Alaskans still waiting for the 2021 Permanent Fund dividend amid widespread confusion

JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) - Alaskans expecting to see this year’s Permanent Fund dividend appear in their bank accounts on Monday will need to wait a little longer.

Direct deposits of the $1,114 dividend were set to start being paid in the week of Oct. 11, but not necessarily on Oct. 11.

Genevieve Wojtusik, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Revenue, said because Monday is a federal holiday and most banks are closed, the division “knew it would be working with a compressed timeline, which is why we had not announced a specific date in advance.”

There was widespread confusion on social media as to when the dividend would be deposited and dozens of calls were made to Alaska’s News Source on Monday. The division’s website is “currently experiencing a high volume of inquiries,” Wojtusik said, which is said to be disrupting access to the portal for Alaskans to check the status of their PFD.

After logging on, some Alaskans noted that the status of this year’s PFD is marked as “paid.” When clicking on “details,” it states to many that this year’s dividend will be deposited on Oct. 14.

“Because each financial institution has a different timeline and with the federal holiday yesterday we are hopeful Alaskans will see the funds in their accounts before the end of the week,” Wojtusik said in response.

For Alaskans who applied to be paid their dividend through other methods, including paper checks, the division said to expect them to start arriving in the week of Oct. 25.

“Alaskans should be aware that there are fraudulent texts and calls and emails and to please be wary of any stranger asking an Alaskan to provide banking information,” Wojtusik cautioned.