Alaska Rent Calculator

Pri Geens

Pri Geens

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Alaska Rent Calculator

Alaska levies no personal income tax and no municipal wage tax, so your salary converts to take-home pay with only federal tax and FICA removed, and every eligible resident adds a Permanent Fund Dividend of $1,000 for 2025 on top. This calculator sizes the rent that income supports against both the 30 percent standard and the income ratio your landlord publishes, prices the cash you need at signing under the two-month combined deposit and prepaid-rent cap of AS 34.03.070, and benchmarks your rent against the HUD Fair Market Rent for your borough or census area.

What Do You Want To Calculate?

The second and third modes require a target monthly rent. The third solves for annual salary.

Location and Unit

Select the borough or census area where you will rent.
Selects the HUD FY 2025 Fair Market Rent for your area.
Select a borough or census area to load its HUD Fair Market Rent schedule and the income a published screening ratio would require at that benchmark.

Household Income and Permanent Fund Dividend

Wages before tax from every household earner. Alaska takes no state or municipal income tax on wages, so only federal tax and FICA reduce this figure. Enter your annual gross household salary.
Housing voucher, child support, pension or Social Security, excluding the PFD which is entered below. Enter 0 or more.
401(k), 403(b), 457 or traditional IRA. Reduces federal taxable income but not FICA wages. Enter 0 or more.
The 2025 PFD is $1,000 per eligible resident. It is taxable federal income but is not wages, so it escapes FICA. Enter 0 or more.
Count each resident who qualified for the dividend, including children. Enter 0 to 12.
Drives the $2,000 federal child tax credit for the first three dependents. Enter 0 to 10.
Base rent of the listing, before utilities and fees. Enter a target monthly rent greater than 0.
Alaska sets no statutory income ratio, so the figure in the landlord’s written screening criteria governs.

Monthly Money Commitments

Minimum credit card payments, auto loans, student loans and support obligations. Counted in the debt-to-income ratio. Enter 0 or more.
Enter 0 or more.
Groceries, fuel, insurance, phone, internet, childcare and health costs. Leaving this at zero overstates the rent you can carry. Enter 0 or more.

Housing Add-Ons

Alaska heating costs are among the highest in the nation, so this line moves the budget more here than in most states. HUD publishes Fair Market Rent as a gross rent, so this figure is added back for that comparison. Enter 0 or more.
Enter 0 or more.
Enter 0 or more.
Enter 0 or more.

Cash Required At Signing

AS 34.03.070(a) caps the combined security deposit and prepaid rent at two months when monthly rent is $2,000 or less. Above $2,000 there is no cap.
Prepaid rent counts toward the same two-month combined cap as the security deposit.
Alaska sets no dollar cap on application fees. Confirm the amount against the landlord’s written screening criteria. Enter 0 or more.
Enter 1 to 10.
Movers or truck, deposits to activate power and heat, locks and basic supplies. Enter 0 or more.

Lease Term and Renewal

Rent cannot be raised during a fixed term. AS 34.03.290(b) requires 30 days written notice to change a month-to-month tenancy and 14 days for week-to-week.
Alaska imposes no ceiling. No statewide or local rent control exists, so the only constraints are the lease term and the notice period. Enter 0 to 50.
Alaska rules this calculator enforces: AS 34.03.070(a) caps the combined security deposit and prepaid rent at two months’ periodic rent whenever monthly rent is $2,000 or less, with no cap above that line, and the calculator clamps any larger request and reports the reduction. On termination the landlord must return all prepaid rent and deposit with an itemized statement within 14 days when there are no deductions and the tenant gave proper notice, or within 30 days when deductions are made, per AS 34.03.070(b). Rent increases require 30 days written notice on a month-to-month tenancy under AS 34.03.290(b) and are barred during a fixed term. Alaska has no rent control at any level of government and no just cause requirement for declining to renew a periodic tenancy.

