Facebook Privacy Settlement Checks 2026: Millions of Americans are waking up to an unexpected but very welcome financial surprise this June: a second round of Facebook privacy settlement payments is officially beginning on June 9, 2026, and approximately 15.7 million people are in line to receive their share. If you already received a payment last fall and cashed it, there is a very good chance money is on its way to your bank account, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, or mailbox — and you do not have to do a single thing to claim it.
But the rules for this second distribution are narrow, specific, and final. Not everyone who filed a claim will receive a second check. Not everyone who received a first payment qualifies. And for those who missed the original 2023 filing deadline, there is no second chance. This comprehensive guide answers every question about the Facebook settlement second payment June 2026: who qualifies, how much you will receive, how and when the money arrives, how to verify your payment, and how to protect yourself from the scammers who are already exploiting the confusion.

Facebook Privacy Settlement Checks 2026 Highlights
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Settlement total | $725 million ($556 million after fees) |
| Original qualifying period | May 24, 2007 – December 22, 2022 |
| Original claims deadline | August 25, 2023 (now permanently closed) |
| First payment sent | September–October 2025 |
| First payment average | ~$29.43; maximum $38.36 |
| Court order for second distribution | May 6, 2026 |
| Second payment start date | June 9, 2026 |
| Second payment duration | Four weeks (batches through early July 2026) |
| Second payment estimated amount | $4.67 to $7.32 per person |
| Uncashed funds being redistributed | Approximately $100 million |
| Number of eligible recipients | ~15.7 million |
| Action required to receive second payment | None — fully automatic |
| Pre-payment email notification | 3–4 days before your specific payment |
| Official settlement email | donotreply@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com |
| Settlement administrator contact | info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com |
| Official settlement website | facebookuserprivacysettlement.com |
| Can I still file a new claim? | No — August 25, 2023 deadline has passed |
What Is the Facebook Privacy Settlement 2026?
To understand the June 2026 second payment, it helps to know the full background of the case that produced it. The Facebook $725 million privacy settlement class action stems from a landmark 2018 lawsuit filed against Meta Platforms Inc. — the parent company of Facebook — alleging that Facebook had improperly shared users’ personal data with third-party sources, including advertisers, data brokers, and the now-infamous political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.
The lawsuits claimed Facebook not only made users’ private data available to these third parties without meaningful consent, but also failed to monitor, limit, or enforce restrictions on how those parties used the data they received. The Cambridge Analytica scandal — which broke publicly in 2018 — revealed that the firm had harvested the personal data of tens of millions of Facebook users without their knowledge and used it to build detailed psychological profiles for targeted political advertising. The revelation triggered congressional hearings, regulatory investigations, and ultimately this sweeping class action lawsuit.
The Facebook data privacy lawsuit settlement amount was set at $725 million — one of the largest data privacy settlements in U.S. history. Meta agreed to pay this amount to resolve the litigation without admitting any liability or wrongdoing. The settlement received final court approval, survived an appeal before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (which rejected the appeal in February 2025), and became fully effective on May 22, 2025.
The underlying case is formally titled In re: Facebook, Inc., Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation, Case No. 3:18-md-02843-VC, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, before Judge Vince Chhabria. This case is not a new lawsuit. What is happening in June 2026 is not a new legal action — it is a second distribution of funds from the same original settlement, specifically redistributing money that was left unclaimed from the first payment round.
What Is the Second Facebook Settlement Payment?
The first round of Facebook settlement checks went out in September 2025, and the payments varied in amount depending on how long the account was active. However, not everyone successfully redeemed their money. More than 200,000 checks were left uncashed and 3 million digital payments were left to expire. That has left about $100 million in the pot for this upcoming second round of payments.
Rather than keeping those unclaimed funds, the U.S. District Court took the standard class action approach and ordered them redistributed to the eligible claimants who had already successfully received and accepted their first payment. The Facebook User Privacy Settlement website states the first distribution is complete and that the court approved a second distribution on May 6, 2026, with payments commencing in June 2026 over roughly four weeks.
