Opioid Settlement Payments: Who Is Being Paid, When and How Much
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Yes, opioid settlement payments to individuals are going out right now. There is only one channel for them: the Purdue Personal Injury Trust. Its plan took effect on May 1, 2026, and as of its September 30, 2026 update the Trust “has begun paying” approved claimants on a rolling basis. Awards are $16,294 (Tier 1), $8,147 (Tier 2) and $25,653 (NAS children), before your lawyer's fee and any medical liens. Only people who filed a claim by the July 28, 2025 deadline are paid. The national opioid settlement payments you see in the news go to states and local governments, not to people. This page covers only the payout. For the case history and claim rules, see our opioid settlement overview.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
Two Kinds of Opioid Money
“Opioid settlement” covers two very different streams of money, and most confusion comes from mixing them up.
Money for individuals. The only fund paying people directly is the Purdue Personal Injury Trust. It pays people who filed personal-injury claims in Purdue's bankruptcy. Per Purdue's lead bankruptcy counsel, individual victims receive up to $865 million, and about $815 million went into the trust on May 1, 2026.
Money for governments. The national settlements with McKesson, Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen, Janssen, Teva, Allergan, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Kroger and others pay “Settling States and Participating Subdivisions.” Those governments must spend the money on opioid remediation and report any other use. No individual can claim a share.
Case Details
The Purdue payments come from a chapter 11 plan confirmed on November 18, 2025 by Judge Sean H. Lane of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (Confirmation Order, Docket No. 8263). Purdue filed for bankruptcy on September 15, 2019. An earlier plan, confirmed September 21, 2021, was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 27, 2024. The plan became effective on May 1, 2026. Per the California Attorney General, the overall settlement is worth $7.4 billion. The personal-injury trust is run by Claims Administrator Edgar C. Gentle, III, who was appointed by the court on April 15, 2025.
Status: Paying Out, Rolling Basis
Before you are paid, you get a status letter. It says whether your claim is Qualified and Allowed or Deficient. That letter starts a 20-day appeal window. Decisions of the Appeals Special Master are final.
Two groups wait longer. If you are still in medical-lien review, part of your award is held back until Med Lien Solutions, the lien administrator, finishes your file. If you did not grant the Sackler third-party release, your claim is not eligible until 18 months after the effective date. By our count, that is November 1, 2027.
Who Gets Paid Automatically
There is nothing new to file. The claim deadline was July 28, 2025, and anything sent more than 15 days late is not a Qualified claim. You are in the payment queue only if you filed a personal-injury proof of claim in Purdue's bankruptcy and sent the trust's claim form in time.
Have a lawyer? Payment information comes from your attorney, not the trust.
Filed on your own (pro se)? The trust emails you to confirm your physical mailing address. That email comes from purduepiadmin@purduepitrust.com. The trust says this address is used only after it contacts you first.
Check your status: Purdue PI Trust, P.O. Box 361930, Hoover, Alabama 35236-1930. Toll-free 855-637-5538, or email purduepitrust@purduepitrust.com. For NAS (newborn) claims, contact the NAS Trustee at 833-770-6060 or nastrustee@purduepitrust.com.
How Much: Published Awards vs. What Lands in Your Account
— $16,294 for a Non-NAS Tier 1 claim (at least 180 days of a prescribed qualifying opioid before September 15, 2019)
— $8,147 for a Non-NAS Tier 2 claim (at least one day)
— $25,653 for an NAS claim
Trust expenses and plan fees are already taken out of these figures. Your own attorney's fee and any medical liens are not, so the amount you receive will be lower if either applies. The trust has not published net amounts actually paid, or how many people have been paid. In January 2026 its estimate was about $16,000 and $8,000. The final figures came in slightly higher.
Payment method: the trust has not said whether it pays by check or electronically. Lawyers pass on payment details to their clients, and pro se claimants are asked to confirm a mailing address. The trust has also published no rule on replacing a lost check or a cashing deadline. Call the number above rather than relying on a third-party site.
A second payment “may be made” once all contingencies are resolved. No date or amount has been set.
Opioid Settlement Payment Schedule
- 1
November 18, 2025 — Purdue Plan Confirmed
Judge Sean H. Lane confirms the chapter 11 plan that creates the Purdue Personal Injury Trust.
