Equifax Credit Score Error Settlement: The $100 Million FCRA Deal

What the $100 Million Equifax Settlement Is

Equifax has agreed to pay $100 million to settle In re Equifax Fair Credit Reporting Act Litigation, a class action over a 2022 coding error that changed some credit scores. The class covers people in the United States for whom Equifax reported a credit score or credit attribute to a third party between March 17 and April 8, 2022 that differed from what it would have been without the error, according to Equifax’s own analysis. Payment is not automatic. A claim form is required by December 28, 2026, and filing takes the Claim Number and PIN printed on the settlement notice.

The case is in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, No. 1:22-cv-3072, before Judge Leigh Martin May. She granted preliminary approval on August 17, 2026. As of November 14, 2026, final approval has not happened.

The settlement is not an admission. The court-approved notice says Equifax “denies that it did anything wrong and that it violated the law,” and that the Court has not decided which side is right. Class counsel says the class is about 4 million people. The court documents we read do not state a class size.

What Went Wrong in 2022 and the CFPB Order

In a statement dated August 2, 2022, Equifax described a “coding issue within a legacy, on-premise server environment” that “impacted how some credit scores were calculated.” Equifax said the information in credit reports was not changed, that most scores did not shift, and that “less than 300,000 consumers experienced a score shift of 25 points or more.” It also said a score shift does not necessarily mean a credit decision was negatively affected.

That statement gave the dates as March 17 to April 6, 2022. The settlement class definition and the federal regulator’s order both use April 8, 2022 as the end date. For eligibility, the settlement’s dates control: March 17 to April 8, 2022.

Equifax’s statement gave no total number of people affected. The plaintiffs allege the error produced inaccurate credit information on millions of consumers who were applying for loans. That is an allegation, not a court finding.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a consent order against Equifax on January 17, 2025, with a $15 million civil penalty. The order mainly covers how Equifax investigated consumer disputes, and it also addresses the 2022 coding error.

According to the order, Equifax made a code change in its Online Model Server on March 17, 2022 that caused date-based attributes to use a fixed date instead of the current date, and the error persisted until April 8, 2022. The order says Equifax concluded that “over 600,000 consumers were underscored by 10 or more points and 139,000 consumers saw a score decrease of 25 points or more.” These figures measure something different from Equifax’s 2022 number, which did not specify a direction.

Equifax consented to the order without admitting or denying its findings. The CFPB penalty is separate from the class settlement, and none of the $15 million is paid to class members.

Who Is Covered and What the Payment Could Be

Class membership is set by Equifax’s records, not by self-identification. The notice says that anyone who received an emailed or mailed notice got it because Equifax’s records show that person is a class member. The third parties that received the scores include lenders, insurers and other businesses that use credit information.

There are no payment tiers. Every class member who files a valid, timely claim receives an equal pro rata share of the fund that remains after court-approved attorneys’ fees, expenses and administration costs. The claim form does not ask for proof of a denied loan or a higher interest rate.

The plaintiffs estimate payments at approximately $95 to $280, based on typical claim rates in similar cases, and the notice says the actual amount may be higher or lower. Class counsel will ask for fees of up to one-third of the fund ($33,333,333) plus up to $500,000 in expenses. The administrator will include a notice telling recipients to seek personal tax advice; our guide on whether lawsuit settlements are taxable covers the general rules.

How to File a Claim

Claims are filed online at equifaxfaircreditreportingsettlement.com using the Claim Number and PIN from the notice, or by mailing the claim form to the administrator, Verita Global, postmarked by the deadline. The court-approved form asks for:

• The Claim Number (it begins with EFX) and PIN from the notice
• Full name and email address
• A payment choice: electronic payment or a prepaid card sent by mail
• An updated mailing address, if it has changed
• A signature under the statement that the person believes they were harmed and wishes to recover

Notices were emailed where Equifax had an email address and mailed where it did not or the email bounced, so the notice may be in a spam folder. The official FAQ describes no lookup tool for people without a notice. Anyone who believes they are covered can contact the administrator at 1-888-808-1542 or info@EquifaxFairCreditReportingSettlement.com. We have not confirmed that the administrator can issue a Claim Number, or which electronic payment options are offered.

The official site blocked our automated access on November 14, 2026, so the facts here come from archived copies of the site from October 2026 and from the court filings. Readers should confirm all dates on the official site before acting.

Deadlines and Other Options

• November 27, 2026: deadline to opt out or object
• December 28, 2026: deadline to file a claim, online or postmarked
• January 22, 2027: final approval hearing in Atlanta

The notice says an opt-out request must be signed and mailed by the class member personally, and that no third party or company can complete it. A class member may object and still file a claim, but may not object after opting out.

The Separate $30 Million Hard-Inquiry Dispute Settlement

A second Equifax settlement is open at the same time and is easy to confuse with this one. Hines v. Equifax Information Services, LLC, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, is a $30 million deal over how Equifax handled disputes of hard inquiries. The plaintiffs allege Equifax did not contact the companies that requested the reports or remove the disputed inquiries. Equifax denies the allegations.

It covers two groups, based on Equifax’s records. The Certified Group mailed Equifax a letter disputing a hard inquiry between October 4, 2016 and March 27, 2026, had the dispute coded as “not mine” or “unauthorized,” and was sent a response stating that inquiries are a factual record of file access. The General Dispute Group covers people whose hard-inquiry dispute Equifax received between August 31, 2021 and March 27, 2026. The settlement site estimates about $300 for the Certified Group, $100 for the General Dispute Group and $400 for a New York subclass, and says amounts may be lower or higher.

The opt-out and objection deadline is November 20, 2026, the claim deadline is November 29, 2026, and the final approval hearing is December 10, 2026. Claims use a Claim Number and PIN at EquifaxDisputeClassAction.com. That site tells people who have no notice but believe they are covered to contact the settlement administrator at (833) 244-4150 or questions@EquifaxDisputeClassAction.com. Our Settlement Tracker lists other open settlements and their deadlines.

Not the 2017 Data Breach Settlement

Neither settlement is related to the 2017 Equifax data breach, which affected about 147 million people. That settlement, announced in July 2019, was worth at least $575 million and potentially up to $700 million. Its claim deadline was January 22, 2024, so claims are closed. Our Equifax data breach lawsuit page covers that case.

What Is Not Settled Yet

As of November 14, 2026, the $100 million settlement has preliminary approval only. The final approval hearing is set for January 22, 2027, objections are due November 27, 2026, and the notice says the hearing may be moved or held remotely without further notice.

No payment date has been set. Under the agreement, Equifax funds the balance within 10 days after the settlement becomes effective, which requires final approval and the end of any appeals, and the administrator sends payments within 14 days after that. An appeal would delay payment; see how long lawsuit settlements take. The final amount per person depends on how many valid claims are filed and what fees the Court awards.