your pfd got smaller

Alaska lawmakers have finalized the state operating budget with a Permanent Fund dividend of about $1,000, plus a $200 energy relief payment, for roughly $1,200 total per eligible Alaskan. The budget now heads to Governor Mike Dunleavy's desk, where the number could still change before it becomes final.

The figure is a steep drop from the roughly $3,800 dividend the Alaska House of Representatives had floated earlier in the legislative session, before budget negotiations trimmed it down.

For many Alaska households, the dividend is money they plan around each year, whether it's covering winter heating fuel, buying school clothes, paying for flights to see family, or paying down debt before the holidays. A smaller check means those plans get tighter for families statewide, from Anchorage and Fairbanks to the Mat-Su Valley and smaller communities off the road system.

The dividend debate repeats each year as the state works to balance its budget, with the PFD often the figure that ends up squeezed. Lawmakers have landed on the roughly $1,200 total for this year, though the final number isn't locked in until the governor acts on the budget.