This makes the Facebook settlement second distribution June 2026 a bonus for those who actively participated in the first round — a redistribution of funds that would otherwise sit idle, going back into the pockets of the people the settlement was designed to compensate.
Who Qualifies for the Second Facebook Settlement Payment?
This is the most critical question, and the answer is more specific than many people realize. The second payment is only for settlement class members who successfully cashed their first check or accepted their first digital payment. People who missed the original 2023 claim deadline cannot file now.
To break this down precisely, here is the complete Facebook settlement second payment eligibility criteria 2026:
You ARE eligible if:
- You were a U.S. Facebook user at any point between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022
- You filed a valid claim before the August 25, 2023 deadline
- Your claim was approved and validated by the settlement administrator, Angeion Group
- You received your first payment in September or October 2025
- You successfully cashed the check or accepted the digital payment — meaning you did not let it expire unused
You are NOT eligible if:
- You missed the original August 25, 2023 claims deadline — there is no exception to this
- You received a first payment but did not cash the check or your digital payment expired without being accepted
- You were not a U.S. Facebook user during the qualifying period
- You opted out of the original settlement — opting out meant giving up your right to participate in any distribution
The bonus payments are being issued to an estimated 15.7 million people who successfully cashed the initial payment. That narrows the eligible group considerably from the roughly 19 million validated claims in the first round, since approximately 3.2 million people either failed to cash their check or allowed their digital payment to lapse.
How Much Will You Receive in the Second Payment?
The Facebook settlement second payment amount June 2026 is the question on everyone’s mind — and the honest answer is that it has not been formally announced as a single fixed figure, because the distribution is calculated proportionally based on how much money is available and how many eligible claimants are sharing it.
The administrator estimates individual bonus amounts will range from $4.67 to $7.32. This is a smaller payment than the first round, which is entirely expected — the second distribution is drawing on approximately $100 million in leftover uncashed funds, redistributed among 15.7 million people. The per-person share of $100 million across that many claimants naturally produces a more modest figure.
For context on what the first round produced: a September 2025 court filing disclosed that the average payment amount was approximately $29.43, with the maximum payout rising to $38.36. The maximum payment of $38.36 would be given to people who were on Facebook for the entire 15-year period covered by the settlement.
The Facebook settlement payment calculation point system used for the first round will be applied to the second round in the same way. Each claimant receives one “allocation point” for each month they had an “activated” Facebook account between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022. The settlement administrator adds up all the points assigned to all eligible claimants and then divides the net settlement amount by that number. This means people who were on Facebook for longer during the qualifying period will receive a proportionally higher second payment, just as they did in the first round.
So if you received closer to the maximum $38.36 in September 2025, expect your second payment to be toward the higher end of the $4.67 to $7.32 range. If you received closer to the minimum, your second payment will be toward the lower end.
When Will the Second Payment Arrive and How Will It Be Sent?
On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, the Facebook User Privacy Settlement Administrator will begin issuing second bonus payments to approximately 15.7 million eligible users over a four-week period.
The payments are not all going out on June 9 simultaneously — they are being issued in batches over the entire four-week window, meaning some eligible recipients will receive their payment on or around June 9, while others will receive it in the weeks following, with the final batch expected by early July 2026.
You will receive an additional email notice approximately 3-4 days before your additional settlement payment is issued. Please continue to check your email during this time period, states an email sent to Facebook users by the settlement administrator.
Regarding payment method: payments will be delivered using the payment method selected when the claim was originally filed, such as check, direct deposit, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, and prepaid debit cards. You do not need to update your payment preferences or take any action. Whatever method you chose when you originally filed your claim in 2023 — and through which you received your first payment in 2025 — will be used automatically for this second payment.
Crucially: eligible class members for the second payment round don’t have to file a second claim. The process is entirely automatic for those who qualify. No application, no form, no website visit, no phone call is required. If you are eligible, the money will simply arrive through your original payment channel.
