PFD filing deadline looming

MAT-SU — If you haven’t filed for your 2010 Permanent Fund Dividend yet, it’s time to start clicking.

The deadline to sign up for the annual payment due to Alaska resident is midnight Wednesday. Paper applications are still accepted and must be post marked by the deadline, but going to www.pfd.alaska.gov is perhaps the easiest way to claim a slice of the oil revenue pie.

To be eligible for the PFD, individuals must have legally resided in Alaska for the entirety of 2009. Alaskans registering for the first time must provide a birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers. First-timers also need proof of residency as well as the names of two Alaska residents to verify their information.

Filers who have used the website before can simply go through the steps entirely through the website.

Payment for the 2010 PFD will be direct deposited on Oct. 7. Checks will be mailed beginning Oct. 21 and should take 10 to 14 days to arrive.

According to the PFD website, the amount paid each year is the amount available from the Permanent Fund earnings divided by the number of eligible applicants. The 2009 dividend was $1,305. The year before was $3,269, but that included a energy rebate sum

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.