Some users of Tilt, the cash advance app formerly known as Empower, reported receiving $45 to $60 through PayPal on October 30 and 31, 2026 from individual arbitration claims their attorneys settled privately with the company. There is no public class action settlement, claim form or deadline that other users can join.
What Is Being Reported?
On October 30 and 31, 2026, users posting in an online class action forum said they had received payments of $45 and $60 tied to claims against Tilt Finance, Inc., the company behind the Tilt cash advance app. Bloomberg Law has reported that the company was previously called Empower Finance, Inc. The users described the money as their share of individual settlements negotiated by the attorneys who represented them, and said they had signed those settlement agreements in September.A PayPal payment record reviewed by OpenClassActions.com shows a $60 deposit received on the evening of October 30, 2026, labeled as a settlement payment in a matter against Tilt Finance, Inc. The accompanying message said the settlement payment was available in the recipient’s PayPal account.
OpenClassActions.com has not been able to confirm the payments with Tilt or a settlement administrator. No settlement website, court-approved notice or claim form exists for them, and the amounts were not announced publicly. Because these were private deals with individual clients, the payment amount, timing and terms can differ from one person to the next.
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Why These Are Arbitration Claims
Tilt’s terms of service require most disputes to go to binding individual arbitration rather than to court, and they bar class actions unless a user opts out of the arbitration agreement within 30 days of accepting the terms. That leaves individual arbitration as the main path for most users. Law firms have signed up app users to bring separate arbitration claims, which companies sometimes resolve with individual payments rather than a single class settlement.The claims center on whether a cash advance, which lets users get part of their pay before payday and repays itself from the next paycheck, is really a loan. If it is, consumer lending laws would require cost disclosures and could limit the fees. Tilt has not admitted that its advances are loans.
The Service Members’ Case
The one court case that has produced a public ruling is Vickery v. Empower Finance, Inc., a proposed class action first filed in March 2025 and now brought by a U.S. Navy petty officer and a U.S. Army sergeant. It claims violations of the Military Lending Act, the Truth in Lending Act and the Georgia Payday Lending Act.In October 2025, a federal judge in the Northern District of California found that Empower’s Cash Advance was “credit” under the Military Lending Act and treated its instant-transfer fee as a finance charge. Because that law bars arbitration agreements with covered service members, the court denied Empower’s motion to send the case to arbitration, including the related Truth in Lending and Georgia claims. That ruling decided where the case is heard, not whether Empower broke the law, and the claims remain allegations.
The Vickery case covers service members, and it is separate from the private payments users reported in October 2026.
What Happens Next
Users who did not hire attorneys before the payments were reported have no claim process to join. If a court-approved class settlement is ever reached in Vickery or another case, class members would be notified, and OpenClassActions.com will cover it. Open settlements are listed in the open settlements directory, and the latest cases are on the OCA news page.Questions
Is there a Tilt or Empower class action settlement?
No public class action settlement has been announced. The payments some users report come from individual arbitration claims that their own attorneys settled privately with the company. There is no settlement website, claim form or court-approved notice.
How much are Tilt users receiving?
Users reported payments of $45 and $60 on October 30 and 31, 2026, sent through PayPal. Those amounts have not been confirmed by Tilt or any administrator, and private settlement amounts can differ from person to person.
Are Tilt and Empower the same company?
Yes. Bloomberg Law has reported that Empower Finance, Inc. is now known as Tilt Finance, Inc. Its cash advance product lets users get part of their pay before payday.
What did the court decide in the Vickery case?
In October 2025, a federal judge in California found that Empower's Cash Advance was credit under the Military Lending Act and denied the company's motion to send two service members' proposed class action to arbitration, because that law bars arbitration agreements with covered service members. The case has not been decided on the merits.
Sources
• Bloomberg Law: Fintechs’ Cash Advances for Workers Draw Suits as States Diverge• Consumer Financial Services Law Monitor: Earned Wage Access Product Deemed Credit Under MLA
• Tilt Terms and Conditions