- 2
March 1, 2026 — Last Day to Grant the Release
Last day for Kroll to receive a ballot granting the third-party release. Claimants who did not grant it wait 18 months for eligibility.
- 3
May 1, 2026 — Plan Effective, Trust Funded
About $815 million goes into the personal-injury trust. The Sacklers pay more than $1.5 billion, and Purdue about $900 million.
- 4
September 30, 2026 — Awards Set, Payments Begin
The trust publishes awards of $16,294, $8,147 and $25,653 and confirms it has begun paying on a rolling basis.
- 5
End of 2026 — Most Approved Claimants Paid
The trust expects most currently Qualified and Allowed claimants to get at least part of their award by then. Lien holdbacks follow later.
- 6
2027 and Later — Release Holdouts, Second Payment
Claims without the release become potentially eligible around November 1, 2027. A possible second payment has no date yet.
Three Things to Watch For
Rolling payments and five-figure amounts attract imposters. Watch for these three:
“File now for your opioid settlement”
The deadline was July 28, 2025, and the trust says late claims are not Qualified. A site or caller offering to file a new claim, or to “join” the national settlements for a fee, is selling something that does not exist.
Payment emails from the wrong domain
Real trust email ends in @purduepitrust.com. The trust says its admin address writes to you only after it has contacted you, and only to confirm details such as your mailing address. If an email asks for a fee, gift cards or bank logins to “release” your award, it is not from the trust.
Calls about your medical lien
Lien resolution runs through Med Lien Solutions on your behalf. The trust tells claimants not to contact Medicare, Medicaid or their insurer themselves. Anyone demanding payment from you to clear a lien should be checked first with the trust at 855-637-5538.
Opioid Settlement Payments — Questions People Actually Ask
Are there opioid settlement payments for individuals?
Only through the Purdue Personal Injury Trust, and only for people who filed a personal-injury claim in Purdue's bankruptcy by the July 28, 2025 deadline. The trust began paying approved claimants after the plan took effect on May 1, 2026. The national settlements with distributors, Janssen and the pharmacy chains pay states and local governments only.
What is the expected payout per person for the Purdue Pharma settlement?
The trust has set initial awards of $16,294 for Tier 1, $8,147 for Tier 2 and $25,653 for NAS claims. Your attorney's fee and any medical liens come out of that, and a second payment is possible but not promised.
When will I get my Purdue opioid settlement payment?
Payments are going out on a rolling basis. As of September 30, 2026, the trust expects most currently approved claimants to receive at least part of their award by the end of 2026. If you did not grant the third-party release, you are not eligible until 18 months after May 1, 2026, which we calculate as November 1, 2027.
What is the national opioid settlement payment schedule?
National opioid settlement payments go to governments in annual installments. The distributor deal is counted in payment years. A settlement administrator dashboard dated May 1, 2026 reported $7.54 billion paid to beneficiaries in 54 states and territories under the distributor and Janssen deals. Under the Purdue deal, the Sacklers pay about $500 million in May 2027, $500 million in May 2028 and $400 million in May 2029. Local amounts vary. North Carolina's schedule, updated July 23, 2026, shows the first Purdue-Sackler payment arriving in FY 26-27.
Is there an opioid settlement payment estimator?
For individuals you do not need one, because the trust publishes fixed award amounts per tier. Your tier depends on how long you used a prescribed qualifying opioid before September 15, 2019. Subtract your attorney's fee and any lien to estimate your net payment. An “estimator” that asks for your Social Security number is not an official tool.
Why is part of my award being held back?
Health insurers, Medicare and Medicaid may have a right to repayment for opioid-related care, known as a lien. Until Med Lien Solutions finishes your review, the trust pays part of your award and holds back the rest, then releases what remains once your lien is resolved.
How can opioid settlement funds be used?
That question is about government money, not personal awards. States and local governments must use national settlement funds for opioid remediation, such as treatment, prevention and recovery, and must report any other use. Money you receive from the Purdue trust is your personal award.
How do I check my claim status or confirm an email is real?
Call the trust toll-free at 855-637-5538 or email purduepitrust@purduepitrust.com. If you have a lawyer, ask them first, because the trust sends correspondence to your attorney. Genuine emails come only from addresses ending in @purduepitrust.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.
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