AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim Guide 2026: Eligibility, Payouts & Latest Status

The AT&T data breach settlement claim process remains active in 2026, but the regular filing period has ended. AT&T agreed to a proposed $177 million class action settlement resolving litigation related to two separate data incidents disclosed in 2024.

Anyone researching an AT&T data breach settlement claim today should understand one important point: the standard deadline to submit a new claim was December 18, 2025, so new claims are no longer being accepted.

However, the settlement process itself is not finished.

Some people who submitted an AT&T data breach settlement claim before the deadline are now being asked to provide additional information or documentation. Certain claimants who received a Notice of Deficient Claim Form must respond by September 8, 2026.

The Final Approval Hearing took place on January 15, 2026. As of August 28, 2026, the court-authorized settlement website says the court is still considering whether to grant final approval. There is therefore no official AT&T settlement payout date yet.

This guide explains the latest settlement status, eligibility requirements, possible payouts, the frequently mentioned $7,500 maximum, documented-loss requirements, deficient claims, payment methods, claim review, and what existing claimants should do next.

Quick Answer: AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim

The proposed settlement totals $177 million, divided between two settlement funds.

The September 8, 2026 deadline is not a new AT&T data breach settlement claim deadline. It applies only to certain people who previously filed claims and later received a Notice of Deficient Claim Form requesting additional information.

Key Takeaways

• The proposed AT&T data breach settlement totals $177 million.
• AT&T 1 has a $149 million settlement fund.
• AT&T 2 has a $28 million settlement fund.
• The regular AT&T data breach settlement claim deadline was December 18, 2025.
• New claims are no longer being accepted.
• AT&T 1 documented-loss claims can potentially reach $5,000.
• AT&T 2 documented-loss claims can potentially reach $2,500.
• Certain people affected by both incidents may potentially qualify for up to $7,500 in separate documented losses.
• The $7,500 figure is a maximum, not a guaranteed settlement check.
• Certain deficient claims must be corrected by September 8, 2026.
• Final court approval remains pending.
• No official payout date has been announced.
• Kroll Settlement Administration LLC continues to review existing claims.

What Is the AT&T Data Breach Settlement?

The settlement resolves class action litigation connected with two separate AT&T data incidents disclosed in 2024. The first incident was announced on March 30, 2024, after AT&T-related customer information appeared in data published on the dark web.

A second incident was publicly disclosed on July 12, 2024, after a threat actor unlawfully accessed an AT&T workspace on a third-party cloud platform and copied call and text interaction records.

Multiple lawsuits followed the incidents. The parties agreed in March 2025 to resolve claims involving the two incidents together in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

The proposed settlement established:

AT&T agreed to the settlement without admitting wrongdoing or liability.

The court has also not ruled that AT&T violated the law.

Who Is Handling the AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim Process?

Kroll Settlement Administration LLC is the court-approved Settlement Administrator responsible for processing each eligible AT&T data breach settlement claim.

The litigation is formally titled:

In re: AT&T Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation

MDL Docket No. 3:24-md-03114-E

The case is before Judge Ada E. Brown in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Kroll’s responsibilities include:

• Processing submitted claims
• Reviewing supporting documentation
• Verifying settlement eligibility
• Identifying duplicate claims
• Requesting missing information
• Reviewing deficient claims
• Detecting possible fraudulent or abusive submissions
• Administering settlement distributions when authorized

The court-authorized settlement site states that it is the only authorized website for this case.

What Happened in the First AT&T Data Incident?

AT&T announced the first incident on March 30, 2024.

The settlement refers to this as the AT&T 1 Data Incident.

Information potentially involved included combinations of:

• Names
• Mailing addresses
• Telephone numbers
• Email addresses
• Dates of birth
• Account passcodes
• Billing account numbers
• Social Security numbers

Not every affected person necessarily had every type of information exposed.

The type of information involved is important when evaluating an AT&T data breach settlement claim because AT&T 1 provided different payment options depending partly on whether a claimant’s Social Security number was included.