Understanding Rent Affordability in Alaska

Alaska keeps more of your paycheck than almost any state, then hands you a dividend on top. The rent question is whether the housing market respects that advantage.
  • Alaska levies no personal income tax and no municipal wage income tax. The only payroll deductions above federal are Social Security, Medicare and Additional Medicare. There is no state disability insurance, no paid family leave premium and no long-term care premium to subtract.
  • The Permanent Fund Dividend is added to household income and to federal taxable income but never to FICA wages, because it is unearned income. The 2025 dividend is $1,000 per eligible resident, paid from October 2, 2025. A household of three adds $3,000 of tax-light income that most landlords will count toward the screening ratio.
  • The 30 percent affordability standard requires annual income equal to 40 times the monthly rent, while the 3 times monthly ratio most Alaska landlords publish requires only 36 times. Clearing the screening test does not mean the rent is livable, and test case 3 shows a household that passes the 3x screen yet spends 43.18 percent of gross on housing.
  • AS 34.03.070(a) caps the combined security deposit and prepaid rent at two months whenever monthly rent is $2,000 or less, and removes the cap entirely above $2,000. Pet deposits and deposits for changes to the premises sit outside that cap. A landlord who misses the 14-day or 30-day itemized return deadline of AS 34.03.070(b) is liable for the withheld amount plus statutory damages.
  • Alaska has no rent control at any level of government and, as of 2026, no borough or municipality has adopted a local rent control ordinance. Unlike Alabama, Alaska has no statute expressly preempting local action, so the practical limits on an increase are the fixed term of a written lease and the 30-day notice rule of AS 34.03.290(b).
  • Alaska imposes no just cause requirement on non-renewal of a periodic tenancy and no dollar cap on application or screening fees. The protections that do exist are procedural: written screening criteria, notice periods, and the deposit accounting rules.
  • Heating is the swing cost. Alaska utility bills, especially heating oil and rural electric, are among the highest in the nation, so the utilities line moves an Alaska budget more than the same line in the Lower 48. HUD publishes Fair Market Rent as a gross rent that already includes utilities, so compare base rent plus the utilities you actually pay.
  • Alaska’s FY 2025 two-bedroom Fair Market Rent ranges from $933 in the Kusilvak Census Area to $2,010 in the Aleutians West Census Area, with the Anchorage HUD Metro FMR Area at $1,563 and the statewide average at $1,427. Rural and bush communities cluster at the top of the range because supply is thin and construction costs are extreme.

Sources, Methodology and Verification

Data Years

  • HUD Fair Market Rents: federal fiscal year 2025, all 30 Alaska boroughs, census areas and HUD Metro FMR Areas.
  • Federal tax figures and the Permanent Fund Dividend: tax year 2025.
  • Landlord-tenant statutes: Alaska Statutes Title 34, Chapter 3, as current through 2026.

Primary Sources

  • Alaska Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, AS 34.03: AS 34.03.070(a) (two-month combined cap on security deposit and prepaid rent for units at or under $2,000 per month, uncapped above), AS 34.03.070(b) (14-day return with no deductions and proper notice, 30-day return with deductions, itemized statement), AS 34.03.290(b) (30-day notice for month-to-month, 14 days for week-to-week).
  • Alaska Department of Revenue, Permanent Fund Dividend Division, 2025 dividend amount of $1,000 announced September 22, 2025 with payments beginning October 2, 2025, pfd.alaska.gov.
  • Alaska Department of Revenue and Alaska Department of Labor confirming the absence of a state personal income tax and of any state payroll premium comparable to paid family leave or long-term care programs.
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY 2025 Fair Market Rents for Alaska, huduser.gov.
  • Internal Revenue Service Publication 15 and Publication 15-T for 2025.
  • Alaska Housing Finance Corporation landlord and tenant guidance on the Alaska Landlord and Tenant Act.

Methodology Notes

  • Recommended maximum rent is the lowest of the 30 percent gross rule, the after-tax budget rule and the debt-to-income rule, computed on household income that includes the Permanent Fund Dividend. The screening ratio ceiling is reported separately as an approval test.
  • The take-home engine taxes the PFD as federal ordinary income but excludes it from Social Security, Medicare and Additional Medicare wages. Alaska income tax is zero and no municipal wage tax is modeled.
  • Deposit clamping preserves prepaid rent first and reduces the security deposit so the combined total equals two months when monthly rent is $2,000 or less; if prepaid rent alone would exceed two months it too is reduced. Above $2,000 no clamp is applied and the badge reports that the cap does not bind.
  • Required-income mode uses a guarded bisection solver with 60 bound expansions and 90 iterations, rounded up to the next whole dollar, evaluated against the recommended affordability figure rather than a fixed multiple.
  • Fair Market Rent comparisons add tenant-paid utilities to base rent because HUD publishes FMR as a gross rent.
  • Not modeled: Alaska itemized deductions, the Alaska supplemental tribal or village taxes that do not exist on wages, borough and municipal sales taxes, and the Alaska supplemental annuity or other non-wage programs.

