Millions of Facebook users may receive another Meta settlement payment as a second payout round begins
The new payments will be sent to eligible users and funded by unclaimed money from the first payout round
A US court approved the second payout on May 6, 2026, allowing the remaining settlement money to be distributed
Millions of Facebook users in the United States could soon receive another settlement payment from Meta, the parent company of Facebook, as a second round of payouts linked to the platform's $725 million privacy settlement begins this month.
The fresh payments will go to eligible claimants who successfully received and cashed their first settlement payout. Unlike the original distribution, the latest payments are being funded through money that remained unclaimed after the first round was completed.
A US court approved the additional distribution on May 6, 2026, allowing the remaining settlement funds to be redistributed among qualifying class members.
1 June 2026
Get the latest issue of Outlook Business
The move comes months after the first payments from the settlement began hitting users’ accounts in September, 2025, following one of the largest settlements involving privacy issues with a social media company.
Facebook Privacy Case Explained
The payments stem from a class-action lawsuit that accused Facebook of sharing user data with third parties without proper consent between May 2007 and December 2022.
The lawsuit also alleged that the company failed to properly monitor how outside organisations accessed and used that information during the period covered by the case.
Meta, denied the allegations and maintained that it had not violated any law. However, the company agreed to pay $725 million to settle the dispute.
According to information posted on the settlement website, the agreement was reached to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, while providing compensation to eligible users.
The settlement covered U.S. residents who had a Facebook account at any time between May 2007 and December 2022. Claimants were required to submit their applications before the registration deadline closed in August 2023.
Why Another Payout Is Coming
While the first round of payments was completed last year, not all of the settlement money was actually claimed.
According to an AOL report, nearly 2,00,000 cheques issued during the first distribution were never cashed. In addition, around three million digital payments were not redeemed.
Those unused payments created a remaining fund of roughly $100 million. Instead of returning the money, the court approved a second distribution so the remaining funds could be shared among eligible settlement members.
The settlement website explained the decision, stating, “The second distribution was approved by the Court to redistribute uncashed funds from the initial distribution to settlement class members who successfully cashed their initial payment.”
The latest round of payments is scheduled to start in June 2026 and continue over the following weeks.
Who Can Receive The New Payment?
Not everyone who submitted a claim will receive another payout.
Settlement administrator Angeion received around 28 million claims before registrations closed, according to a report by The Hill, as cited by Mint. Of those, nearly 19 million claims were approved and validated.
For the second distribution, eligibility has been limited to claimants whose applications were approved and who successfully cashed or deposited their first settlement payment.
In other words, people who qualified for the settlement but never completed the first payment process are not expected to receive an additional payout from the remaining funds.
Eligible recipients are expected to receive an email notification before the payment is issued.
The email will carry the subject line “Notice of Settlement Payment” and is expected to arrive several days before the money is sent. Payments will be delivered using the same method selected during the original registration process, whether through direct deposit or cheque.
How Much Could Claimants Get?
The second payment is expected to be smaller than the amount many users received during the first distribution.
Those eligible for the second payment could receive between $4.67 and $7.32, according to reports. The final amount will depend on how many people qualify for the payout.
The first round of settlement payments varied based on how long claimants maintained a Facebook account during the settlement period.
Court documents cited by The Hill showed that first-round payments ranged from $4.89 to as much as $38.36. Under the settlement formula, users earned one point for every month they had an active Facebook account between May 2007 and December 2022, with a maximum of 188 points available.
The average first payment worked out to around $29.43.
People who believe they qualified for the settlement but never received their first payment have been advised to check their inboxes and spam folders for an email titled “Notice of Settlement Payment”. According to settlement guidance, payments were generally issued three to four days after the notification email was sent.
Claimants can also reach the settlement administrator using their claim ID number info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com. The official settlement website also provides updates on eligibility, payment status and distribution details.
