People whose information was exposed in American Consumer Credit Counseling’s January 2025 email-account breach can seek as much as $3,580 under a proposed settlement, but that ceiling combines two forms of documented harm. Up to $3,500 covers unreimbursed out-of-pocket losses, and as much as $80 covers four hours spent responding to the incident. Claims must be submitted online or postmarked by September 16, 2026.
The $3,580 ceiling has two separate parts
The settlement class generally includes U.S. residents whose personally identifiable information was potentially compromised when a criminal accessed certain employee email accounts, including people who received a breach notice. American Consumer Credit Counseling denies wrongdoing, and the court has not made a liability finding. The agreement creates benefits now subject to final judicial approval, so eligibility does not itself establish that misuse occurred.
The administrator’s official FAQ caps documented out-of-pocket losses at $3,500. Eligible costs can include identity-theft or fraud losses, credit-report and monitoring fees, charges for freezing or unfreezing credit, replacement identification, postage, and related expenses. The loss must be traceable to the data incident and cannot already have been reimbursed by a bank, insurer, or another source. The ceiling does not replace the proof requirement.
Lost time is calculated separately at $20 an hour for as many as four hours, producing the additional $80. The claimant must briefly describe work performed in response to the breach, such as changing passwords, investigating suspicious transactions, or researching the incident. Adding the two maximums produces $3,580, but only a claimant who substantiates both categories can reach that total.
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A $45 alternative serves claimants without losses
Class members who cannot document economic harm are not shut out. Instead of the documented-loss package, they may request a one-time alternative cash payment of $45 without proof or explanation. The claimant chooses between the benefit categories; the $45 payment cannot be stacked on top of the $3,500 loss reimbursement and $80 time claim. That election is made on the same claim form.
Three years of one-bureau credit monitoring are also available, including financial-fraud insurance and access to resolution help. The authorized settlement site describes the monitoring alongside the cash choices. That service can be meaningful when exposed data creates continuing risk even though no unauthorized charge has appeared by the claim deadline. Monitoring alerts can surface new-account activity after cash claims have closed.
Eligibility is tied to the incident and class definition, not merely to having sought debt-counseling services at some point. The notice contains a login ID and PIN used by the claim portal. A person who believes a notice was lost can contact the administrator, but an unrelated customer relationship cannot substitute for records showing that information was potentially involved. The administrator, not a third-party listing, determines class membership.
The evidence burden rises with the requested amount. Bank statements, receipts, invoices, credit-freeze charges, correspondence about fraud, and replacement-document costs can substantiate the loss portion. A self-written explanation can connect the documents to the breach, but it is not a replacement for third-party proof. Lost-time descriptions should identify the actual tasks and hours rather than simply repeating that the breach caused worry.
September 16 comes before final approval
The official claim form says online submissions are due September 16, while paper forms must bear a postmark no later than that date. The same deadline governs supporting documentation. Saving the submission confirmation or mailing record provides evidence if the administrator later questions whether the claim was timely. An incomplete form can still fail even when transmitted before the cutoff.
The final approval hearing is scheduled for October 8, 2026. The judge will consider whether the agreement is fair and whether requested fees and awards should be approved. Benefits will not be distributed unless the settlement becomes final, and appeals can extend the wait. Filing secures consideration under the agreement; it does not establish an immediate payment date or guarantee that every submitted expense will be accepted.
The proposed settlement also requires claimants who remain in the class to release covered legal claims. Doing nothing produces no monitoring or cash but can still bind the class member after final approval. The earlier objection process is a separate legal choice from filing for benefits, and the official notice controls those rights rather than a third-party settlement summary. A claim accepts the negotiated benefit structure rather than preserving a separate lawsuit.
A legitimate administrator does not charge to submit the form or demand an online-banking password to release funds. Data-breach settlements often attract impersonation emails that copy company names and payout amounts. Claim credentials should be entered only through the authorized ACCC settlement domain reached independently, not through an unsolicited link that redirects to a fee or account-login request. The official contact information also appears in the court-authorized notice.
The headline maximum is real, but it is a combined ceiling built from documented money and documented time. Most eligible claimants will choose either the $45 no-proof payment or a smaller reimbursement matching actual records. The financial opportunity is therefore not a guaranteed $3,580 check; it is the right to present qualifying losses before September 16 and have the administrator evaluate them under the court-approved terms.
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by The Money Overview editorial team.
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