Panera data breach settlement
Yes. The Panera data breach settlement is real: a $2.5 million class action settlement in federal court, Eastern District of Missouri, run by Kroll Settlement Administration. The claim deadline, 11 November 2025, has passed and the judge approved the settlement on 16 January 2026. Payments have not been sent yet.
The claim deadline has passed; the court docket shows the motion for final approval granted by docket-text order on January 16, 2026, a hearing on January 29, 2026 and a further order on February 10, 2026, and the official site was under maintenance with no readable payment update.
Is it real?
Yes. The case is In re: Panera Data Security Litigation, case number 4:24-cv-00847-HEA, in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. The court appointed Kroll Settlement Administration to run it, and its only official site is panerasettlement.com.
How the real notice reached people. A Short Form Notice postcard went by first-class mail, with a tear-off, postage-paid claim form, and by email where possible, starting August 13, 2025. Kroll says direct notice reached 96.65% of the class.
To tell a real message from a scam:
- The only official site is panerasettlement.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 Panera password, your online banking login or a code texted to you. Payment details go only into the claim form on panerasettlement.com.
- Check by phone.If you aren’t sure a message is real, call the administrator on (833) 890-4542, the number on panerasettlement.com, not one in the message.
- Claims have closed.The deadline was 11 November 2025. 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 panerasettlement.com instead.
Who qualifies
All individual U.S. residents to whom Panera sent notice of the Incident (the March 2024 breach). Excludes the presiding judges and their staff and families, Panera officers, directors, members and shareholders, people who opted out, and anyone convicted of causing the incident.
Size: approximately 147,321 individuals (settlement filings; Kroll received addresses for 147,135 of 147,145 class members).
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 $2,500,000 (non-reversionary). What each person can claim:
| Benefit | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary out-of-pocket losses | up to $500 | documented losses from the incident |
| Extraordinary losses | up to $6,500 | documented losses such as identity theft or fraud; with these, up to 10 hours of time at $25 per hour can also be claimed |
| Residual Cash Payment | up to $250 | no documents needed; paid from what is left in the fund |
| California Statutory Payment | up to $100 | for people who lived in California at the time of the incident; claims-made |
| Credit monitoring | three (3) years of three-bureau Credit Monitoring and Insurance Services | can be chosen with or without a cash claim |
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). The court order sets the claim deadline at 90 days after the Class Notice Date; Kroll began notice on August 13, 2025, which gives November 11, 2025..
- Opt-out and objection deadline: .
- Final approval hearing: .
- Final approval granted: .
Payout. The administrator has not published a payment date. The official site showed a maintenance page when HARD checked it on 7 November 2026.
Filing and payment
- Claims closed on November 11, 2025; new claims can no longer be filed.
- If you filed, check www.panerasettlement.com for a payment update or call (833) 890-4542.
- The site showed a maintenance notice on 7 Nov 2026 saying online claim forms could not be processed; it suggests calling the hotline.
Official site: panerasettlement.com. Phone: (833) 890-4542.
The breach, and what to do today
On March 23, 2024, Panera discovered a security incident involving unauthorized access to its computer network, including systems holding people's full names and Social Security numbers. Panera mailed Notice of Data Breach letters on or around June 13, 2024. Court filings describe the people affected only as those Panera notified; the attacker is not named in the court documents read.
What was exposed: full names; Social Security numbers.
Not the same incident: Panera Bread data breach (2026) is a different breach, not covered by this settlement.
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.
- Distrust messages about Panera 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.
- When payments will be sent.
Questions
Is the Panera data breach settlement legit?
Yes. It is In re: Panera Data Security Litigation, case 4:24-cv-00847-HEA, in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Kroll Settlement Administration runs it for the court, and the only official site is panerasettlement.com.
Who qualifies for the Panera settlement?
All individual U.S. residents to whom Panera sent notice of the Incident (the March 2024 breach). Excludes the presiding judges and their staff and families, Panera officers, directors, members and shareholders, people who opted out, and anyone convicted of causing the incident.
How much will I get from the Panera settlement?
Up to up to $6,500 for losses you can prove, or up to $250 as a cash payment without receipts. The total settlement is $2,500,000 (non-reversionary). Final amounts depend on how many valid claims there are.
What is the deadline for the Panera settlement?
The claim deadline was 11 November 2025. It has passed.
When will the Panera settlement pay out?
The administrator has not published a payment date. The official site showed a maintenance page when HARD checked it on 7 November 2026.
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.
- PaneraSettlement.com home and FAQ, Kroll Settlement Administration, read 7 Nov 2026: under maintenance; no settlement content shown.
- CourtListener docket, In re Panera Data Security Litigation, CourtListener (RECAP), read 7 Nov 2026: prelim approval 7/14/2025 (Doc 35), hearing set 1/29/2026 (Doc 36), final approval motion GRANTED 1/16/2026 (Doc 42), order 2/10/2026 (Doc 46, not available).
- Plaintiffs' motion for final approval (Doc 41), US District Court, E.D. Mo. (via RECAP), read 7 Nov 2026: notice by mail from Aug 13, 2025, 96.65% reach, $2,500,000 fund, 23,825 timely claims as of Jan 14, 2026, opt-out deadline Oct 13, 2025, phone number.
- Order granting preliminary approval (Doc 35), US District Court, E.D. Mo. (via RECAP), read 7 Nov 2026: class definition, Kroll appointed, claim deadline 90 days after notice date.
- Plaintiffs' motion for preliminary approval (Doc 34), US District Court, E.D. Mo. (via RECAP), read 7 Nov 2026: incident date, data, benefit amounts, California payment, mail and email notice.