Verification Test Cases

TC1 – Anchorage, 1 bedroom, single, $70,000 with $4,000 pre-tax and a $1,000 PFD for one resident, $300 debts, $400 savings, $1,000 other living, $200 utilities, $20 insurance, $45 screening fee, one-month deposit, $700 moving, 3x ratio, affordability modeHousehold income including the PFD is $71,000. Federal tax $6,354.00, Social Security $4,340.00, Medicare $1,015.00, Alaska tax $0.00, net annual $55,291.00 and net monthly $4,607.58, a 16.49 percent total deduction. Rules: 30 percent $1,775.00, 3x ceiling $1,972.22, DTI $2,024.17, budget $2,687.58. Recommended $1,775.00 with the 30 percent rule binding. Total housing $1,995.00 is 33.72 percent of gross and 43.30 percent of net, cost-burdened. Cash at signing $4,295.00. Anchorage 1 bedroom FMR $1,191.00, exceeded by $784.00.
TC2 – Matanuska-Susitna Borough, 2 bedroom, married filing jointly, $110,000 with 2 dependents, $6,000 pre-tax and a $1,000 PFD for three residents, target rent $1,900, one-month deposit plus one month prepaid rentHousehold income including $3,000 of PFD is $113,000. Federal tax $4,763.00, Social Security $6,820.00, Medicare $1,595.00, net annual $93,822.00 and net monthly $7,818.50, an 11.66 percent total deduction. The target passes the 3x ceiling of $3,138.89, the 30 percent test at 23.10 percent of gross, DTI at 28.41 percent and the budget test with $3,043.50 discretionary. Deposit plus prepaid rent equals exactly two months, $3,800.00, so the AS 34.03.070(a) cap is met without clamping. Cash at signing $6,680.00. Mat-Su 2 bedroom FMR $1,384.00, exceeded by $766.00.
TC3 – Fairbanks North Star Borough, 2 bedroom, single, $52,000 with $2,000 pre-tax and a $1,000 PFD, target rent $1,669 equal to the area FMR, two-month depositRecommended maximum is $1,325.00. The target clears the 3x screen, which requires $60,084.00, yet consumes 43.18 percent of gross and 53.29 percent of net pay and pushes DTI to 48.84 percent against a 43 percent ceiling, leaving $321.38 discretionary. The two-month deposit of $3,338.00 is lawful because the rent is under $2,000 and two months is the cap. Cash at signing $5,642.00. Verdict approvable but cost-burdened.
TC4 – Kenai Peninsula Borough, 1 bedroom, single, target rent $1,300, 3x ratio, $200 debts, $250 savings, $850 other living, $180 utilities, $15 insurance, income modeSolved required annual salary $51,001.00, which with the $1,000 PFD gives household income of $52,001.00 and makes the 30 percent rule bind at $1,300.03. At that salary federal tax is $4,201.62, Social Security $3,162.06, Medicare $739.51, Alaska tax $0.00 and net monthly $3,658.15. Total housing is $1,495.00 or 34.50 percent of gross, DTI is 39.11 percent and cash at signing is $3,135.00. Kenai Peninsula 1 bedroom FMR is $949.00, exceeded by $531.00.
TC5 – City and Borough of Juneau, studio, head of household, $85,000 with 1 dependent, $5,000 pre-tax and a $1,000 PFD for two residents, target rent $1,600, landlord requesting a 2.5 month deposit plus one month prepaid rentThe requested 3.5 months is clamped to the two-month combined cap of AS 34.03.070(a): prepaid rent is preserved at $1,600.00 and the deposit is reduced from $4,000.00 to $1,600.00, bringing cash at signing to $5,650.00 instead of the $8,450.00 requested. Household income including $2,000 of PFD is $87,000. Federal tax $4,800.00, Social Security $5,270.00, Medicare $1,232.50, net annual $70,697.50 and net monthly $5,891.46, a 12.99 percent total deduction. The target is affordable at 24.72 percent of gross and 30.42 percent of net, DTI 29.54 percent, with $2,199.46 discretionary. Juneau studio FMR $1,202.00, exceeded by $568.00.
Estimates only. Based on HUD fiscal year 2025 Fair Market Rents, tax year 2025 federal rates, the 2025 Permanent Fund Dividend of $1,000, and the Alaska Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act as current through 2026. Not legal, tax, or financial advice.

