwise eligible for a dividend. Your spouse must be eligible for a dividend in order for you to receive a dividend.

An Estate Application can be filed by an Estate representative if the applicant:

The personal representative of the estate must provide a copy of an affidavit or a legal court document naming them the authorized representative of the estate and a copy of the adult’s death certificate with the application. Contact us for more information and to request an Estate application. The Estate application must be filed by March 31 of the year following the dividend year.

You are not eligible for a dividend if during the qualifying year you were:

Yes, the application period is January 1 through March 31 every year.

The application period is January 1 through March 31 of the year for which you are applying. Applications filed after March 31 will be denied by law as late applications.

The deadline is March 31 of the year for which you are applying. There are some exceptions to the deadline. If you are disabled, filing for a person who died during the application period, or a military member who was receiving hostile fire or imminent danger pay during the application period, contact us for more information about these exceptions.

Between January 1 and March 31, click on “CLICK HERE TO FILE YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION” on our home page and select one of the Apply Online options. You can file with your myAlaska username, create a new myAlaska username account or file with the option to print, sign and submit a printed paper signature page. Select how you would like to file and follow the instructions. Your application is not considered received until the application is assigned a Confirmation Number.

Anyone can file online. Adults can establish a myAlaska account and electronically sign you and your child’s PFD applications. Establishing a myAlaska account alone is not considered filing an application. Follow the online instructions and keep a copy of the Confirmation Number for each application you file online.

Applications are available between January 1 and March 31. Applicants can apply online, or visit one of the designated distribution centers to pick up forms and an informative pamphlet for first time filers. Contact us if you have questions.

If you are applying online, you will receive immediate confirmation that your application was received by the PFD Division. All applicants can check the status of their application by logging on to the division's "myPFD" . If you apply by paper, allow 4 to 6 weeks for processing before checking the status of your application.

You can file online or by submitting a paper application. You will be required to submit an original birth certificate, passport or naturalization certificate, and other required information as requested from the PFD Division after we receive your application. If you do not have a certified birth certificate, go to vitalchek.com for information about ordering one. We will not accept a photocopy or hospital certificate.

Yes. Please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope. We return all birth certificates, passports and naturalization certificates promptly after receiving applications. If you submit your application and documents at your local dividend information office, we will photocopy your document and return it to you while you are in the office.

You can apply for a prior year dividend; however, the application will be denied as a late application. There are some exceptions if you are disabled, filing for a person who died during the application period, or a military member who was deployed overseas receiving hostile fire or imminent danger pay during the application period. Contact us for more information about these exceptions.

Your child can apply for missed prior year dividends after he or she turns 18 years old or is emancipated but must apply before his or her 20th birthday.

No. Individuals, including Adults and Children, are required to complete one application EACH. For example, a husband and wife with 3 children will submit a total of 5 applications. Applications submitted with the intent of being for more than one individual will only be considered for one applicant.

Yes. If you are absent from Alaska for over 90 accumulative days during the qualifying year or are absent at the time you apply for the dividend, you must report any and all absences even if it is for business. For example, applicants who are employed in the airline industry, truck drivers who travel out of Alaska, etc.

Yes. If you are absent for over 90 days during the qualifying year or absent at the time you file your application, it is the law that you report all absences regardless of reason. The division must have documented proof that your absence is allowable.

Failing to disclose reportable absences constitutes fraud and your application may be denied.

When answering the question were you absent from Alaska for over 90 days on the PFD application, we want to know if you were absent for greater than an accumulative total of 90 days during the qualifying year. If your absence begin date is prior to the qualifying year, provide the actual date you left. When counting the accumulative days, only count the days absent in the qualifying year.

The division counts the day you leave as a day in Alaska; the day you return is counted as an absence day.

Records or receipts of completed travel from airlines, the Alaska Marine Highway system or other carriers can be used. Proof must be in the applicant's name, showing the full dates of travel such as airline boarding passes, airline mileage plan history, Alaska Marine Highway tickets or hotel receipts. We do not accept flight itineraries as they do not prove that the actual travel took place. Travel documentation must display Alaska as the point of origin or destination.

Other types of proof may be a statement from an Alaska employer on employer's letterhead, a payroll document showing dates in Alaska, military orders including a PCS to move to Alaska, medical records showing treatment or hospitalization, or credit card statements or receipts showing point of sale transactions in the applicant’s name only.

In addition, you are welcome to provide documentation for recent travel to the division if you know that we will eventually need the proof. We will store it in your current year record and we will be able to retrieve the information when it is required in the event you misplace the proof in the interim.

The proof of physical presence must be in the child’s name such as an airline boarding pass (for an infant this may be a lap child indicator on the adults boarding pass), airline mileage plan history, day care receipts, medical records for treatment in Alaska or an Alaska Marine Highway ticket.

In addition, you are welcome to provide documentation for recent travel to the division if you know that we will eventually need the proof. We will store it in your current year record and we will be able to retrieve the information when it is required in the event you misplace the proof in the interim.