What Happened in the Second AT&T Data Incident?

AT&T publicly disclosed the second incident on July 12, 2024.

According to AT&T’s SEC filing, a threat actor unlawfully accessed an AT&T workspace hosted on a third-party cloud platform between April 14 and April 25, 2024, and copied records containing customer call and text interactions.

The affected data included records associated with nearly all AT&T wireless customers and customers of mobile virtual network operators using AT&T’s wireless network during certain periods in 2022.

AT&T said the compromised records did not contain the content of calls or text messages and did not include Social Security numbers or dates of birth.

Information involved included:

• Telephone numbers
• Numbers customers communicated with
• Counts of call or text interactions
• Aggregate call duration
• Cell-site identification numbers for a relatively small subset of records

AT&T 1 vs. AT&T 2 Settlement

The two settlement classes have different eligibility rules and payment options.

People who qualify under both settlement classes are known as Overlap Settlement Class Members.

Who Was Eligible for an AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim?

Eligibility for an AT&T data breach settlement claim depended on whether a person’s information was included in AT&T 1, AT&T 2, or both incidents.

AT&T 1 Settlement Class

The AT&T 1 Settlement Class generally includes living people in the United States whose covered information was included in the first incident.

Potential information included:

• Name
• Address
• Phone number
• Email address
• Date of birth
• Account passcode
• Billing account number
• Social Security number

AT&T 2 Settlement Class

AT&T 2 generally includes qualifying:

• Account Owners
• Line Users
• End Users

whose relevant call or text records were involved in the second incident.

Certain customers of mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs, using AT&T’s wireless network may also qualify.

Overlap Settlement Class Members

Some consumers were affected by both incidents.

An Overlap Settlement Class Member could potentially qualify for settlement benefits from both AT&T 1 and AT&T 2.

However, someone requesting documented-loss payments from both funds cannot use the same expense or supporting evidence twice.

Separate qualifying losses must support each AT&T data breach settlement claim benefit.

How Much Is an AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim Worth?

There is no single guaranteed payout amount for every claimant.

The value of an AT&T data breach settlement claim can depend on:

• Which settlement class applies
• Which benefit the claimant selected
• The value of qualifying documented losses
• Whether supporting documentation is accepted
• The total number of valid claims
• Settlement administration expenses
• Court-approved fees and costs
• The amount available in the applicable Net Settlement Fund

AT&T 1 Documented Loss Payment

Eligible AT&T 1 claimants could request reimbursement of qualifying documented losses up to:

$5,000 per Settlement Class Member

Claimants must provide reasonable documentation showing that losses are fairly traceable to the first incident.

AT&T 1 Tier 1 Cash Payment

AT&T 1 class members whose Social Security numbers were included in the incident could select a Tier 1 Cash Payment instead of documented-loss reimbursement.

Tier 1 payments are calculated on a pro rata basis.

Under the settlement structure, a valid Tier 1 payment is scheduled to equal five times the Tier 2 payment amount.

AT&T 1 Tier 2 Cash Payment

AT&T 1 class members whose qualifying information was involved but whose Social Security numbers were not included could qualify for Tier 2.

Tier 2 is also calculated on a pro rata basis.

Its exact dollar amount cannot be determined until valid claims and available settlement funds are known.

AT&T 2 Documented Loss Payment

Eligible AT&T 2 claimants could request:

Up to $2,500 in qualifying documented losses

Current deficiency guidance states that AT&T 2 losses generally must have occurred on or after April 14, 2024 and be fairly traceable to the second incident.

AT&T 2 Tier 3 Cash Payment

Eligible AT&T 2 Account Owners could select a Tier 3 Cash Payment instead of documented-loss reimbursement.

Tier 3 is calculated as a pro rata share of the applicable AT&T 2 Net Settlement Fund.

AT&T 2 Line or End Users who were not Account Owners are not eligible for Tier 3. Their available benefit is limited to qualifying documented losses.

Can an AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim Pay $7,500?

Potentially, but $7,500 is not a standard payment and is not guaranteed.

