Equifax has agreed to put $100 million into a settlement over a 2022 computer coding problem that caused it to report inaccurate credit scores to lenders and other businesses, and the window to claim a share is open until Monday, December 28.
The claim form is required. A person who fits the class but never files stays bound by the settlement and receives nothing from it, and two earlier dates in November govern anyone who would rather leave the deal or argue against it.
What went wrong at Equifax in the spring of 2022
The settlement traces back to what the court papers call the “OMS Issue,” a coding problem inside Equifax’s systems. According to the official settlement website, the class covers every individual in the United States for whom Equifax reported a credit score or credit attribute to a third party that differed from what it would have been without that problem, between March 17 and April 8, 2022.
That three-week window matters because credit scores are not just a number on a report. They are what lenders use to price mortgages, auto loans and credit cards, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes them as a prediction of credit behavior that can change the terms a borrower is offered. A score that came back wrong during a loan application could have shaped the outcome without the applicant ever knowing why.
Equifax denies that it violated the law. The settlement website describes the deal as a compromise, and no court has found the company liable.
Two deadlines, one notice: The Equifax notice sets November 27 for opting out or objecting and December 28 for claims, and a household that confuses the two can lose either the payment or the right to sue. The four-date rule for reading a settlement notice lays out which date controls which choice, in The Settlement & Refund Recovery System.
How the $100 million gets divided
Nobody receives a fixed amount. The settlement’s frequently asked questions page says every class member who submits a valid and timely claim form receives an equal, pro rata share of what is left after approved costs are taken out.
Those costs are not small. Class counsel plans to ask for attorneys’ fees of up to one-third of the fund, which is $33,333,333, plus up to $500,000 in litigation expenses. Administration costs also come out before any distribution.
The plaintiffs estimate payments at roughly $95 to $280 per claimant, and the settlement site is careful to add that the actual amount may be higher or lower. The figure depends on how many valid claims arrive, which will not be known until after December 28. A low claim rate pushes individual payments up. A high one pulls them down.
The dates that decide each choice
The settlement sets three deadlines, and they do not all fall on the same day.
Claims are due December 28, 2026, either submitted online through the official site or postmarked by that date. Requests to be excluded from the settlement, known as opting out, must be postmarked by November 27, 2026. Objections are due the same day.
Opting out is the only route that preserves a class member’s right to bring a separate lawsuit against Equifax over the same issue. It also means giving up any payment from this fund. Objecting is different: an objector stays in the class and simply tells the court what is wrong with the deal.
The court will hold a final approval hearing on January 22, 2027, at 2:00 p.m. at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building in Atlanta. That hearing decides whether the settlement and the fee request are approved. It is not a second claim deadline, and the timing of any payment depends on that ruling.
Who should already have heard from the administrator
The settlement website is built around the official notices sent to people identified as class members. Its FAQ directs anyone who believes they belong in the class but did not receive a notice to contact the settlement administrator, which can be reached at 1-888-808-1542.
That matters because the class is defined by Equifax’s own records of which reports were affected, not by whether a person happened to apply for credit in the spring of 2022. Someone who applied for a car loan that April is not automatically included, and someone who does not remember applying for anything may be.
The claim form itself runs through the settlement administrator’s portal, which the official site links directly. Filing costs nothing.
Checking a credit file while the window is open
The settlement does not correct anyone’s current credit report, because the coding problem affected scores reported during a specific three-week window in 2022 rather than the underlying files. Still, the case is a reminder that credit data can be wrong in ways consumers never see.
Federal law gives every consumer free access to credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion through AnnualCreditReport.com, the only site authorized for that purpose. Errors on a report can be disputed directly with the bureau that reported them.
Settlement claims also attract imitations. A real administrator does not charge a fee to file and does not ask for a bank password. The safest route to the claim form is to type the official settlement address directly rather than clicking a link in an unexpected email.
One claim, three calendar dates
The Equifax claim closes December 28, but the choice between filing, opting out and objecting has to be settled before November 27, and no payment can be scheduled until the court rules at a January hearing. A claim filed now still has to be tracked for months after the form is submitted.
The Settlement & Refund Recovery System pairs the four-date rule for reading a settlement notice with a step-by-step filing walkthrough and a claim log and payment tracker, so the Equifax filing and its later payment status sit in one record.
Read the four-date rule in The Settlement & Refund Recovery System.
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy against the official Equifax settlement website and its frequently asked questions.
Silas Redmond writes about the structure of modern banking, financial regulations, and the rules that govern money movement. His work examines how institutions, policies, and compliance frameworks affect individuals and businesses alike. At The Daily Overview, Silas aims to help readers better understand the systems operating behind everyday financial decisions. He also covers scams, fraud cases and the audits that expose them.
