Equifax $100 Million Score-Error Settlement: What Exists Today, and What Doesn't Yet
Equifax has agreed to pay <strong>$100 million</strong> over the spring-2022 coding error that sent lenders incorrectly calculated credit scores — the largest Fair Credit Reporting Act settlement ever. Two sentences of honesty before the details: the court had <strong>not yet granted preliminary approval</strong> as of 24 August 2026, and <strong>no claims process exists yet</strong>. Anyone asking you to 'file your Equifax score claim' today is early at best and a scam at worst.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Case Is About
Between 17 March and 8 April 2022, a coding error in Equifax's systems caused the company to send lenders miscalculated credit scores for consumers applying for credit — car loans, mortgages, credit cards. For a meaningful share of those applicants the score shifted enough to matter: applications denied, or approved at higher interest rates, on the strength of a number that was simply wrong. The consolidated litigation — brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act — covers roughly four million consumers whose scores were transmitted during the glitch window. Equifax denies liability and settled after four years of litigation.
Case Details
The case is In re: Equifax Fair Credit Reporting Act Litigation, Case No. 1:22-cv-03072, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, before Judge Leigh Martin May. Plaintiffs filed the motion for preliminary approval on 12 August 2026. The proposed fund is $100 million, nonreversionary — unclaimed money does not flow back to Equifax — with attorneys' fees of up to one third and Verita Global proposed as settlement administrator. Do not confuse this with two other Equifax matters: the 2017 data breach settlement (claims closed January 2024) and the separate $2.2 million duplicate-collection-accounts FCRA settlement, which has its own page and its own deadline.
Status as of 24 August 2026 — Approval Pending, Claims NOT Open
Who Would Qualify
The proposed class covers consumers whose credit scores were transmitted to lenders during the 17 March – 8 April 2022 glitch window — about four million people. You are more likely to be in it if you applied for credit in late March or early April 2022: a car loan, mortgage, refinance, credit card or personal loan. Many affected consumers never knew: the wrong score went to the lender, not to you, and a denial letter does not say 'the bureau miscalculated'. Expect eligibility to be determined largely from Equifax's own transmission records rather than from anything you have to prove.
What It Might Pay
How This Case Developed
- 1
17 March – 8 April 2022 — the glitch window
A coding error causes Equifax to send lenders miscalculated credit scores for roughly three weeks, affecting applications filed during that period.
- 2
2022 — the error becomes public and suits follow
Reporting reveals the scope of the miscalculation; consumer suits are filed and consolidated as In re: Equifax Fair Credit Reporting Act Litigation, No. 1:22-cv-03072 (N.D. Ga.).
- 3
2022–2026 — four years of litigation
The parties litigate before Judge Leigh Martin May, ultimately negotiating a resolution.
- 4
12 August 2026 — $100M settlement filed for approval
Plaintiffs move for preliminary approval of a $100 million nonreversionary fund — the largest FCRA settlement to date. The judge has not yet ruled.
- 5
If approved — notice, then claims
Notice ~42 days after approval, 60-day opt-out, 90-day claim window. Claims would open late 2026 at the earliest, with payments in 2027.
Three Things to Ignore
A famous defendant plus a nine-figure number plus no official website yet is the perfect scam environment.
'File your Equifax claim now' sites
There is no claims process and no official settlement website yet. Any site taking 'claims' today is harvesting personal data on a settlement that cannot pay anyone.
Confusion with the 2017 breach settlement
That case closed to claims in January 2024. Pages recycling the old breach-settlement instructions for this new score-error case are wrong about every date and every dollar figure.
Upfront-fee 'claim maximizers'
When claims open, filing will be free through the court-approved administrator. Paying someone to file early accomplishes nothing — there is nothing to file into.
Common Questions
Can I file a claim today?
No. Preliminary approval was still pending as of 24 August 2026, and no claims process or official website exists yet. This page will be updated when that changes.
How do I know if I'm affected?
If you applied for credit between 17 March and 8 April 2022, your score may have been transmitted during the glitch. Eligibility will likely be determined from Equifax's records, with notice sent to identified class members.
How much would I get?
Court filings estimate $95–$280 per person, with more for consumers whose lending outcome changed. Estimates, not guarantees — fees, administration and claim volume all move the number.
Is this the 2017 Equifax breach settlement?
No. The breach settlement covered the 2017 hack and closed to claims in January 2024. This case is about miscalculated credit scores in spring 2022 — a different failure, a different fund, a different class.
Is this the other Equifax FCRA settlement I've read about?
Also no. There is a separate $2.2 million Equifax FCRA settlement about duplicate collection accounts on credit reports, with claims open through 1 September 2026 — see our page on it. Same statute, different case, different money.
What does 'nonreversionary' mean for me?
Unclaimed funds are redistributed among claimants or otherwise directed away from Equifax — they do not revert to the company. It generally pushes per-claimant amounts toward the higher end of the estimates.
When will money actually arrive?
If the judge grants preliminary approval, notice and claim windows run through late 2026 and payments would follow final approval — realistically 2027.
How do I verify this page?
Through the docket for In re: Equifax Fair Credit Reporting Act Litigation, No. 1:22-cv-03072 (N.D. Ga.), and the preliminary-approval motion filed 12 August 2026, as reported by Bloomberg Law and others and read on 24 August 2026.
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.