The figure comes from combining the maximum documented-loss benefits under the two settlements:

A claimant could potentially reach the combined maximum only if they:

• Qualify under both settlement classes
• Have sufficient eligible losses under AT&T 1
• Have separate eligible losses under AT&T 2
• Provide acceptable supporting documentation
• Do not claim the same expense twice

Therefore, headlines suggesting that every AT&T customer will automatically receive $7,500 are misleading.

The $7,500 figure represents a possible combined documented-loss maximum for certain qualifying overlap claimants.

What Counts as an Eligible Documented Loss?

A documented-loss AT&T data breach settlement claim generally involves actual, unreimbursed financial expenses reasonably connected with one of the covered incidents.

Examples identified in the settlement guidance include:

• Identity theft losses
• Identity fraud expenses
• Fraudulent tax-return related costs
• Expenses connected with misuse of personal information
• Credit-monitoring expenses
• Postage
• Copying
• Notary expenses
• Mileage
• Long-distance telephone charges
• Other reasonable breach-related mitigation expenses

Supporting evidence can include:

• Receipts
• Bills
• Account statements
• Financial records
• Invoices
• Other independently created records showing the expense

Self-created documentation alone is generally insufficient, although it may help explain other evidence.

What Losses Are Not Eligible?

Certain claimed losses do not qualify for settlement reimbursement.

Examples include:

• Medical bills
• Emotional distress
• Estimated lost wages
• Estimated lost time
• Credit-score reductions
• Services performed personally by the claimant
• Expenses already reimbursed from another source

The settlement therefore focuses primarily on qualifying documented financial losses, rather than every inconvenience associated with a data breach.

What Does “Fairly Traceable” Mean?

A financial loss does not qualify for an AT&T data breach settlement claim merely because it occurred after one of the data incidents.

There must be a reasonable connection between the loss and information involved in the relevant incident.

Current deficiency guidance states that qualifying losses generally must have occurred:

• On or after January 1, 2019 for AT&T 1, or
• On or after April 14, 2024 for AT&T 2

and no later than the earlier of the claim submission date or December 18, 2025.

When identity theft or fraud is involved, the personal information used must also correspond to the type of personal information previously provided to AT&T.

Is There a $25 Million Cap on AT&T 1 Documented-Loss Payments?

Yes.

This is important when estimating the potential value of an AT&T data breach settlement claim. Although the overall AT&T 1 Settlement Fund totals $149 million, the settlement structure provides an aggregate allocation of up to $25 million for approved AT&T 1 documented-loss payments before the applicable remaining fund is distributed through the tier structure.

If the value of approved documented-loss claims exceeds the available allocation, individual payments can be reduced.

This is another reason the $5,000 maximum should not be treated as a guaranteed $5,000 payment.

How Are Final AT&T Settlement Payments Calculated?

The headline $149 million and $28 million settlement fund totals are not necessarily the amounts ultimately paid directly to claimants.

Settlement funds can be reduced by approved costs such as:

• Settlement administration expenses
• Attorneys’ fees and litigation costs
• Service awards
• Applicable taxes

The amount remaining is called the Net Settlement Fund.

Approved documented-loss payments are taken into account before applicable remaining funds are distributed through the tier structure.

For AT&T 1:

• Tier 1 claimants receive five times the Tier 2 amount.

For AT&T 2:

• Eligible Tier 3 claimants receive pro rata payments.

Because the total number and value of approved AT&T data breach settlement claim submissions affect these calculations, final Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 amounts cannot yet be known.

Latest AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim Status in 2026

As of August 28, 2026, the settlement is still awaiting final court approval.

The court-authorized settlement website currently says the court has not yet decided whether to approve the settlement.

Has the AT&T Data Breach Settlement Been Approved?

The settlement has received preliminary approval, but final approval remains pending.

Preliminary approval allowed the settlement process to move forward with:

• Notices to potential class members
• AT&T data breach settlement claim submissions
• Exclusion requests
• Objections
• The Final Approval Hearing

The Final Approval Hearing was held on January 15, 2026.

