Grubhub delivery drivers and diners received 640,038 Federal Trade Commission refunds totaling more than $23.8 million in August 2026, from the FTC and Illinois settlement over Grubhub’s driver pay ads and blocked accounts. The payments are automatic; checks must be cashed within 90 days, and there is no claim form.
What Did the FTC Announce?
On August 12, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission said it was sending 640,038 payments totaling more than $23.8 million to Grubhub delivery drivers and diners. Most went out as paper checks, and some as PayPal payments. The FTC’s refund administrator, Analytics Consulting LLC, handled the distribution.The money comes from a settlement Grubhub Inc. and Grubhub Holdings Inc. reached with the FTC and the State of Illinois in December 2024. Grubhub did not admit or deny the allegations. The payments are automatic, and the FTC did not run a claim process.
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Who Got a Grubhub Refund?
The FTC says the payments went to two groups: drivers harmed by Grubhub’s allegedly deceptive claims about how much they could earn, and diners harmed by its allegedly unlawful conduct. The refund announcement singles out diners who were locked out of their accounts, which the agencies said left them unable to use gift card balances loaded onto those accounts.The court order required Grubhub to hand over customer and delivery worker records so the FTC could run the refund program, and the FTC used those records to choose recipients. It has not said how many payments went to drivers and how many to diners, or how individual amounts were set. The total works out to about $37 per payment on average, but that is simple division, and individual payments vary.
Deadlines to Cash a Grubhub Check or Accept a PayPal Payment
The FTC asks check recipients to cash or deposit the check within 90 days, as printed on the check itself. For checks mailed in August 2026, that window runs into November 2026. PayPal recipients had 30 days to accept the payment, so that window has closed for the August payments.The FTC says it never requires people to pay money or give account information to receive a refund. A call, text or email asking for a processing fee, a bank or Grubhub password, a gift card or a wire transfer to release a Grubhub refund is not part of the program. OCA’s guide to checking whether a settlement email or check is real walks through the usual warning signs. Questions about a specific payment go to the refund administrator through the FTC’s Grubhub refund page.
What the FTC and Illinois Alleged Against Grubhub
The FTC and the Illinois Attorney General sued Grubhub on December 17, 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Their complaint alleged that Grubhub:- Advertised driver pay of up to $40 an hour in the New York area and up to $26 an hour in a Chicago campaign, when, according to the agencies, median pay in those markets was about $10 and $11 an hour
- Hid delivery costs inside “service fees” and “small order fees,” and advertised “free” delivery to Grubhub+ members while still charging fees
- Blocked diners’ accounts without warning or a meaningful way to appeal, including accounts holding gift card balances
- Listed as many as 325,000 restaurants without their permission
- Made Grubhub+ difficult to cancel
The December 2024 Settlement Terms
U.S. District Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins entered the stipulated order on December 31, 2024 in Federal Trade Commission and People of the State of Illinois v. Grubhub Inc., No. 1:24-cv-12923. It imposed a $140 million judgment and suspended all but $24.8 million of it because of Grubhub’s financial condition. Grubhub paid that $24.8 million to the FTC and made a separate $200,000 payment to Illinois, for $25 million in total. If the agencies show Grubhub misrepresented its finances, the full judgment can come due.The order also requires Grubhub to disclose the full cost of delivery up front, tell customers when their accounts are blocked and give them a way to dispute it, restore access to gift card balances when a block is lifted, offer a simple way to cancel Grubhub+, stop listing restaurants without consent, and make only driver earnings claims it can back up. Under the order, money that cannot practically be paid out can go to other relief related to the case, and any remainder is split between the federal Treasury and Illinois.
How This Differs From Other Grubhub Settlements
The FTC refunds are separate from the private class actions against Grubhub. California drivers had a claim deadline of June 18, 2026 in the $24.75 million Grubhub driver misclassification settlement, and California customers could claim a $10 credit in the Grubhub and Seamless delivery fee settlement until August 7, 2026. Both claim periods have closed. A payment from one program does not affect eligibility in another, and a Grubhub FTC check is not a payment from either class settlement.The fees that appear on a Grubhub or Seamless receipt today, including the New York City surcharge, are explained in OCA’s breakdown of delivery app fees.
Questions
Is the Grubhub refund check from the FTC real?
The FTC announced on August 12, 2026 that it was sending 640,038 Grubhub refunds, mostly by check and some by PayPal, through its refund administrator, Analytics Consulting LLC. The FTC says it never requires people to pay money or provide account information to receive a refund, so a message asking for a fee, a bank login or gift cards is not part of the program.
Who received a Grubhub FTC refund?
The FTC says the payments went to Grubhub delivery drivers harmed by the company’s allegedly deceptive pay claims and to diners harmed by its allegedly unlawful conduct, including diners whose accounts were blocked while holding gift card balances. The FTC chose recipients from records Grubhub was ordered to provide. It has not published how many payments went to each group.
How long do I have to cash a Grubhub refund check?
The FTC says to cash a Grubhub refund check within 90 days, as printed on the check. PayPal payments had to be accepted within 30 days. The checks were sent in August 2026, so the 90-day window for most checks runs into November 2026.
Can I still file a claim for a Grubhub FTC refund?
No. There was never a claim form. The FTC identified recipients from Grubhub’s records and sent the payments automatically.
How much is each Grubhub refund payment?
The FTC has not published individual amounts. It said the 640,038 payments total more than $23.8 million, which works out to about $37 per payment on average, but individual amounts vary.
Sources
• Federal Trade Commission press release, August 12, 2026: FTC Sends More Than $23.8 Million to Grubhub Drivers and Diners• Federal Trade Commission refund program page: Grubhub Refunds
• FTC case record, Grubhub Inc., FTC and Illinois v., No. 1:24-cv-12923 (N.D. Ill.): FTC Case Page
• Stipulated Order for Permanent Injunction, Monetary Judgment, and Other Relief, entered December 31, 2024: Stipulated Order (PDF)
• Federal Trade Commission press release, December 17, 2024: FTC and Illinois Attorney General Take Action Against Grubhub
