Equifax data breach settlement
Yes. The Equifax data breach settlement is real: a $380.5 million class action settlement in federal court, Northern District of Georgia, run by JND Legal Administration. Payments to people who filed a valid claim are going out now.
All claim deadlines have passed; the administrator says remaining funds are being paid pro rata, by electronic prepaid card, to people with valid time-spent and alternative compensation claims.
Is it real?
Yes. The case is In re: Equifax Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, case number 1:17-md-2800-TWT, in the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The court appointed JND Legal Administration to run it, and its only official site is equifaxbreachsettlement.com.
How the real notice reached people. The FTC says legitimate emails about the settlement come only from [email protected] or [email protected]. Extra pro rata payments are going out as electronic prepaid cards, redeemed at myprepaidcenter.com/redeem (card servicer 1-833-678-6289), as listed on the official site. Address changes must be made in writing by email or mail with your claim number. The FTC warns you never pay to file a claim and anyone who calls urging you to file is almost certainly a scammer; it also has a page on fake Equifax settlement websites.
To tell a real message from a scam:
- The only official site is equifaxbreachsettlement.com.Type it into your browser yourself rather than tapping a link. Claim pages on news and lawyer-advertising sites, and lookalike addresses, are not the administrator.
- Filing costs nothing.No real settlement charges a fee to file a claim or to release a payment. Anyone asking for one is running a scam.
- Nobody needs your passwords.The administrator never asks for your Equifax password, your online banking login or a code texted to you. Payment details go only into the claim form on equifaxbreachsettlement.com.
- Check by phone.If you aren’t sure a message is real, call the administrator on 1-833-759-2982, the number on equifaxbreachsettlement.com, not one in the message.
- Claims have closed.The deadline was 22 January 2024. A message now urging you to file a new claim, or to pay or “verify” your bank details to receive money, is a warning sign. Check on equifaxbreachsettlement.com instead.
Who qualifies
The approximately 147 million US consumers identified by Equifax whose personal information was impacted by the 2017 data breach. Excludes Equifax officers and directors, the presiding judge and staff, and anyone who opted out.
Size: approximately 147 million U.S. consumers.
It covers people in the United States only. If you live elsewhere, you are not part of it, whatever a message says.
How much
The total settlement is at least $380,500,000 (Consumer Restitution Fund), plus up to an additional $125,000,000 for out-of-pocket losses if needed. What each person can claim:
| Benefit | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-pocket losses | up to $20,000 | including time spent; documented losses from fraud or identity theft fairly traceable to the breach; the administrator says valid documented claims were reimbursed in full |
| Time spent | $25 per hour for up to 20 hours | up to 10 hours with a description; more than 10 needed documentation; originally capped, now paid pro rata after caps were lifted |
| Alternative reimbursement compensation | up to $125 | for people who already had credit monitoring; substantially lowered and paid pro rata; additional pro rata payments now sent by prepaid card |
| Credit monitoring | free three-bureau monitoring (Experian), plus optional one-bureau Equifax monitoring | activation window has passed |
| Identity restoration services | free through January 11, 2029 | for every class member, whether or not they filed a claim; use the official eligibility check to get a phone number and code |
An amount marked estimated or pro rata changes with the number of valid claims: more claims, smaller shares. Losses need proof, such as receipts or bank statements.
Deadline and payout
- Claim deadline: (passed). Extended Claims Period deadline (passed); the Initial Claims Period deadline was 2020-01-22.
- Opt-out and objection deadline: .
- Final approval hearing: .
- Final approval granted: .
Payout. The administrator has not published a date for the last payment. Initial claim payments began in December 2022 and extended-period payments in February 2024; the FTC said additional prepaid cards would go out in November 2024 to people who had already been paid.
Filing and payment
- New claims are closed (final deadline January 22, 2024).
- If you filed, watch for a prepaid card or email from distribution@ or [email protected] and redeem the card at myprepaidcenter.com/redeem.