However, a Final Approval Hearing is not the same as a final approval order.

The official settlement website says the court is still considering its decision.

Can I Still File an AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim in 2026?

No.

The regular AT&T data breach settlement claim deadline was December 18, 2025. The court-authorized settlement website states that the deadline has passed and claim forms are no longer available.

This is especially important because some people may see the separate September 8, 2026 deadline and assume that the original filing period was extended.

It was not.

September 8 applies only to certain people who:

1. Filed an AT&T data breach settlement claim before the original deadline, and
2. Later received a Notice of Deficient Claim Form.

Someone who never filed a claim cannot use the September deadline to submit a new claim.

What Is an AT&T Notice of Deficient Claim Form?

A Notice of Deficient Claim Form means Kroll reviewed an existing AT&T data breach settlement claim and determined that additional information or documentation is required.

Possible reasons include:

• Settlement-class membership could not be verified
• Supporting documents were incomplete
• Claimed losses require additional evidence
• Required claim information is missing
• Additional verification is needed

Receiving a deficiency notice does not automatically mean the claim was denied.

It means the claimant has an opportunity to correct or support the existing submission.

What Is the September 8, 2026 Deadline?

Certain people who received deficient-claim notices must respond by:

September 8, 2026

People who received the notice electronically can generally follow the link and instructions provided in that communication.

People receiving a notice by mail should follow the instructions included with it and ensure that their response is postmarked by the applicable deadline.

The official FAQ specifically says supporting documents should not be sent by ordinary email.

What Happens If You Ignore a Deficient Claim Notice?

The consequences depend on the deficiency.

If Kroll cannot verify that someone belongs to one of the settlement classes and the claimant does not provide the requested documentation by September 8, 2026, the person will not be eligible for a settlement benefit.

If a documented-loss claim lacks sufficient supporting evidence, the claimant may receive payment only for losses successfully substantiated or, when applicable, a Tiered Cash Payment.

AT&T 2 Line or End Users are different because they are not eligible for Tiered Cash Payments.

What Proof Can Verify Settlement-Class Membership?

People responding to an AT&T data breach settlement claim deficiency notice should follow the exact instructions provided by Kroll.

Examples of useful evidence can include:

• An AT&T breach notice showing the claimant’s name
• A notice identifying the type of information involved
• A Class Member ID from a postcard
• A Class Member ID from an email sent by the Settlement Administrator in 2025

The official FAQ specifically identifies a Class Member ID from an eligible postcard or email notice as one way to verify settlement-class membership.

How Does Kroll Review an AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim?

Submitting an AT&T data breach settlement claim did not automatically guarantee payment.

Kroll can review:

• Settlement eligibility
• Completeness of the Claim Form
• Supporting documents
• Documented-loss amounts
• Duplicate submissions
• Potential fraud
• Compliance with settlement requirements

This review process helps explain why settlement payments can take time after the filing deadline.

Kroll is continuing to process and review claims while the court considers whether to grant final approval.

Account Owner vs. Line or End User: Why Does It Matter?

AT&T 2 distinguishes between Account Owners and Line or End Users.

An Account Owner could submit a documented-loss claim for a qualifying Line or End User.

However, if a Line or End User also submitted their own claim, the Line or End User’s submission is treated as the valid claim for that person.

Are AT&T MVNO Customers Eligible?

Some may qualify under AT&T 2.

AT&T’s July 2024 SEC filing states that the affected call and text records included customers of mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs, using AT&T’s wireless network.

A qualifying MVNO customer could therefore potentially be part of the AT&T 2 Settlement Class even if their wireless service was sold under another brand.

Line or End Users are limited to qualifying documented-loss benefits unless they otherwise satisfy the requirements to be treated as an Account Owner.

When Is the AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim Payout Date?

As of August 28, 2026, there is no official payout date.

Before eligible AT&T data breach settlement claim payments can begin:

1. The court must approve the settlement.
2. The applicable appeal period must expire or appeals must be resolved.
3. Claim Forms must be reviewed.
4. Eligible payment amounts must be calculated.

