Frequently Asked Questions

A class action settlement is a legal agreement where a company (the defendant) pays money to a group of consumers (the class members) to resolve a lawsuit without going to trial.

Class actions are filed when many people are harmed in the same way by the same company — a data breach that exposed your information, a product that didn't work as advertised, a bank that charged hidden fees, etc.

Once a settlement is approved by a court, anyone who qualifies can file a claim to receive their share of the settlement fund. Most people never file — which means money goes unclaimed. Use our free eligibility check to see which open settlements apply to you.

Each settlement has its own eligibility requirements — typically based on whether you:

• Purchased a specific product or used a specific service
• Had an account with the company during a certain date range
• Were affected by a specific incident (data breach, overcharge, etc.)
• Live in a specific state (some settlements are state-specific)

Every settlement listing on SettlementRadar includes a plain-English eligibility summary. If you match the description, you're likely eligible to file.

When in doubt, file. Submitting an ineligible claim is rarely penalized — the claims administrator simply rejects it. For the fastest answer, use our free 30-second eligibility check.

Every settlement on SettlementRadar is sourced from one of four verified sources:

• TopClassActions.com — the most widely read class action news site
• ClassAction.org — a legal resource with attorney-verified listings
• FTC.gov — Federal Trade Commission enforcement actions
• CFPB.gov — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau settlements

All settlements link back to the official claim filing portal — usually run by an independent claims administrator (not SettlementRadar). You never pay us to file.

Red flags to avoid elsewhere: sites that ask you to pay before you can access a settlement, or that promise a guaranteed payout amount before a claim is processed.

We believe transparency builds trust — so here's the honest answer: browsing SettlementRadar is always free. You can search every settlement, check eligibility, and file claims directly with the administrator at no cost.

We make money in two ways:

• $12.99 per claim — optional done-for-you filing assistance when you want help with the paperwork
• $9.99/mo Pro or $24.99/mo Family — subscription plans for unlimited filing help, claim tracking, and personalized alerts

We never take a percentage of your payout. If you receive $5,000 from a settlement, you keep $5,000. Settlement payouts come directly from court-appointed administrators — never from us. Read the full breakdown on our How We Make Money page.

"No Proof Required" means you don't need to submit a receipt, bank statement, or any other documentation to file a valid claim.

You simply certify that you qualify (e.g., "I owned this product" or "I had an account during this period") and submit your contact details. The claims administrator takes your word for it.

These are the easiest claims to file — and the ones most people overlook. 674 of our current settlements require zero documentation. See our complete guide to filing class action claims to learn which categories pay out without receipts — and how to maximize your payout.

Yes — absolutely. Class action claim filing is designed for everyday consumers, not lawyers. You don't need an attorney to file a claim, and you don't pay any legal fees from your payout.

The process typically takes 5–10 minutes:

• Fill out a form on the claims administrator's website
• Provide your name, address, and basic eligibility info
• Submit — done

Our step-by-step guide to filing class action claims walks you through the entire process — from checking eligibility to submitting your claim and tracking payment. Or if you'd rather skip the paperwork entirely, see below.

After you file, the claims administrator reviews your submission. The timeline from there:

• Claims review period — typically 1–6 months after the filing deadline closes
• Court approval — a judge gives final approval (if they haven't already)
• Distribution — payments are sent out, usually by check or electronic transfer

You'll typically receive a confirmation email when you file. Keep that. If the settlement specifies a payment method, check it matches what you submitted. You can track the status of filed claims using our claim tracker.

Total wait time from filing to payment is usually 6 months to 2 years, depending on the complexity of the case. Use our payout calculator upfront to estimate your expected payment for any open settlement.

Daily. Our scrapers run every morning at 2 AM UTC, pulling from TopClassActions, ClassAction.org, FTC.gov, and CFPB.gov. New settlements are indexed the same day they're announced.

We also auto-ping Google and Bing to get new pages indexed as quickly as possible. You can browse the latest additions on our settlement directory or filter by category — data breach, consumer products, financial fraud, and more.

To never miss a new settlement, subscribe to our weekly digest — we'll email you new open claims every week. You can also read our settlement news blog for analysis on the biggest new filings.

It varies widely. The typical range is $5 to $500 per person, depending on:

• The total size of the settlement fund
• How many people file valid claims (more claimants = smaller individual share)
• Whether you can document a larger loss
• Whether the settlement has fixed payouts vs. pro-rata distribution

High-documentation claims (with receipts or proof of harm) often qualify for higher tiers — sometimes $100–$1,000+. No-proof claims tend to pay out $10–$75.

Every listing on SettlementRadar shows the estimated payout range so you can decide if it's worth your time. Use our free class action payout calculator to get a personalized estimate for any specific settlement in under 60 seconds — just select the settlement and answer 2 eligibility questions.

Patience required. After you file:

• Minimum: ~6 months (fast settlements, already court-approved)
• Typical: 12–18 months
• Complex cases: 2–4 years

The wait is mostly driven by court schedules, the appeals process, and the time it takes to review all claims. Once the settlement administrator issues payments, you'll typically get them by check, PayPal, Venmo, or direct deposit — whatever you selected when filing.

Filing early doesn't make payment arrive faster — but missing the deadline means no payment at all. Track all upcoming filing deadlines on our settlement deadline calendar or filter by settlements closing soonest.

Yes. Browsing settlements, reading eligibility details, and clicking through to file a claim directly are all 100% free — always.

We make money through optional filing assistance and law firm advertising (see below). You are never required to pay us anything.

Optional. If you'd rather not deal with the paperwork yourself, we'll handle it for you.

For $12.99 flat, we:

• Collect the info we need from you (takes ~60 seconds)
• Fill out and submit the claim form on your behalf
• Handle follow-up if the claims administrator needs more info

There are no hidden fees, no percentage-of-payout cuts, no surprises. $12.99 is everything.

For settlements under $15 in expected payout, we'd recommend just filing yourself — it's not worth paying us. For higher-value settlements, filing assistance is often worth it to avoid mistakes that get claims rejected.

Yes. Here's what we collect and why:

• Email address (optional) — only if you subscribe to our weekly digest. We don't sell it. You can unsubscribe at any time.
• Filing info — if you use our $12.99 filing assistance, we collect the minimum info needed to complete your claim (name, address, qualifying details). It's transmitted securely and used only to file your claim.

We don't run ads that track you across the internet, we don't sell user data, and we don't require account creation to use the site.

Questions? Email us at contact@settlementradar.com.

All sales are final. You can cancel your subscription at any time — cancellation stops future billing, but no refund is issued for the current or any previous billing period.

One-time filing fees (Filing Assistance $12.99, Guided Filing $24.99) are also non-refundable. The only exception is if SettlementRadar is unable to deliver the service due to a verified technical issue on our end that we cannot resolve.

If you believe you qualify for a refund under that exception, contact us at contact@settlementradar.com within 7 days of purchase. See our full Refund Policy.