Open vs. closed class action settlements: what each status means

Settlements move through a predictable sequence set by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(e): the judge grants preliminary approval, notice goes out and claims open, the claim deadline passes, the court holds a fairness hearing, and payments follow final approval. Under the Class Action Fairness Act, final approval cannot come until at least 90 days after federal and state officials are notified of the proposed settlement, which is one reason the sequence takes months. Our labels track where a settlement sits in that sequence:

Our status is based on the claim deadline and payment updates posted on the official settlement website, measured against today's date. Because deadlines and hearing dates can move, always confirm on the official site before relying on a status.

An open settlement has a live claims period. You can submit a claim form on the official website, usually online, sometimes by mail. Open settlements also usually have an open window to opt out or object, but those deadlines can differ from the claim deadline.

Examples of open settlements as of September 2026:

• The $309.5 million Amazon returns settlement is accepting claims through December 1, 2026, with a final approval hearing set for March 16, 2027, according to the official settlement website.
• The Visa and Mastercard non-bank ATM fee settlement lists a claim deadline of February 10, 2027.
• The RealPage rental antitrust settlements list a claim deadline of January 29, 2027.

Open does not mean final. The court still has to approve the deal at the fairness hearing, and if it does not, no one is paid under that version of the settlement. You can see every current deadline on our open settlements list.

A closed settlement has passed its claim deadline but has not paid out yet. This is often the longest stretch for people who filed, because the fairness hearing may come weeks or months after the deadline, and any appeal can add a year or more.

For example, the $68 million Google Assistant privacy settlement closed to claims on August 27, 2026, and its final approval hearing is set for October 1, 2026. The YouTube TV auto-renewal settlement required claims by August 30, 2026. People who filed in either case are waiting; people who did not file cannot join now.

A closed status also covers settlements where the court has already approved the deal but payments have not started, often because an objector appealed. Under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 4, a notice of appeal in a civil case is generally due within 30 days after judgment, so administrators usually wait at least that long before paying.

A paying settlement is sending money now. The Fortnite FTC refund program closed to claims on July 9, 2025, but the FTC has continued sending payments in rounds. According to the FTC, its second round of Fortnite refunds in June 2025 sent more than $126 million to 969,173 players. A paid settlement has finished its distribution; the Chick-fil-A delivery fee settlement sent payments in June 2024.

Some settlements never require a claim. When a company has good records of who was affected and how much, the court may approve automatic payments. The Costa Del Mar repair settlement pays eligible class members automatically, and the Wells Fargo CARES Act settlement mailed checks without a claim form. In these cases the key action is making sure the administrator has your current address or payment details, and cashing the check before it expires.

Uncashed checks do not vanish. Settlements often redistribute leftover money to class members who cashed their first payment or send it to a cy pres recipient approved by the court. See what happens to unclaimed settlement money.

Missing a claim deadline usually means missing the payment. A few things are still worth checking:

• Late claims. Some settlement agreements let the administrator or the court accept late claims for good cause, especially before payments are calculated. It costs nothing to contact the administrator and ask, but do not count on it.
• Automatic payments. If the settlement pays some class members without a claim, you may still receive money.
• A different settlement. Related cases against the same company sometimes have their own later deadlines.

Missing the claim deadline does not free you from the settlement. For example, the Google Assistant settlement's claim, exclusion, and objection deadlines all fell on August 27, 2026, so a class member who missed that date lost both the payment and the chance to opt out. If you fit the class definition and did not opt out by the exclusion deadline, the settlement's release generally still bars you from suing over the same claims. Our guide on being bound by a class action settlement explains why.

1. Go to the official settlement website named in the notice. The home page or "Important Dates" section lists the claim, exclusion, and objection deadlines and the hearing date.
2. Look for a news or update section. Administrators post when final approval is granted, when appeals are filed, and when payments go out.
3. Check the court docket for the case number if the site has not been updated. Final approval orders and notices of appeal appear there first.
4. Contact the administrator with your claim ID if you filed and want to confirm your claim was accepted.

Federal dockets are searchable on PACER at $0.10 per page, and fees are waived for anyone who spends $30 or less in a quarter. Our guide on how to check a settlement's status walks through each step. If your harm goes beyond what a class settlement pays, such as an injury or a large loss, a free case review takes about two minutes and connects you with independent attorneys who handle these cases.