How to Check If You Are Receiving the Second Payment
If you are unsure whether you qualify for the second distribution, there are two official channels to verify your status:
1. Check Your Email First The Facebook settlement administrator email notification June 2026 is the primary way recipients are being notified. Look for an email with the subject line: “Facebook User Privacy Settlement – Settlement and Second Distribution Status Update.” This email comes from the official settlement administrator address: donotreply@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com. If you have received this email, you are confirmed eligible and a payment is on its way. The email will arrive approximately three to four days before your specific payment is processed.
2. Contact the Settlement Administrator Directly If you’re not sure whether you are receiving a second payment, you can email the settlement administrator at info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com. Make sure to include your claim ID. Your claim ID was included in the original communications you received when you filed your claim in 2023 and when your payment was processed in 2025. If you cannot locate your claim ID, include your full legal name, the email address you used to file the claim, and a brief description of your situation.
3. Visit the Official Settlement Website The only official settlement website is facebookuserprivacysettlement.com. Any other URL claiming to be the Facebook settlement website should be treated as fraudulent. The official site contains confirmed updates about the second distribution timeline, eligibility criteria, and payment status.
Critical Warning: Scammers Are Already Targeting This Settlement
Every time a high-profile class action settlement makes national news, fraudsters move quickly to exploit public awareness. The Facebook settlement second payment scam warning 2026 is real and already circulating. Here is what to watch for:
Red flags that indicate a scam:
- An email, text, or social media message telling you that you need to visit a new website, fill out a new form, or provide personal information to claim your second payment — you do not
- Any communication asking for your Social Security Number, bank account details, or credit card information in connection with receiving the payment
- Messages claiming you must pay a processing fee or tax payment before your settlement check can be released
- URLs that include words like “facebook-settlement-2026.com” or similar — the only legitimate site is facebookuserprivacysettlement.com
- Emails that come from addresses that do not exactly match donotreply@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com or info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com
The settlement administrator will never ask you for money, will never ask you to re-verify your banking information via a third-party link, and will never contact you through social media. If you receive any suspicious communication, do not click any links, do not provide any information, and report the message to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
What If You Missed the Original 2023 Claim Deadline?
Unfortunately, the answer is final and absolute: if you did not file a claim before August 25, 2023, you cannot participate in either the first or second distribution. This is not a technicality that can be waived — it is a fundamental condition of class action settlement law. The claims deadline is set by court order, and once it passes, the class is closed.
The settlement class covered an enormous potential pool of claimants. Anyone in the U.S. who had a Facebook account between 2007 and 2022 qualified for a share of the settlement. Angeion, the settlement administrator, reviewed approximately 28 million submitted claims and approved at least 17 million of them. The fact that around 250 million Americans were potentially eligible but only 19 million ultimately filed underscores how many people missed their opportunity.
If you are in this position, the best step you can take is to sign up for class action notification services — such as ClassAction.org, ClaimDepot.com, or similar reputable class action tracking platforms — to ensure you are alerted to future settlements in which you may be eligible before their deadlines pass.
FAQs
I received my first payment but forgot to cash the check. Do I get the second payment?
No. The second distribution specifically excludes people whose first-round checks were left uncashed or whose digital payments expired. You must have successfully cashed or accepted your first payment to qualify for the second.
My email address changed since 2023. Will I still get notified?
Contact the settlement administrator at info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com with your claim ID to update your contact information before the June distribution concludes.
Will I owe taxes on the settlement payment?
The IRS generally treats class action settlement payments differently based on what they compensate — personal physical injury payments are typically not taxable, while payments compensating for economic harm or in lieu of lost wages may be. The Facebook settlement payments are for privacy violations. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation, but given the modest amounts involved ($4.67 to $38.37 range), the tax impact is minimal for most recipients.
If I opted out of the original settlement, can I participate in the second payment?
No. Opting out of the settlement means you released your right to participate in any distribution under the settlement in exchange for preserving your right to sue Meta separately.
What if I receive the second payment email but I am worried it is a scam?
Do not click any links in the email. Instead, navigate directly to facebookuserprivacysettlement.com by typing it into your browser and check your account status there. You can also contact the administrator directly at info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com using your claim ID.

