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Monday, October 05, 2026

Equifax's $100M Settlement Is Now Paying Claims: How to File Before the December Deadline

Credit score gauge showing scores from bad to excellent

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Equifax has opened the claims window for a $100 million class action settlement, and if an incorrect credit score of yours was reported to a lender in the spring of 2022, you could be owed money.

What Happened

Between March 17 and April 8, 2022, a coding error inside Equifax known as the "OMS Issue" caused wrong credit scores and attributes to be reported to lenders that pulled consumer files. For about three weeks, the numbers going out the door simply did not match the files behind them.

The lawsuit — In re Equifax Fair Credit Reporting Act Litigation, No. 1:22-cv-03072, filed in federal court in Georgia — was preliminarily approved on August 17, 2026. A final fairness hearing is set for January 22, 2027. Equifax has denied any wrongdoing.

Who Qualifies

The class covers people in the United States whose credit score was misreported to a third party during that March 17–April 8, 2022 window. Equifax identified class members from its own records, and notices are being sent by email and by mail.

If you received a notice, it should include a Claim ID and PIN for filing. Never got one? You can still contact the settlement administrator through the official settlement website before December 28 to find out whether you are included.

How Much Could You Get

The Equifax settlement fund totals $100 million, but it is not split equally among every class member. Court-approved attorneys' fees of up to one-third, plus the costs of administering the settlement, come out of the fund first. Whatever is left is divided equally among everyone who submits a valid claim.

The plaintiffs estimate that individual payments could fall between $95 and $280. Treat that number as an estimate, not a promise — the final amount depends on how many valid claims come in.

How to File Your Claim

Filing happens online. Head to the official settlement website, click "File Your Claim," and enter the Claim ID and PIN printed on your notice. The whole process takes only a few minutes.

If no notice ever reached you, reach out to the administrator through the official settlement website before the December 28 deadline to ask about your eligibility and file a claim.

Key Deadlines

Mark these dates. The claims deadline is December 28, 2026. Anyone who wants to opt out of the settlement or object to it must do so by November 27, 2026.

One more timing note: payments will not go out until the court grants final approval and any appeals are fully resolved, so do not expect money the day after you file.

Why This Story Matters

This piece of legal news is a reminder of how much weight a single number carries in consumer finance — your score can shape loan approvals, interest rates, and more. As of October 2026, the claims window is open, so if you think a lender saw the wrong score for you that spring, it is worth a few minutes to check.

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