Equifax has agreed to establish a $2.2 million settlement fund to resolve a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that it reported the same collection account more than once on certain consumer credit reports. Eligible class members may submit claims for cash payments expected to be up to $600, while all class members may receive six months of free Equifax credit monitoring.
The settlement has received preliminary approval but is not yet final. The deadline to submit a cash claim is September 1, 2026, and the court has scheduled a final approval hearing for October 6, 2026.
What Is the Equifax FCRA Lawsuit About?
The case is titled Bradberry v. Equifax Information Services, LLC. It is pending in the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
Plaintiff Charmayne Bradberry alleged that Equifax violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act by including the same collection account more than once on her consumer credit report.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires consumer reporting agencies to use reasonable procedures to ensure that the information in credit reports is as accurate as possible.
A duplicated collection account may make it appear that a consumer has more unpaid debt than they actually owe. This could affect how lenders, landlords, insurers or other businesses evaluate the person’s credit history.
Equifax denies violating the law or engaging in wrongdoing. The court has not decided which side is correct. The settlement is intended to avoid the cost, delay and uncertainty of continuing the lawsuit.
Who Qualifies for the Equifax Settlement?
The settlement covers US consumers whom Equifax identified as having received a Duplicate Reporting Letter in August or September 2022.
The letter informed recipients that their Equifax credit files may have shown the same collection account more than once when a business accessed their report.
Equifax records indicate that approximately 37,651 people received these letters.
Receiving a general message from Equifax does not automatically make someone eligible. This case is also separate from the much larger settlement connected with the company’s 2017 data breach.
Eligible consumers should have received a settlement notice by email or post. The notice normally contains an identification number and a personal identification number needed to submit an online claim.
How Much Is the Equifax Settlement Payout?
Eligible class members who submit valid claims may receive a cash payment expected to be up to $600.
However, $600 is only an estimated maximum. It is not a guaranteed payment for every claimant.
The actual amount will depend on several factors, including:
- The number of valid claims submitted
- Settlement administration expenses
- Court-approved legal fees
- Litigation costs
- The amount remaining in the settlement fund
Each approved claimant will receive a proportional share of the available cash fund.
To request money, a class member must confirm that they experienced harm connected with the alleged duplicate reporting. The claim must be complete, submitted before the deadline and matched with a person included in Equifax’s official settlement records.
What Credit Monitoring Is Included?
All eligible class members may receive six months of free access to Equifax Complete, even when they do not submit a claim for cash.
The service may include:
- Access to credit reports and credit scores
- Alerts about important changes to a credit file
- Monitoring for suspicious activity
- Up to $500,000 in coverage for certain identity-theft expenses
Eligible consumers are expected to receive a benefit code and enrolment instructions after the settlement becomes effective.
Class members must still complete the registration process. However, they should not be charged for the approved six-month period.
What Is the Claim Deadline?
The deadline to submit a cash claim is September 1, 2026.
The same date applies to people who want to object to the settlement or exclude themselves from it.
Online claimants normally need the Notice ID and PIN provided in their settlement notice. Eligible consumers may also be able to request or submit a paper claim form.
A person who excludes themselves will not receive cash or credit-monitoring benefits. However, they will keep the right to bring a separate legal claim against Equifax over the same duplicate-reporting issue.
People who remain in the settlement will generally release the covered claims if the court grants final approval.
When Will Equifax Settlement Payments Be Sent?
There is currently no confirmed payout date.
The court has scheduled the final approval hearing for October 6, 2026. During the hearing, the judge will consider whether the settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate.
Payments cannot be sent until the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved.
Approved claimants may receive payment through a paper cheque or an available electronic payment option selected during the claim process.
Claimants should not expect payment immediately after the September claim deadline. The settlement must first complete the final court-review process.
What Else Has Equifax Agreed to Do?
Equifax has agreed to confirm that affected duplicate collection accounts have been removed from class members’ credit files.
The company must also remove any remaining duplicate accounts connected with the reporting problem described in the 2022 letters.
Equifax has further agreed to continue using changes intended to prevent the same collection account from appearing more than once on a single consumer report.
These changes are separate from the cash payment and credit-monitoring benefits.
Is This the Equifax Data Breach Settlement?
No. This settlement is different from the major Equifax data breach settlement involving personal information exposed during the 2017 cybersecurity incident.
The current case concerns allegations that Equifax duplicated collection accounts on certain credit reports.
Someone who received money or credit-monitoring benefits from the data breach settlement is not automatically eligible for this FCRA settlement.
The Current Settlement Position
The Equifax FCRA settlement provides a $2.2 million fund for approximately 37,651 consumers who were sent duplicate-reporting letters in August or September 2022.
Eligible consumers may submit claims for payments of up to $600 and may receive six months of free credit monitoring.
Claims must be submitted by September 1, 2026. However, payments will not begin until the settlement receives final approval and all legal requirements are completed.