How to Cash a Class Action Settlement Check (and What to Do If It Is Expired, Lost, or in the Wrong Name)

Depositing a settlement check

Endorse the back with the name as printed on the check and deposit it through your bank's app, an ATM, or a teller. Mobile deposit works for most settlement checks; if the app rejects it, the usual culprit is a name mismatch or a check that has passed its void date. Keep the check until the deposit clears. If you do not have a bank account, a check-cashing service will typically charge a fee, so a bank or credit union account is the better route for anything more than a small amount.

The name is wrong or you changed it

Checks are issued to the name in the administrator's records, which came from the defendant's data or your claim form. A maiden name, a misspelling, or a former spouse's name is common. Banks vary in how strict they are; some accept a check endorsed in both names with identification, others require a corrected check. If the bank refuses, contact the administrator with your claim ID and ask for a reissue in your current legal name.

Expired, lost, or never arrived

Settlement checks are void after the date printed on them, sometimes only 60 days after issue. If yours is expired, lost, or never arrived, contact the administrator. Where money remains in the settlement fund, administrators can often reissue payments; the FTC's refund FAQ describes the same approach for its own programs. Some courts, such as the Northern District of California, also call for an accounting after checks become stale.

If the fund has already been closed out, the money may have gone to a second distribution, to cy pres recipients, or to your state's unclaimed property program, where it can still be claimed under your name.

Do not deposit a check that asks for something back

The FTC's fake check guidance applies directly to settlements: a real settlement check never comes with instructions to send part of the money somewhere or pay a fee. Banks must make deposited funds available quickly, so a fake check can look cleared for weeks before it bounces and the money is pulled back from your account. If a check arrives for a settlement you never filed in, verify the administrator through the official settlement website first.

Keep the record

Note the settlement, the amount, and the date received. If the payment is taxable, that record belongs with the return for the year you received it. TapClaim keeps each filed claim with its status and payment, which turns this into a glance rather than a search through old mail.