Alaskans have been receiving a share of the state’s oil revenue since 1982|Permanent Fund Dividend Division - State of Alaska|Facebook

Starting this week, Alaskans will start receiving annual dividend checks of $1,312 as part of the state’s Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD), which gets 25% of the income generated via oil and mineral development in Alaska.

Retailers and airlines in the state are running sales specifically targeting the dividend funds with signs like “PDF Sale” and “Dividend Deals.”

Not all are rejoicing
Amid a rising cost of living, Alaskans indicate that their dividends are insufficient and will vanish on grocery, heating, fuel and transport expenses.

Last year, Alaskans received checks worth $3,284. For this year, the House has proposed the amount should be $2,700, but it came down to less than half of that.

Residents in the biggest oil field in North America have been receiving PFD cash—the annual share of the earnings from the state’s nest-egg oil-wealth fund to residents—since 1982. Over the years, natural gas levels in Alaska have dwindled, resulting in lower PFD amounts to residents.