Equifax Data Breach Settlement: Claims Closed in 2024 — Identity Help Runs to 2029
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The Equifax data breach settlement covers the 2017 hack that exposed about 147 million Americans. It is closed: the last claim deadline was January 22, 2024. If you are seeing “Equifax settlement” headlines in 2026, they are almost certainly about different, newer Equifax credit-reporting cases. Two things from the breach deal still work today: free identity restoration until January 2029, and checking whether you were affected.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Equifax Data Breach Lawsuit Was About
On September 7, 2017, Equifax announced a breach affecting about 147 million Americans. According to the FTC’s complaint, Equifax failed to secure the personal information on its network, and the breach exposed names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and physical addresses.
More than 300 class actions followed. Separately, the FTC, the CFPB and 50 U.S. states and territories pursued the company. On July 22, 2019 Equifax agreed to a global settlement of at least $575 million and potentially up to $700 million. The allegations were resolved by settlement, not by a trial verdict.
Case Details
The consumer cases were consolidated as In re: Equifax Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, MDL No. 2800, No. 1:17-md-2800-TWT, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta), before Chief Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. He granted final approval on January 13, 2020 (Doc. 956).
Objectors appealed. On June 3, 2021 the Eleventh Circuit (No. 20-10249) affirmed, except for the class representatives’ incentive awards. The Supreme Court denied an objectors’ petition, as reported on January 10, 2022.
Status: Settled and Closed to New Claims
The FTC’s page, updated November 2024, says the administrator has paid out-of-pocket, time and other cash claims. That month, people who had already been paid were sent prepaid cards with additional payments. It also says the administrator continues to review and issue benefits for identity theft and fraud claims. Details and contacts are on the FTC’s Equifax page and the official administrator site, EquifaxBreachSettlement.com (run by JND, not Equifax).
Not this case: the Equifax payouts in 2026 news come from separate Fair Credit Reporting Act cases. See the up-to-$600 FCRA settlement (closed September 1, 2026) and the $100 million credit score error settlement (claims by December 28, 2026). Our explainer compares the $600 payout with the closed 2017 breach deal.
Who Was in the Settlement Class
The class is the approximately 147 million U.S. consumers whom Equifax identified as having personal information compromised in the breach announced on September 7, 2017. You were included automatically. Filing a claim was only needed to get cash or credit monitoring.
To check whether you were affected, use the look-up tool linked from the FTC’s Equifax page. The confirmation page gives a phone number and engagement number for identity restoration help. The settlement line is 1-833-759-2982.
What the Equifax Breach Settlement Paid
• up to $20,000 for documented out-of-pocket losses;
• time spent at $25 per hour for up to 20 hours (a $38 million cap);
• four years of three-bureau credit monitoring through Experian plus six years of Equifax one-bureau monitoring;
• an alternative cash payment for people who already had monitoring.
The alternative cash pool was capped at $31 million. On July 31, 2019 the FTC warned that because so many people chose it, cash claimants “might end up getting far less than $125.” Before the first deadline, more than 15 million claims had come in. We could not find a primary source for the exact amount each person finally received, so we do not quote one. Class counsel asked for a $77.5 million fee.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 129,730 other contract casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2026, 6% of them filed as class actions:
- 30.7% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 20.2% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 30.7% and 50.9%.
- 7.5% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 72 reached a trial (1.4%), after a median of 29.3 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 7.6 months.
- Only 7,691 of them (5.9%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $407,000.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal other contract cases) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
Equifax Breach Settlement Timeline
- 1
September 7, 2017 — Breach Announced
Equifax discloses a breach affecting about 147 million Americans. More than 300 class actions follow and are consolidated as MDL 2800 in Atlanta.
- 2
July 22, 2019 — Global Settlement
Equifax agrees with the FTC, CFPB and 50 states and territories to pay at least $575 million and up to $700 million, including up to $425 million for consumers.
- 3
January 13, 2020 — Final Approval
Chief Judge Thrash approves the consumer settlement. The initial claims period ends January 22, 2020, with more than 15 million claims filed.
- 4
June 3, 2021 — Appeal Decided
The Eleventh Circuit affirms everything except the class representatives’ incentive awards. A Supreme Court petition is denied, as reported January 10, 2022.