What Is the Alaska Rent Calculator?

The Alaska Rent Calculator is a budgeting and rental qualification tool built for renters comparing income with housing costs in Alaska. It offers three modes: maximum affordable rent, affordability and approval for a specific rent, and annual salary required for a target rent.

The calculator estimates affordable base rent by comparing the 30 percent gross-income rule, an after-tax monthly budget, and a selected debt-to-income limit. It separately checks a landlord income ratio, estimates take-home pay, calculates move-in cash, compares gross rent with HUD Fair Market Rent, and projects three years of rent.

Results are designed for renters who want more than a simple income multiple. The calculation accounts for debts, savings, living expenses, utilities, renters insurance, pet rent, parking, filing status, dependents, retirement contributions, and the Permanent Fund Dividend. The results are estimates rather than a guarantee that a landlord will approve an application.

How the Alaska Rent Affordability Formula Works

The recommended maximum base rent is the lowest of three affordability limits. A landlord screening ratio is calculated separately and does not set the recommended maximum.

I=Y+12O+PEG=I/12A=U+Ri+Pr+KR30=0.30GRDTI=dG−D−ARbudget=N−D−S−L−ARrecommended=max⁡(0,min⁡(R30,RDTI,Rbudget))Rscreen=G/q\begin{aligned} I &= Y + 12O + PE \\ G &= I / 12 \\ A &= U + R_i + P_r + K \\ R_{30} &= 0.30G \\ R_{DTI} &= dG - D - A \\ R_{budget} &= N - D - S - L - A \\ R_{recommended} &= \max\left(0,\min(R_{30},R_{DTI},R_{budget})\right) \\ R_{screen} &= G/q \end{aligned}

Here, Y is annual household salary, O is other monthly household income, P is the PFD per eligible resident, and E is the number of eligible residents. G is gross monthly household income. A combines tenant-paid utilities, renters insurance, pet rent, and parking or storage. Utilities become zero in this formula when the user marks them as included in rent.

N is monthly take-home pay from the calculator's 2025 tax engine. D is monthly debt payments, S is the savings target, L is other living expenses, d is the selected DTI ceiling, and q is the selected landlord screening ratio. The calculator offers DTI limits of 36, 43, or 50 percent and screening ratios from 2.5 to 4 times monthly rent.

For example, use a $70,000 salary, $4,000 of pre-tax retirement contributions, one $1,000 PFD, no other income, $300 of debts, $400 of savings, $1,000 of living expenses, $200 of tenant-paid utilities, and $20 of renters insurance. The calculator produces $71,000 of annual household income and $5,916.67 gross monthly income. Its tax engine produces $4,607.58 of monthly take-home pay.

The 30 percent limit is $1,775.00. At a 43 percent DTI ceiling, the DTI-limited rent is $2,024.17. The after-tax budget limit is $2,687.58. The lowest figure is $1,775.00, so that becomes the recommended base rent. A separate 3 times screening ratio gives an approval ceiling of $1,972.22.

One important code assumption is that other monthly household income increases gross household income but is not added to the take-home-pay calculation. The tax engine itself uses salary, pre-tax retirement contributions, PFD income, filing status, dependents, federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Additional Medicare. It models Alaska state and municipal income tax as zero.

How to Use the Alaska Rent Calculator: Step by Step

  1. Choose whether you want to calculate maximum affordable rent, check a specific target rent, or find the salary required for a target rent.
  2. Select your Alaska borough or census area and bedroom size. These choices determine the HUD FY 2025 Fair Market Rent used for the market comparison.
  3. Enter annual gross household salary, other monthly household income, pre-tax retirement contributions, PFD amount, eligible PFD residents, filing status, and dependents claimed.
  4. If your mode uses a target rent, enter the monthly base rent. Then select the landlord screening ratio shown in the rental criteria.
  5. Add monthly debts, your savings target, other living expenses, and the DTI ceiling you want the calculator to test.
  6. Enter housing add-ons. These include utilities you pay, renters insurance, pet rent, and parking or storage. Mark utilities as included when the entered utility amount should not be charged to your budget.
  7. Enter the requested security deposit, prepaid rent, screening fee per adult, number of adult applicants, moving costs, lease type, and expected annual renewal increase. Read and check the acknowledgment, then calculate.