Yes! It is very important to contact the Division in writing of any change in your address. See below for instructions. If we have questions regarding your application or eligibility, we will send correspondence to the most current address on file. We do not send dividends to individuals who do not have a current address on file.

If you electronically signed your PFD application, you can change your address online through myPFD OR use our Address Change Form and follow all instructions. If the information on the form is incomplete or incorrect, the requested change will not be processed.

No. Updating your address will ensure that you receive your dividend without delay. Checks will not be mailed to addresses where mail has been returned as undeliverable by the US Postal Service.

Yes, if your forwarding information is current and valid at the time the check was mailed.

Yes. We mail checks to any valid address on file.

Print the Adult Information Change/Addition Form or Child Information Change/Addition Form from our Forms page and mail the change request to: Permanent Fund Dividend Division, P.O. Box 110461, Juneau, AK 99811-0461.

PFD cannot get the money back from the IRS once the 24% withheld amount is taken out of your PFD . Report the withheld amount on your Federal Tax Return as taxes you have already paid. The Permanent Fund Dividend Division does not provide tax advice. Contact the IRS by calling 1 (800) 829-1040, visit their website at http://www.irs.gov or contact a tax preparer for additional information on where and how to report the withheld amount.

You may check the status of your dividend application at any time through "myPFD". If you applied by paper, allow 4 to 6 weeks for processing before checking the status of your application.

You have 30 days from the date of our request to provide all information requested by the division. Contact us if you need additional time to get the information being requested.

Authorized individuals can receive certain information contained in a PFD file from the Division by completing a Request for Information Form available by contacting the division. An authorized individual is an adult applicant, someone who holds a Power of Attorney for an applicant, or the sponsor of a child. Information that can be released to an authorized individual include the PFD application and information contained in the application, requests sent by the Division to an applicant and the information contained in the request, PFD forms and information contained in the forms, IRS form 1099, denial letters, and payment and garnishment history information.

Information that cannot be released by PFD, even if the applicant provided the information or copies to the Division includes, but is not limited to, information or documentation from Social Security Administration, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Division of Public Assistance, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Law, Department of Labor, Division of Motor Vehicles, Division of Elections, and Immigration and Naturalization Services.

Your application is in review because we need to take a closer look at your residency and activities during the qualifying year. Applications for review are worked in the order they are received. You will hear from our review staff if additional information is required when your application is being worked.

If your application is approved before dividends are paid in the fall, you will be paid when direct deposits and checks are mailed. If your application is approved after the mass distribution, you will be paid in the monthly payment run after you are determined to be eligible. Our goal is to complete all eligibility determinations by December 31 of the dividend year. We make every effort to complete our eligibility determinations as quickly as possible.

If your dividend application is denied, you will receive a letter from the PFD Division that explains why your application was denied. The denial letter will include a Request for Appeal form that you can complete if you disagree with either the facts or the application of the Statute and Regulations as stated in the letter. You must file a complete appeal request and submit the $25 appeal fee within 30 days from the date of the initial denial. If you qualify, you may request a waiver of the $25 appeal fee. Contact us if you need more information on how to qualify for a waiver of the appeal fee.

You can still file an appeal; however, the first issue that we will address is why your appeal is late. Your eligibility will be reexamined only if we deem that you could not have filed an appeal within the 30 day period due to circumstances beyond your control.

The amount of the dividend is calculated by dividing the amount available for distribution from the Permanent Fund earnings account by the number of eligible applicants.

Applicants who filed an online application (web) and selected direct deposit and have been determined eligible for payment by September 22, 2023, will receive their 2023 dividend through direct deposit on October 5, 2023.

Applications (web and paper) determined eligible for payment by October 18, 2023, will receive their dividend October 26, 2023, by direct deposit or check. Checks are mailed from Juneau starting October 26, 2023.

PFD does distribute dividends on a monthly basis. If your dividend is determined eligible for payment after the dates above, the disbursement will be distributed in the next monthly distribution.

Checks will not be mailed to addresses where mail has been returned as undeliverable by the US Postal Service. Keep a current mailing address on file with PFD.

Go to myPFD to print your 1099. Contact us if you do not have an Alaska ID or Driver's License to access your myPFD record. Additional tax information is also available to answer common questions about reporting your PFD.

We are excited to offer Direct Deposit to any financial institution that accepts ACH transactions! You can request Direct Deposit to any financial institution regardless of where the financial institution is located or where the account was established. Provide the financial institution’s routing number and the account number on your application. You can verify your financial institution’s routing number at http://www.bankrouting.org/ or contact your financial institution directly.

You can deposit your PFD into any financial institution that accepts ACH transactions. The routing number is a nine-digit number that identifies a financial institution. In order to have funds deposited directly to your account, we require the financial institutions account number, routing number.

If you have questions about your account type, routing number or account number, contact your financial institution. See our Direct Deposit information for assistance on where to locate the required bank information for your PFD application.

No. You can simply select same account as last year.