PFD pays Oct. 1 by direct deposit, Oct. 22 for paper filers

Alaska has not said what this year's Permanent Fund Dividend is worth. With the first payments due Oct. 1, the division's website still displays the 2025 amount — $1,000 — and carries no 2026 figure at all.

The $1,200 people are quoting is the Legislature's number: a $1,000 dividend plus a $200 energy relief payment approved in May. That's an appropriation, not a figure the division has published. State law requires the revenue commissioner to determine the amount and give public notice by Oct. 1 — the same day the money starts moving.

What is settled is when. The division has two payment dates, and which one you get depends on how you applied. Oct. 1 covers people who filed online and chose direct deposit. Oct. 22 covers paper applications and paper checks — three weeks later. Payments continue monthly after that as more applications clear.

To make the first run, an application had to be approved and awaiting payment as of Sept. 18. That cutoff has passed. The cutoff for the Oct. 22 run is Oct. 12.

The split has been in place since 2019, and the division has never publicly explained why it exists.

One thing worth knowing if you have garnishments. The division applies 17 categories of deduction in priority order — IRS backup withholding first at 24 percent, then court-ordered claims like child support and restitution, then debts to public agencies. In 2024, the state said the energy relief portion was subject to those deductions along with the dividend. It hasn't said whether the same applies this year.

The deadline to change deductions was Aug. 31.