$425M Equifax Class Action Settlement is Sending Second Round Payments

Photo Credit: Unsplash | Updated: December 21, 2024

Estimated Payout: Varies

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$425M Equifax Class Action Settlement is Sending Second Round Payments

The Equifax Data Breach Settlement is distributing a second round of payments to eligible claimants in December 2024. These additional payments are being made from the remaining funds in the Consumer Restitution Fund, as stipulated in the settlement agreement with Equifax after a massive data breach that affected millions of Americans. Claimants for the second round of payments may be receiving the following email directly from the class action adminstrator for the Equifax settlement funds, so please check your inbox and spam folder if you filed a claim in this settlement previous to the January 2024 deadline. Consumers are reporting payments of around $14 to $23 from the second round of Equifax class action settlement disbursements.

Equifax Settlement Second Round Payments in Brief

● Eligibility: Claimants who previously submitted valid claims are eligible for this additional payment.

● Payment method: The payments will be sent via electronic prepaid cards.

● Distribution timeline: Emails with instructions to redeem the electronic prepaid cards will be sent on or around the week of December 16, 2024.

● Notification: Eligible claimants will receive an email from distribution@EquifaxBreachSettlement.com with instructions on how to redeem their prepaid card.

● Amount: The exact payment amounts may vary based on the number of valid claims and remaining funds.

● Administrator: The court-appointed settlement administrator, JND Legal Administration, has been handling the distribution process.

For more information about the settlement or to check eligibility, claimants can visit the official settlement website. Questions should be directed to the settlement administrator, not Equifax, via email, phone, or direct mail to the official Equifax class action settlement administrator, linked below in this article.

What's the Equifax Data Breach Settlement?

A $425 Million class action settlement was agreed on with Equifax over a massive data breach that took place several years ago. In September 2017 Equifax announced it experienced a data breach, which impacted the personally identifiable information of approximately 147 million people in the United States. A federal court approved a class action Settlement that resolves lawsuits brought by consumers after the data breach. Equifax denied any wrongdoing and no judgment or finding of wrongdoing was made.

Equifax is also offering Free Identity Restoration Services to those who have had their information impacted. Those that qualify will be eligible for at least 7 years of free assisted identity restoration services to help you remedy the effects of identity theft and fraud. Services will be available for at least 7 years after January 11, 2022, which is the Settlement Effective Date for this open class action.

How Do I Qualify?

If you are a class member, the extended deadline to file claims has been moved up to January 22, 2024. The initial deadline to file Initial Claims Period claim(s) for free credit monitoring or up to $125 cash payment and other cash reimbursement passed on January 22, 2020. For additional security, Extended Claims Period claims for minors may only be sent by U.S. Mail.

How Much Can I Get?

Aside from the cash payment of up to $125 for being a class member, the Equifax class action settlement will recoup losses for those that can provide evidence. The cap on this is expected to be $10,000 to $25,000. If you were impacted by the Equifax data breach, you may seek reimbursement for valid Out of Pocket losses or Time Spent (excluding losses of money and time associated with freezing or unfreezing credit reports or purchasing credit monitoring or identity theft protection) incurred during the Extended Claims Period if you have not received reimbursement for the claimed loss through other means. The expected settlement payout date for class actions tends to be several months after the class action receives final approval from the court, and any appeals have been dismissed.

How Do I File a Claim?

To be eligible, you must file a claim form for Out-of-Pocket Losses or Time Spent. If you incurred out of pocket expenses or spent time resolving identity issues tied to the Equifax data breach between January 23, 2020 and January 22, 2024 (the “Extended Claims Period”), you can file a claim.

Based on the number of potentially valid claims that have been submitted to date, payments for time spent and alternative compensation of up to $125 likely will be substantially lowered and will be distributed on a proportional basis if the Settlement becomes effective. Depending on the number of valid claims filed, the amount you receive may be a small percentage of your initial claim. To qualify you must file a claim by January 22, 2024 electronically here.

How Do I Find Class Action Settlements?

Find all the latest class actions you can qualify for by getting notified of new lawsuits as soon as they are open to claims:

Claim Form Website: EquifaxBreachSettlement.com

Submit Claim Here

How do I Check My Equifax Settlement Claim Status?

If you already filed a claim and would like to know the status of your Equifax class action claim you can visit the claim status check site below. You will need to enter your claim number, which you can find in the confirmation email you received when you originally filed the data breach claim form.