The Settlement Administrator confirms that it continues to process claims while the court considers final approval.

Therefore, websites or social-media posts claiming to know a specific payment date should not be treated as authoritative unless the information is confirmed by the official settlement website.

How Soon Could Payments Arrive After Final Approval?

The settlement agreement provides an important timing rule.

Settlement Class Member Benefits are scheduled for distribution no later than 60 days after the settlement’s Effective Date.

However, the Effective Date is not necessarily the same date that final approval is granted.

A simplified sequence is:

Final Approval → Appeal Period or Appeals Resolved → Effective Date → Distribution Within 60 Days

This means final approval would be an important milestone, but it would not necessarily result in immediate payments.

How Will AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim Payments Be Sent?

The settlement agreement provides several possible payment methods.

Eligible payments may be issued through:

• Venmo
• Direct deposit
• Paper check

If an electronic payment method is unavailable, incomplete, or unsuccessful, a paper check may instead be mailed.

Claimants should therefore keep their mailing and contact information current.

How Long Will an AT&T Settlement Check Be Valid?

Paper settlement checks have a 180-day negotiation period under the settlement agreement.

Recipients should deposit or cash the check before that period expires.

Allowing a settlement check to remain uncashed for too long can result in the check becoming invalid.

What Happens to Uncashed Settlement Money?

The settlement is structured as non-reversionary.

In simple terms, remaining settlement funds are not supposed to automatically return to AT&T or the other defendants.

If money remains after the check-negotiation period and another claimant distribution is not economically practical, the parties can seek court approval for another appropriate distribution.

Why Are AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim Payments Taking So Long?

Large class action settlements involve several legal and administrative stages before payments can be issued.

These can include:

• Reviewing submitted claims
• Verifying class membership
• Reviewing documented losses
• Correcting deficient claims
• Removing duplicate submissions
• Identifying potentially fraudulent claims
• Obtaining final court approval
• Completing the appeal process
• Calculating individual payments
• Processing final distributions

The official settlement site confirms that Kroll is still reviewing and processing claims while final approval remains under consideration.

How Can You Check Your AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim Status?

If you already submitted an AT&T data breach settlement claim, take the following steps:

• Keep your claim confirmation.
• Save your Class Member ID.
• Monitor the email address used for your claim.
• Check spam and junk folders.
• Watch for legitimate Kroll notices.
• Keep supporting documentation.
• Respond promptly to deficiency notices.
• Update your mailing address when necessary.
• Check the official settlement website for updates.

The published Settlement Administrator phone number is:

(833) 890-4930

Mail can be sent to:

AT&T Data Incident Settlement
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
P.O. Box 5324
New York, NY 10150-5324

What If You Lost Your Class Member ID?

The court-authorized settlement website provides a Resend Class Member ID option.

Your Class Member ID can be useful when:

• Responding to a deficient claim notice
• Verifying settlement membership
• Communicating with Kroll
• Organizing your AT&T data breach settlement claim records

People who received an official postcard or email notice in 2025 may find their Class Member ID in that communication.

What If Your Address or Payment Information Changed?

Existing claimants should keep their contact information current.

This is particularly important if:

• You moved
• Your email address changed
• Your electronic payment method changed
• Your previous payment method is no longer active
• A future check could be sent to an old address

Updating your information can help prevent avoidable problems if your AT&T data breach settlement claim is ultimately approved for payment.

Is the AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim Real or a Scam?

The settlement is real.

Kroll Settlement Administration LLC is the Settlement Administrator, and the court-authorized settlement website states that it is the only authorized website for the case.

However, scammers may use public interest in the settlement to target consumers.

Be suspicious if someone:

• Demands payment to release your settlement money
• Requests gift cards or cryptocurrency
• Guarantees that you will receive $7,500
• Claims they can file a new claim after the deadline for a fee
• Requests an online-banking password
• Demands an upfront tax payment
• Directs you to an unfamiliar settlement website

When uncertain, verify the communication through Kroll’s published contact information.

