Heartland Payment Systems $18.25M MySchoolBucks Settlement

Parents or guardians who used a credit or debit card to upload money for school lunches on the MySchoolBucks platform between June 18, 2013, and July 31, 2019, may be eligible to claim a cash payment from a class action settlement.

Heartland Payment Systems LLC agreed to pay $18,250,000 to resolve a class action lawsuit alleging it improperly charged program fees to users of the MySchoolBucks website when they uploaded funds for student school lunches.

Who can file a MySchoolBucks claim?

Class members must meet all of the following criteria:

• They used a credit or debit card to upload money to the MySchoolBucks website.
• The uploaded funds were specifically for purchasing school lunches.
• The upload occurred between June 18, 2013, and July 31, 2019.
• Their last qualifying transaction was on or after Jan. 1, 2015.

Those who received a notice about the settlement most likely meet these criteria.

How much can class members get?

Pro rata payment: The net settlement fund will be divided among all approved claimants in proportion to the program fees they paid. The more class members paid in program fees, the larger their share of the settlement. The amount each class member can receive depends on:

• The total amount of program fees they paid to MySchoolBucks for school lunches between June 18, 2013, and July 31, 2019.
• The number of valid claims submitted by eligible class members.
• The amount deducted from the settlement fund for attorneys’ fees, litigation costs, service awards to the lead plaintiffs and administrative expenses.

How to claim a class action payment

Class members must file a claim online through the official settlement website. The process is straightforward and should take less than 5 minutes. There is no PDF claim form. Class members must submit the claim form by Aug. 20, 2025.

Is proof or documentation required to submit a claim?

No. Class members do not need to proactively provide documentation to prove class membership. The settlement administrator will use Heartland’s records to verify eligibility.

Payout options

• Electronic payment

$18.25 million Heartland Payment Systems settlement fund breakdown

The $18,250,000 settlement fund includes:

• Settlement administration costs: Up to $10,000
• Attorneys’ fees and expenses: Up to $5,475,000
• Service awards to class representatives: Up to $15,000 total
• Payments to eligible class members: Remainder of the fund

Important dates

• Claim deadline: Aug. 20, 2025
• Opt-out deadline: Aug. 28, 2025
• Fairness hearing: Sept. 25, 2025

When is the school lunch fees settlement payout date?

Payments will be made after the court grants final approval of the settlement and any appeals are resolved.

Why was there a lawsuit against Heartland Payment Systems?

The class action lawsuit alleged Heartland Payment Systems LLC improperly charged program fees to MySchoolBucks users when they uploaded money for school lunches. The plaintiffs claimed these fees were not legally allowed, resulting in users paying more than necessary.

Heartland denies any wrongdoing but agreed to settle the lawsuit to avoid further litigation.

Sources

1. Class notice
2. Settlement agreement
3. Settlement FAQ