TCPA class settlement checks usually pay a fraction of the $500 per call the law allows. Published figures range from $34.60 per claimant in the 2015 Capital One settlement to estimates of $250 to $650 and $1,000 to $2,000 in recent cases. The amount depends on the fund size, deductions, and how many people file claims.
Real per-claimant payouts, with sources
These figures come from court opinions and official settlement websites. “Estimated” means the administrator published a projection before final numbers were known; the actual check can be higher or lower.
| Case | What was alleged | Fund | Per-claimant amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In re Capital One TCPA Litigation, No. 12 C 10064 (N.D. Ill.) | Autodialed and prerecorded debt collection calls to cell phones | $75,455,099 | At least $34.60 per claimant, per the court’s February 12, 2015 approval opinion | Approved 2015 |
| Bumpus v. Realogy Holdings Corp., No. 3:19-cv-03309-JD | Calls by Coldwell Banker affiliated agents to Do Not Call numbers or with prerecorded messages | $20,000,000 | About $281 per approved claim, estimated at a 15% claim rate | Final approval March 18, 2026; payments distributed June 16, 2026 |
| Seals v. Concora Credit Inc., No. 3:25-cv-00728 (D. Or.) | Prerecorded calls to cell phones of people who were not Concora accountholders | $8,375,000 settlement fund (plus $1,000,000 compliance spending) | Estimated $250 to $650 per approved claim | Claim deadline October 19, 2026; final hearing November 24, 2026 |
| Geaslin v. Colony Ridge Development, LLC, No. 4:24-cv-02418 (S.D. Tex.) | Marketing texts to numbers on the Do Not Call Registry | $1,994,123 | Estimated $1,000 to $2,000 per participating class member | Checks issued |
Settlements are compromises. None of these settlements is a court finding that the company broke the law.
How a TCPA settlement check is calculated
The settlements in the table all follow the same basic formula, spelled out in their notices:
- Start with the total settlement fund.
- Subtract notice and administration costs, court-approved attorney fees and litigation expenses, and any incentive award to the named plaintiff.
- Divide what is left equally among approved claimants.
Take the Concora Credit notice. The class fund is $8,375,000. Administration costs are capped at $340,000, attorney fees at $3,000,000, expenses at $25,000, and the incentive award at $10,000, all subject to approval. If every cap is reached, about $5 million remains to divide among claimants. The $250 to $650 estimate reflects a guess about how many people will claim.
Why the claim rate matters most
The biggest driver of your check is how many other people file. In the Capital One case, notice reached over 15.9 million known class members, but only 1,378,534 people filed, about 7.87% of the estimated class. The fund was large, but spread across over a million claimants it came to $34.60 each.
Smaller classes, or cases where few eligible people claim, produce bigger checks. That is why the Colony Ridge estimate, from a fund under $2 million, is higher per person than Capital One’s from a fund over $75 million.
If uncashed checks leave money in the fund, some settlements make a second distribution to people who cashed their first check. The Capital One opinion notes that possibility. Read the settlement’s own terms.
How much is a TCPA claim worth on its own?
Outside a class, your claim is measured against the statute, not a shared fund. Each prerecorded or autodialed call without consent carries $500, and each Do Not Call violation up to $500, with a possible increase to $1,500 for willful or knowing violations. Ten well-documented calls carry $5,000 to $15,000 in statutory damages.
That is a ceiling for negotiation, not a guarantee. Individual settlements are usually private, and they depend on your evidence, the company’s defenses, and whether it can pay. When a class case goes to trial, the numbers can be large: in Krakauer v. Dish Network, the jury awarded $400 per call and the court tripled it, for an aggregate judgment of $61,243,800 to 18,066 class members.
To estimate your own calls, use the TCPA claim value calculator.
Claim or opt out?
If a settlement covers your calls and you had only a few, filing a claim is usually the practical choice. If you had many calls, especially after telling the company to stop, a private case might be worth much more than a class check. Opting out keeps that option open; filing a claim or doing nothing gives it up. Our class action vs individual suit comparison goes through the tradeoffs.
When will the check arrive?
Payments go out only after the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved. In the Realogy case, the court granted final approval on March 18, 2026, and payments went out on June 16, 2026, about three months later. Realogy’s administrator sent digital payments by email alongside mailed checks, so watch your inbox as well as your mailbox if you filed a claim.
Watch for fake “settlement” messages. A real administrator will not charge you a fee to receive a payment. If in doubt, go directly to the settlement website listed in court documents.
If the company is still calling you
A settlement releases claims for calls within its class period. Calls after that are new violations. If the same company is still calling, log those calls and use our tips for identifying the caller if you do not have a name yet. For how to move ahead on your own, see suing a telemarketer directly. If you have more than a handful of documented calls, ask for a free review before you file a class claim.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a TCPA settlement check?
It varies widely. Published per-claimant figures range from $34.60 in the 2015 Capital One settlement to administrator estimates of about $281 (Realogy), $250 to $650 (Concora Credit), and $1,000 to $2,000 (Colony Ridge).
Why is my robocall settlement check so small?
The fund is reduced by attorney fees, administration costs, and incentive awards, then split among everyone who files a claim. Large classes with many claimants produce small individual checks.
How much is a TCPA claim worth if I sue on my own?
The statute sets $500 per violation, up to $1,500 if willful or knowing. Actual settlements depend on your evidence, the company’s defenses, and its ability to pay.
Do I have to pay a fee to get a settlement check?
No. Legitimate settlement administrators do not charge class members to receive payments. Treat any request for a fee as a red flag.
Sources
- In re Capital One Telephone Consumer Protection Act Litigation, No. 12 C 10064 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 12, 2015), final approval opinion
- Bumpus v. Realogy Holdings Corp., No. 3:19-cv-03309-JD, settlement website (Epiq)
- Seals v. Concora Credit Inc. settlement website, FAQ (Rust Consulting)
- Geaslin v. Colony Ridge Development, LLC, No. 4:24-cv-02418 (S.D. Tex.), settlement website
- Krakauer v. Dish Network, L.L.C., No. 18-1518 (4th Cir. May 30, 2019)
- 47 U.S.C. 227 (Telephone Consumer Protection Act), Cornell LII
- OpenClassActions: Seals v. Concora Credit Inc. case listing (case number and court)