- 5
January 22, 2024 — Last Claim Deadline
The four-year extended claims period, for losses that occurred after the initial deadline, closes. No new claims are accepted after this date.
- 6
November 2024 to January 2029 — Remaining Benefits
Prepaid cards with additional payments go to people who were already paid. Free identity restoration stays available until January 2029, with no claim needed.
Three Things to Watch For
A closed settlement that is still searched every day, plus newer Equifax cases with similar names, gives scammers plenty to work with:
Emails from the wrong address
The FTC says legitimate settlement emails come only from distribution@equifaxbreachsettlement.com or info@equifaxbreachsettlement.com. A “payment” email from any other address, or one that links somewhere other than EquifaxBreachSettlement.com, should be treated as phishing.
“Reopen your 2017 Equifax claim”
The breach settlement stopped taking claims on January 22, 2024, and you cannot reopen it. A site or caller offering to file a late breach claim, often while mentioning the $600 or $100 million headlines, is using the newer FCRA cases as cover.
Fees to “release” a payment
No court-appointed administrator charges a fee to send a settlement payment or prepaid card. If someone asks you to pay first, or for your full Social Security number by phone, hang up. Call the settlement line at 1-833-759-2982 instead.
Equifax Data Breach Settlement — Questions People Actually Ask
Is the Equifax data breach settlement a real settlement?
Yes. It is a court-approved class settlement in MDL No. 2800, approved on January 13, 2020 and affirmed on appeal on June 3, 2021. The FTC, CFPB and 50 states and territories reached a parallel settlement. The official site is EquifaxBreachSettlement.com, run by the administrator JND rather than by Equifax.
How to check if you're part of the Equifax data breach?
Use the look-up tool linked from the FTC’s Equifax settlement page. The class covers about 147 million U.S. consumers that Equifax identified. If you were affected, the confirmation page gives you the phone number and engagement number for free identity restoration.
How to file a claim for the Equifax settlement?
As of October 2026, you can’t. The initial deadline was January 22, 2020 and the extended deadline was January 22, 2024. If your identity is misused, you can still get free identity restoration until January 2029 without filing a claim.
How much do you usually get from a data breach settlement?
In this case, documented losses could be repaid up to $20,000, and time up to 20 hours at $25 per hour. The flat alternative cash option shared a $31 million pool, and the FTC warned that claimants might end up getting far less than $125. To estimate other cases, try our data breach settlement calculator.
Is the $600 Equifax payout from the data breach?
No. The up-to-$600 payout came from a separate Fair Credit Reporting Act settlement over duplicate accounts. Its claims closed September 1, 2026, and only people with a mailed notice could claim. The $100 million credit score error settlement and a $30 million hard-inquiry dispute settlement are also separate cases. See our overview of the Equifax payouts and how to check the $100 million notice.
I got an Equifax settlement email in 2026 — is it real?
It depends which case it is about. For the 2017 breach, real emails come only from distribution@equifaxbreachsettlement.com or info@equifaxbreachsettlement.com, and the breach case has no open claim form. A 2026 notice about hard-inquiry disputes, with a November 29, 2026 deadline, belongs to a different case; see our news on that settlement.
Who paid what in the overall Equifax deal?
Per the FTC’s July 22, 2019 announcement: a consumer fund of $300 million plus up to $125 million more, $175 million to 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and a $100 million civil penalty to the CFPB.
What is still worth doing now?
If you see fraud, use the free identity restoration service (available until January 2029). The FTC’s page (updated November 2024) says all U.S. consumers can get 7 free Equifax credit reports per year through 2026 at annualcreditreport.com, so check yours while that offer runs. We checked again on October 12, 2026 and found no later update. A credit freeze at all three bureaus is free. For settlements you can still file, see open class action settlements.
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.
Related Consumer Brand Lawsuits
Equifax FCRA Settlement
The separate up-to-$600 duplicate-account case, closed September 2026
Equifax Credit Score Error Settlement
The separate $100 million case with claims due December 28, 2026
Data Breach Settlement Calculator
Estimate what a breach settlement may pay you
Open Class Action Settlements
Settlements still accepting claims right now