Equifax $100 Million Score-Error Settlement: Claim Deadline December 28, 2026
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Equifax has agreed to pay $100 million over the spring-2022 coding error that sent lenders incorrectly calculated credit scores — the largest Fair Credit Reporting Act settlement ever. A judge granted preliminary approval on 17 August 2026. As of 30 September 2026, the official claims process is open at EquifaxFairCreditReportingSettlement.com: the claim deadline is 28 December 2026, and filing online requires the Claim ID and PIN from the notice sent to class members by email or mail.
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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 moved for preliminary approval on 12 August 2026 and the court granted it on 17 August 2026; the final fairness hearing is scheduled for 22 January 2027. The fund is $100 million, nonreversionary — unclaimed money does not flow back to Equifax — with attorneys' fees of up to one third; the settlement administrator is Verita, which runs the official website EquifaxFairCreditReportingSettlement.com. Do not confuse this with two other Equifax matters: the 2017 data breach settlement (claims closed January 2024) and the separate $2.2 million Bradberry duplicate-account FCRA settlement, whose claim deadline was 1 September 2026 and has now passed.
Status as of 30 September 2026 — Claims Open, Deadline 28 December 2026
Don't miss the claim deadline
Claims are due by December 28, 2026. We'll email you 7 days and 1 day before the deadline.
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'. Membership is determined from Equifax's own analysis of the coding issue: the class covers people for whom Equifax reported a score or credit attribute that differed from what it would have been without the error. If you received an email or mailed notice, Equifax's records place you in the class.
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
12–17 August 2026 — $100M settlement filed, then preliminarily approved
Plaintiffs move for preliminary approval of a $100 million nonreversionary fund — the largest FCRA settlement to date. Judge Leigh Martin May grants preliminary approval on 17 August 2026.
- 5
Now — claims open until 28 December 2026, hearing 22 January 2027
Opt-out and objection deadline: 27 November 2026. Claim deadline: 28 December 2026 (online or postmarked). The final fairness hearing is set for 22 January 2027 at 2:00 pm in Atlanta; payments follow only if the settlement is approved and becomes effective.
Three Things to Ignore
A famous defendant plus a nine-figure number is the perfect scam environment. The only official website is EquifaxFairCreditReportingSettlement.com, run by the administrator Verita.
Lookalike claim sites
Claims are filed only at EquifaxFairCreditReportingSettlement.com, using the Claim ID and PIN from your notice, or on the paper Claim Form mailed to Equifax FCRA Litigation, P.O. Box 301132, Los Angeles, CA 90030-1132. Any other site taking 'claims' is not the administrator.
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'
Filing is free through the court-approved administrator, and Class Counsel is paid only from the Settlement Fund. Paying someone to file for you gets you nothing extra.
Common Questions
Can I file a claim today?
Yes, if you are a class member. As of 30 September 2026, claims can be filed at EquifaxFairCreditReportingSettlement.com with the Claim ID and PIN from your email or mailed notice, or on a paper Claim Form mailed to the administrator. The deadline is 28 December 2026 (online or postmarked).
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. (Class counsel's own announcement describes the period as 17 March – 6 April 2022; we show the wider window so nobody rules themselves out early.) 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; every valid claimant receives an equal (pro rata) share of the net fund. 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, whose claim window closed on 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?
Notice and claim windows run through late 2026, and payments would follow the final fairness hearing set for 22 January 2027 — 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.); the preliminary-approval motion filed 12 August 2026 and the order granting it on 17 August 2026, as reported by Bloomberg Law ('Equifax's $100 Million Credit Reporting Deal Gets Initial OK') and announced by class counsel DiCello Levitt, read on 27 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.