Boy Scouts Settlement Trust: Where the Payouts Stand
More than $1.2 billion has now been distributed from the $2.46 billion trust, across some 62,200 decided claims. The deadline to file closed in November 2020 and has not reopened. Here is how the process works and what the figures show.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
How the Trust Came About
The Boy Scouts of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020 amid thousands of claims of childhood sexual abuse. Rather than each case proceeding separately, the reorganisation created the Scouting Settlement Trust — a fund of approximately $2.46 billion to compensate survivors, administered independently of the organisation.
The trust received about $800 million from insurers in December 2021 and more than $2.4 billion from the BSA and related parties in September 2022. Distributions began in September 2023. The trustee is the Hon. Barbara J. Houser (Ret.), and the official site is ScoutingSettlementTrust.com.
Case Details
The bankruptcy court set a bar date of November 16, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. EST for abuse claims. Approximately 92,700 claims were filed by that deadline — one of the largest numbers in any US bankruptcy. Later reporting refers to roughly 82,000 claims in the process, a difference most likely explained by duplicates and rejections during review, though we could not confirm that.
Payout Status
January 27, 2026: more than 50,800 claims decided, over 39,170 payments approved, more than $316 million paid.
February 11, 2026: the reorganisation plan becomes finally effective, releasing $1.65 billion held in trust.
Mid-April 2026: more than 59,410 claims decided, over 41,665 payments, more than $593 million paid.
August 12, 2026: more than 62,200 claims decided and more than $1.2 billion paid in total.
The pace roughly doubled between April and August 2026, which is consistent with the plan becoming effective in February and freeing the withheld funds.
The Filing Deadline Has Passed
This is the hardest part of the answer, and it deserves to be stated plainly rather than buried: the bar date was November 16, 2020, and it has not reopened. Survivors who did not file a claim by that date cannot enter this trust now.
That does not automatically mean nothing is possible. Some states have opened or extended windows for childhood sexual abuse claims, and claims against parties outside the bankruptcy — local councils, chartering organisations, insurers — can raise separate legal questions. But those depend entirely on which state you are in, when the abuse occurred and who was involved, and we are not going to list specific options here because we could not verify them case by case. That is a conversation for a lawyer who handles these claims in your state.
If you did file by the bar date, you do not need to do anything to stay in the process — claims are reviewed and paid in batches, with priority reported for older survivors and those in serious ill health.
How Amounts Are Determined
What moves a claim within that range: the severity and duration of the abuse; aggravating factors such as what the organisation knew; mitigating factors such as gaps in the available evidence; and the statute of limitations position in the relevant state, since a claim that would have been time-barred outside bankruptcy is valued differently.
A more detailed tier table circulates online, but we found it on only one source and it is not confirmed as the trust's official matrix, so we are not reproducing it. The honest summary is the range and the factors — anyone presenting a precise figure for your situation before review is guessing.
Timeline
- 1
2020 — bankruptcy filing and bar date
The BSA files Chapter 11. The court sets November 16, 2020 as the deadline for abuse claims; about 92,700 are filed.
- 2
December 2021 — insurers fund the trust
Approximately $800 million is contributed by insurance carriers.
- 3
September 2022 — the main contribution
More than $2.4 billion is contributed by the BSA and related parties, bringing the trust to roughly $2.46 billion.
- 4
September 2023 — payments begin
The trust starts distributing to survivors whose claims have been reviewed and valued.
- 5
February 11, 2026 — plan becomes effective
The reorganisation plan takes final effect, releasing $1.65 billion that had been held back pending resolution of challenges.
- 6
August 12, 2026 — past $1.2 billion
More than 62,200 claims decided and over $1.2 billion distributed, roughly double the April figure, according to law firm reporting.
What to Be Careful About
A closed trust paying out large sums attracts both fraud and well-meaning misinformation.
Anyone offering to file a new claim in this trust
The bar date passed in November 2020. A service promising to get you into the Scouting Settlement Trust now is describing something that does not exist.
Requests for payment to release your award
The trust and its counsel do not charge survivors a fee to process or release an approved payment. A demand for money to unlock a distribution is a fraud attempt.
Specific payout promises before review
Amounts depend on a matrix and on scaling factors applied claim by claim. A firm quoting you a number before your claim is reviewed is marketing, not assessing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still file a claim?
Not with this trust. The bar date was November 16, 2020 and has not been reopened. Whether any other route exists depends on your state's law and on which parties were involved — that requires advice from a lawyer handling these claims where you live.
How much has been paid so far?
More than $1.2 billion across over 62,200 decided claims as of August 12, 2026, according to law firm reporting. That is roughly double the figure reported in April, following the plan becoming effective in February 2026.
How much do individual claims pay?
Reported amounts range from about $3,500 for base or expedited payments to more than $2.7 million for the most serious claims, depending on severity, duration, aggravating and mitigating factors, and the limitations position in the relevant state.
I filed years ago and have heard nothing.
Claims are processed in batches, with priority reported for older survivors and those in serious ill health, and distribution is running over several years. Your own counsel or the trust's official channels are the right place to check your specific status.
Did the Purdue Pharma ruling affect this?
The Supreme Court held in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma (June 27, 2024) that the Bankruptcy Code does not authorise non-consensual releases of non-debtor third parties. That question matters here because the BSA plan releases parties outside the bankruptcy, such as local councils and chartering organisations. Payments have continued and the plan became effective in February 2026. We have seen a specific date reported for the Supreme Court declining to review the BSA plan, but could not confirm it independently, so we are not repeating it.
Are payments taxable?
Compensation for personal physical injury or physical sickness is generally excluded from income under 26 U.S.C. § 104(a)(2), and abuse claims commonly fall within that. Allocation and individual circumstances matter, so this is worth confirming with a CPA rather than assuming.
Who runs the trust?
The Scouting Settlement Trust operates independently of the Boy Scouts organisation, with the Hon. Barbara J. Houser (Ret.) as trustee. Its official site is ScoutingSettlementTrust.com.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.