This year’s Alaska Permanent Fund dividend will be $1,114, the Alaska Department of Revenue said Thursday.
The figure is slightly higher than a prior $1,100 estimate. Genevieve Wojtusik, a spokeswoman for the department, said the dividend amount is based on the amount remaining in the dividend fund, plus new appropriations, divided by the number of eligible recipients.
“These numbers and estimates are not fully known during the budgeting process, and as these calculations are finalized, the estimated dividend amount can fluctuate slightly than what is in the budget,” she said.
Last year’s dividend, estimated to be $1,000, turned out to be $992 when finalized.
This year’s payments will begin the week of Oct. 11 for Alaskans who chose direct deposit and whose applications were approved by Oct. 7, the department said. All applications that have been approved by the week of Oct. 21, plus Alaskans who requested a paper check, will receive their dividends starting the week of Oct. 25.
Individual Alaskans can check the status of their application online. An Alaska driver’s license is needed.
The department estimates about 643,000 Alaskans will receive the dividend this year. If that figure holds, it would be the most people since 2011, when 644,959 Alaskans received a $1,174 check.
This year’s dividend amount was decided Sept. 14 after a prolonged debate in the Alaska Legislature.
In a special session beginning Monday, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has asked lawmakers to consider an additional dividend payment.