Opinions

OPINION: Don’t forget to file for your Permanent Fund dividend

Thank you for choosing to make Alaska your home!

The deadline for applying for your Permanent Fund dividend is fast approaching, and the application period will close on Thursday, March 31, at 11:59 p.m. Don’t miss the deadline!

If you’re one of the 530,000 Alaskans who has already applied online, thank you! If you are one of the 140,000 who have yet to apply, less than a week remains to apply for your PFD.

Do you still need to apply? Have you moved recently? Did you switch to a different bank? Please review your application and ensure we have accurate information for your financial institution or your mailing address. Doing so will allow you to receive your PFD in a timely fashion.

Every year, thousands of applications require additional information or corrections for typos on the applicant’s address or banking information. The need for additional information may delay the payment of your PFD. The PFD Division reminds you to log in to your myPFD account and ensure that your application is in “eligible” status and that all of your information is correct.

Choosing to file online usually means completed applications have all the necessary information to determine your eligibility. This also allows you to update information should anything change before the October payment run. Signing your application electronically assists with faster eligibility determinations and can provide you with a guarantee that you’ve followed all the required steps to receive your PFD this fall.

This is also a reminder of the various programs that partner with the PFD Division. The Alaska 529 is an education savings plan designed to make it easy for parents and loved ones to save for education.

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Pick.Click.Give. allows Alaskans filing for their PFD online to donate a portion of or their entire dividend to eligible charitable and educational organizations.

And newest to our portfolio: the PFD Education Raffle. This raffle allows anyone 18 years old or older filing a PFD online application for themselves the option to choose to donate money from their PFD to public education. Donations are made in $100 increments. For every $100, you can submit one entry into the Education Raffle. This year’s first-place winner won more than $45,000! The second-place winner won more than $23,000, the third-place winner won more than $11,000, and the fourth-place winner won more than $5,000.

More than $663,000 went to providing educational opportunities for Alaska children.

We look forward to this raffle continuing to grow to help with public education funds and produce more lucky winners.

In closing, thank you for applying before the March 31 filing deadline. Please take a look at the wonderful application programs discussed in more detail here: https://pfd.alaska.gov/.

Lucinda Mahoney is the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Revenue. Sen. Click Bishop represents Fairbanks in the Alaska Senate.

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