- Anyone in the class can still use free identity restoration services through January 11, 2029 via the eligibility check on EquifaxBreachSettlement.com.
- Questions: 1-833-759-2982 or [email protected].
Official site: equifaxbreachsettlement.com. Phone: 1-833-759-2982. Mail: In re Equifax Data Breach Settlement, c/o JND Legal Administration, PO Box 91318, Seattle, WA 98111-9418.
The breach, and what to do today
In September 2017 Equifax announced a criminal cyberattack on its systems in which attackers got unauthorized access to the personal information of approximately 147 million US consumers.
What was exposed: names; Social Security numbers; birth dates; addresses; driver's license numbers (some people); credit card numbers (some people); other personal information (some people).
A settlement pays for what already happened. The data is still out there, so do these now:
- Freeze your credit.In the US it’s free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and no one can open credit in your name while it’s on. Lift it for a day when you apply for credit yourself.
- Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN.It stops anyone filing a tax return in your name with your Social Security number. Request one at irs.gov/ippin.
- Watch your statements.Look for small charges you don’t recognise and report them to your bank. Ask for a new card if a full card number leaked.
- Distrust messages about Equifax and this settlement.Breach data is used to make scam messages personal enough to believe, for years afterwards. Go to the company or the official site yourself.
To see which other breaches your email address is in, search it on Have I Been Pwned, then read Breaches.
Not published yet
The administrator and the court had not published these when HARD checked on 7 November 2026, so this page doesn’t guess:
- How much each person’s cash payment will be. It depends on how many people claim.
Questions
Is the Equifax data breach settlement legit?
Yes. It is In re: Equifax Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, case 1:17-md-2800-TWT, in the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. JND Legal Administration runs it for the court, and the only official site is equifaxbreachsettlement.com.
Who qualifies for the Equifax settlement?
The approximately 147 million US consumers identified by Equifax whose personal information was impacted by the 2017 data breach. Excludes Equifax officers and directors, the presiding judge and staff, and anyone who opted out.
How much will I get from the Equifax settlement?
Up to up to $20,000 for losses you can prove. The total settlement is at least $380,500,000 (Consumer Restitution Fund), plus up to an additional $125,000,000 for out-of-pocket losses if needed. Final amounts depend on how many valid claims there are.
What is the deadline for the Equifax settlement?
The claim deadline was 22 January 2024. It has passed.
When will the Equifax settlement pay out?
The administrator has not published a date for the last payment. Initial claim payments began in December 2022 and extended-period payments in February 2024; the FTC said additional prepaid cards would go out in November 2024 to people who had already been paid.
Other settlements: California Casualty, Finastra, Telmate, Covenant Health, AMCA, DaVita, and the rest in Settlements.
Sources
Checked on 7 November 2026. HARD is not part of the case and doesn’t take claims.
- Equifax Data Breach Settlement: home, JND Legal Administration (settlement administrator), read 7 Nov 2026: final approval January 13, 2020; payments began December 2022 and February 2024; deadlines passed.
- Equifax Data Breach Settlement: FAQ, JND Legal Administration (settlement administrator), read 7 Nov 2026: case number, $380,500,000 fund, benefit amounts, caps lifted, pro rata prepaid cards, identity restoration through January 11, 2029.
- Equifax Data Breach Settlement: Key dates, JND Legal Administration (settlement administrator), read 7 Nov 2026: preliminary approval 07/22/2019, opt-out 11/19/2019, hearing 12/19/2019, claim deadlines.
- Equifax Data Breach Settlement: Contact and Activate Pre-Paid Card, JND Legal Administration (settlement administrator), read 7 Nov 2026: mailing address; prepaid card redemption at myprepaidcenter.com/redeem, 1-833-678-6289.
- Equifax Data Breach Settlement (refunds page), Federal Trade Commission, read 7 Nov 2026: November 2024 prepaid cards; legitimate email senders; administrator still issuing identity theft and fraud claim benefits.