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Individuals who disputed a hard inquiry on their Equifax credit report between Oct. 4, 2016, and March 27, 2026, may be eligible to claim approximately $100 to $400 from a class action settlement.
Equifax Information Services LLC agreed to pay $30 million to settle four class action lawsuits alleging it failed to properly investigate and respond to consumer disputes about hard inquiries on credit files. The lawsuits also claimed Equifax did not maintain reasonable procedures for such disputes or remove disputed inquiries from credit files as required by law.
Who can file a claim?
There are three groups of class members:
- Certified group: All individuals residing in the United States and its territories for whom Equifax’s records show:
- Equifax received a mailed letter disputing one or more hard inquiries between Oct. 4, 2016, and March 27, 2026.
- Equifax coded the inquiry dispute as “not mine” (001) or “unauthorized” (383).
- Equifax sent a document containing “Cons Comm 664” (such as a letter stating “inquiries are a factual record of file access”) in response.
- General dispute group: All individuals for whom Equifax’s records show it received one or more disputes of a hard inquiry between Aug. 31, 2021, and March 27, 2026.
- New York subclass: Individuals in the certified group with an address in New York who received a “Cons Comm 664” letter in response to a mailed dispute between Nov. 27, 2017, and Sept. 10, 2024.
There are approximately 3 million class members who can benefit from the settlement
How much can class members receive?
The amount each class member may receive depends on which group they belong to and the total number of valid claims submitted. The settlement administrator estimates payments to be:
- Certified group: Approximately $300 per valid claim
- General dispute group: Approximately $100 per valid claim
- New York subclass: Approximately $400 per valid claim
How to claim an Equifax payment
To receive a payment, class members must submit an online claim form or print and complete the PDF claim form and mail it to the settlement administrator.
Settlement administrator's mailing address: Hines v. Equifax, c/o Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 16, West Point, PA 19486
The deadline to file a claim is Nov. 29, 2026.
Required information
- Class members using the online claim form must provide the claim number and PIN they received in their settlement notice.
- Class members must certify under penalty of perjury that they disputed an inquiry on their Equifax credit report and experienced an economic loss, loss of privacy or other negative consequences or that an entity denied them credit due to a disputed inquiry.
Payout options
- Electronic payment (if selected on the online claim form)
- Paper check mailed to the address provided on the claim form
$30 million settlement fund breakdown
The $30,000,000 settlement fund includes:
- Settlement administration costs: Amount not specified
- Attorneys' fees: Up to $10,000,000
- Attorneys' expenses: Up to $260,000
- Service awards to class representatives: Up to $15,000 each ($60,000 total)
- Payments to eligible class members: Remainder of the settlement fund
Important dates
- Deadline to opt-out: Nov. 20, 2026
- Deadline to file a claim: Nov. 29, 2026
- Final approval hearing: Dec. 10, 2026
When is the Equifax settlement payout date?
The settlement administrator will issue payments to eligible class members after the court resolves any appeals and grants final approval of the settlement.
Why did this class action settlement happen?
The settlement resolves four lawsuits alleging Equifax failed to conduct reasonable investigations of disputes regarding hard inquiries on credit files, did not maintain reasonable procedures for such disputes and did not remove disputed inquiries when appropriate. The plaintiffs claimed these actions violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act and similar state laws in New York and New Jersey.
Equifax denied any wrongdoing but agreed to settle to avoid further litigation expense and uncertainty.
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