The result shows more than one rent figure. The recommended maximum is the lowest affordability limit, while the screening ceiling estimates the rent supported by the selected landlord ratio. The results also show total housing cost, gross and take-home housing shares, DTI, remaining monthly money, estimated taxes, move-in cash, Fair Market Rent comparison, and the three-year renewal projection.

What Your Alaska Rent Result Means

Affordability and landlord approval are separate tests

A rental can pass the selected income screening ratio without passing the calculator's affordability tests. For example, a 3 times monthly rent screen corresponds to annual income equal to 36 times base rent. The calculator's 30 percent gross-income test requires annual household income equal to 40 times base rent. Debts and living costs can make the practical limit lower still.

Calculator MeasureHow the Code Treats It
Housing below 30% of gross incomeClassified as affordable
Housing from 30% through 50% of gross incomeClassified as cost-burdened
Housing above 50% of gross incomeClassified as severely cost-burdened
Landlord screening ratioSeparate approval test using 2.5x, 3x, 3.5x, or 4x monthly rent
DTI ceilingUser selects 36%, 43%, or 50%

Move-in cash can be much larger than one month's rent

The calculator adds first month's rent, the allowed security deposit, allowed prepaid rent, screening fees for all adult applicants, and moving costs. Under the Alaska rule coded into the tool, base rent of $2,000 or less has a combined security-deposit and prepaid-rent limit of two months. If the request exceeds that amount, prepaid rent is preserved first and the deposit is reduced. The calculator applies no such cap when base rent is above $2,000.

Use the market and renewal results as context

The HUD comparison uses base rent plus tenant-paid utilities because that is the gross-rent figure coded for the comparison. Insurance, pet rent, and parking are not added to the HUD comparison even though they affect affordability. The calculator also applies your entered renewal percentage to estimate Year 2, Year 3, and total rent over three years.

Limitation: These results are budgeting, tax, housing, and legal-rule estimates. The calculator uses tax year 2025 figures, FY 2025 Fair Market Rents, a user-editable 2025 PFD amount, and Alaska rules represented in the code. Actual taxes, rental screening, fees, lease terms, utility costs, landlord decisions, and legal requirements can differ. The output is not tax, financial, or legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much rent can I afford in Alaska?

The calculator recommends the lowest result from three tests: 30 percent of gross monthly household income, the selected DTI ceiling after debts and housing add-ons, and the after-tax budget after debts, savings, living expenses, and housing add-ons. A negative result is limited to zero.

How does the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend affect rent affordability?

The calculator multiplies the entered PFD amount by the number of eligible residents. That total is added to annual household income and to the federal taxable-income calculation. It is also added to estimated take-home pay. The code does not include PFD income in Social Security or Medicare wages.

Does the Alaska Rent Calculator include state income tax?

The calculator models Alaska state and municipal income tax as zero. Its take-home engine instead subtracts estimated 2025 federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, Additional Medicare when applicable, and pre-tax retirement contributions. The result is a simplified estimate and may not match a household's actual tax return or payroll withholding.

What income do I need for a specific rent in Alaska?

For landlord screening, the calculator multiplies monthly base rent by the selected ratio and then by 12. Under the 30 percent rule, required annual household income equals 40 times monthly base rent. In required-income mode, the calculator instead solves for the annual salary needed to make its recommended affordability figure reach the target rent.

How does the Alaska security deposit limit work in this calculator?

For monthly base rent of $2,000 or less, the code limits the combined security deposit and prepaid rent to two months of rent. If the requested total is too high, prepaid rent is retained first and the security deposit is reduced. For rent above $2,000, the calculator applies no deposit cap.

What does HUD Fair Market Rent mean in the calculator?

The calculator stores FY 2025 Fair Market Rent values for Alaska boroughs, census areas, and listed metro areas by studio through four-bedroom unit size. It compares that benchmark with your base rent plus tenant-paid utilities. It also calculates the annual income needed to rent at the benchmark using your selected screening ratio.

How accurate is the Alaska Rent Calculator?

The calculator is useful for consistent budgeting estimates, but it does not predict every real rental outcome. Results depend on the values you enter and the simplified rules coded into the tool. Other monthly income affects its gross-income tests but is not included in its take-home-pay budget, which is an important limitation when interpreting results.

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