Is This the Same as Other AT&T Settlements?

No.

AT&T has been involved in other unrelated legal settlements and refund programs.

This article specifically concerns:

In re: AT&T Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation

and the AT&T data breach settlement claim process arising from the two data incidents disclosed in 2024.

Information about an older AT&T billing, throttling, tax, or other settlement should not be assumed to apply to this case.

Check the case name, settlement administrator and deadlines before relying on settlement information found online.

What Happens If You Never Filed a Claim?

If you were a settlement-class member but did not submit an AT&T data breach settlement claim by December 18, 2025, you generally will not receive a settlement benefit.

The deadline to exclude yourself from the settlement was November 17, 2025.

If final approval is granted and the settlement becomes final, people who remained in the settlement classes and did not validly exclude themselves may also become bound by the settlement’s release of covered claims.

What Should Existing AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claimants Do Now?

If you already filed an AT&T data breach settlement claim, focus on these six steps.

1. Keep Your Claim Records

Save:

• Claim confirmation
• Class Member ID
• Receipts
• Account records
• Financial statements
• Supporting loss documentation

2. Check for a Deficiency Notice

Monitor:

• Email
• Spam and junk folders
• Postal mail

Do not ignore a legitimate notice from Kroll.

3. Do Not Miss September 8, 2026

If your deficiency notice lists this deadline, submit the requested information on time.

Remember that this deadline applies to existing claims and does not reopen the claim process.

4. Keep Your Contact Information Current

Make sure Kroll has accurate contact information, especially if you have moved since submitting your claim.

5. Ignore Unconfirmed Payout Rumors

No official settlement payout date has been announced.

6. Monitor the Court-Authorized Settlement Website

Final approval and distribution updates should appear there as the case progresses.

How Can You Protect Yourself After the AT&T Data Incident?

Receiving an AT&T data breach settlement claim payment would not eliminate the possibility that exposed information could later be misused.

Consumers concerned about identity theft can consider:

• Reviewing credit reports for unfamiliar accounts
• Monitoring bank and credit-card transactions
• Using strong and unique passwords
• Changing credentials that may be at risk
• Placing a credit freeze when appropriate
• Using a fraud alert
• Watching for phishing emails, texts, and calls
• Reporting identity theft through IdentityTheft.gov

Credit Freeze vs. Fraud Alert

A credit freeze does not prevent every form of fraud, so existing financial accounts should still be monitored.

AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim Status Checklist 2026

Conclusion: AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim

The AT&T data breach settlement claim process has moved beyond the normal filing stage and into claim review, deficiency resolution and final court consideration.

The proposed settlement totals $177 million, including a $149 million AT&T 1 Settlement Fund and a $28 million AT&T 2 Settlement Fund.

Eligible AT&T 1 documented-loss claims can potentially reach $5,000, while qualifying AT&T 2 documented losses can potentially reach $2,500. Certain people affected by both incidents may potentially establish as much as $7,500 in separate qualifying documented losses, but that amount is a maximum—not a guaranteed payout.

The regular AT&T data breach settlement claim deadline expired on December 18, 2025, so new claims are closed.

For certain existing claimants, the most important current date is September 8, 2026, when specified deficient-claim responses are due.

The Final Approval Hearing took place on January 15, 2026. However, as of August 28, 2026, final approval remains pending, and there is no official AT&T settlement payout date.

Anyone who already submitted an AT&T data breach settlement claim should keep their claim records, monitor communications from Kroll, respond promptly to legitimate deficiency notices, maintain current contact information, and rely on the court-authorized settlement website rather than unofficial payout rumors.

AT&T Data Breach Settlement Claim FAQs

Sofia Francis

Sofia Francis is a writer at Tycoonstory Media, specializing in business, startups, entrepreneurship, and marketing. She writes practical, research-based articles that help entrepreneurs, business owners, startup founders, and professionals understand market trends, growth strategies, digital marketing, and business opportunities. Her content focuses on making business knowledge simple, useful, and accessible for readers.

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