Taxes in Alaska
Alaska State Tax Quick Facts
- Income tax: None
- Sales tax: 0% - 7.85%
- Property tax: 1.22% median effective rate
- Gas tax: 8.95 cents per gallon of regular gasoline or diesel
Alaska Income Taxes
America’s largest and northernmost state also has the lowest taxes in the nation, as there are no statewide income or sales taxes in Alaska. Residents do need to file a federal tax return, though no state paperwork is required. Residents also receive annual checks from the state just for living there through the Permanent Fund Dividend. That doesn’t mean Alaskans pay no taxes at all, however.
There are still local sales taxes, which range from 0% to 7.85%, as well as property taxes. The median annual property tax payment is $3,464, one of the highest in the country. Residents must also pay gas taxes and “sin” taxes on alcohol and cigarettes.
A financial advisor can help you understand how taxes fit into your overall financial goals. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend
The Alaska Permanent Fund was created in 1976, when the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was nearing completion. The fund was established as a way of setting aside a portion of the state’s significant oil and mineral royalties for future generations, and it has grown to a value of over $50 billion. Every year, the fund pays out a dividend to permanent residents of Alaska. To claim one, you must have lived there continuously for at least one year.
The amount of the dividend varies year to year, depending on revenues to the fund and other factors. In recent years, dividend checks have ranged from a low of $878 to a high of $2,072. The payment in 2023 was $1,312. Checks are sent to every Alaska resident, not just adults or income earners. That means that if you have dependents, you receive a Permanent Fund dividend for them as well. If you’d like to invest the money in their future, Alaska makes it easy to move the dividend straight to a 529 college savings plan.
Furthermore, Alaskan students attending college out of state can continue to claim a dividend, as long as they express an intention to return to the state after graduation. There is one downside to the Permanent Fund dividend, however: the IRS considers it a taxable form of income. So it does need to be reported on your federal tax return.
Alaska Sales Tax
While there is no state sales tax in Alaska, some counties and cities do collect their own sales taxes. In fact, Alaska is the only state that does not have a statewide sales tax but does have local taxes (the other four states with no state sales taxes also do not have local sales taxes). The table below shows the total sales tax rates for every borough (the Alaskan equivalent of a county) in Alaska.
Sales Tax Rates(Updated January 2024)
| Borough | Maximum Sales Tax Rate in Borough |
|---|---|
| Aleutians East Borough | 6% |
| Aleutians West Census Area | 4% |
| Anchorage Borough | N/A |
| Bethel Census Area | 6% |
| Bristol Bay Borough | N/A |
| City And Borough Of Juneau | 5% |
| Denali Borough | N/A |
| Dillingham Census Area | 6% |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | 5.5% |
| Haines Borough | 5.5% |
| Hoonah-Angoon Borough | 6.5% |
| Juneau Borough | 5% |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | 7.85% |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | 6.5% |
| Kodiak Island Borough | 7% |
| Lake And Peninsula Borough | 6% |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 3% |
| Nome Census Area | 5% |
| North Slope Borough | 3% |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | 6.5% |
| Petersburg Borough | 6% |
| Prince Of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Borough | 7% |
| Sitka Borough | 5% |
| Skagway Borough | 3% |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | N/A |
| Valdez-Cordova Census Area | 6% |
| Wade Hampton Census Area | 6% |
| Wrangell Borough | 7% |
| Yakutat Borough | 5% |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | 4% |
The rules for sales tax vary between municipalities. In some jurisdictions, sales tax rates vary by season. For example, in Whittier, the sales tax rate is 5% from April to September and 0% the rest of the year. There are a few statewide exemptions, so expect products often exempted in other states (like food and prescription drugs) to be taxed in any Alaskan city or borough with a sales tax.
Alaska Property Tax
The most significant tax on the residents of Alaska is the property tax. Statewide, median property tax payments are $3,464 per year, which is equal to an effective property tax rate (annual payments as a percentage of home value) of 1.22%.
Rates vary widely between boroughs, however. In some, like the Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, the average effective rate is 0.70%, while in others, like the Dillingham Census Area, it is about 1.36%. Anchorage has an effective property tax rate of 1.35%.
For those thinking about buying property in Alaska, our mortgage guide is a good place to start researching your mortgage options. It lays out the most important information about rates and other details for getting a mortgage in the Last Frontier.
Alaska Gas Tax
Alaska has the lowest gas taxes in the country at just just 8.95 cents per gallon of regular gasoline and diesel.
Alaska Estate Tax
There is no estate tax in Alaska.
Alaska Alcohol Tax
The Last Frontier has some of the highest alcohol excise taxes in the country. The state’s excise tax on beer is $1.07 per gallon. The tax on beer produced by microbreweries is less than a third of that, at 35 cents per gallon.
Liquor is also heavily taxed. Any beverage with higher than 21% alcohol by volume is taxed at a rate of $12.80 per gallon.
Alaska Cigarette Tax
Smokers in Alaska pay relatively high cigarette taxes. A pack of 20 cigarettes is taxed at a rate of $2.00, or 10 cents per cigarette.
- If Alaska were its own country, it would be the 18th largest country by area in the world. It has an area of 663,300 square miles.
- The bear population of Alaska is approximately 135,000. Of these, the majority are black bears.
- The average high temperature for the month of January in Fairbanks is 1.1 degrees Fahrenheit. The average low is -16.9 degrees.
