Disputed a mystery inquiry with Equifax? You might be owed money.

What happened

Equifax agreed to pay $30 million to settle four class action lawsuits over how it handled hard inquiry disputes. A hard inquiry is the record left on your report when a company pulls your credit, usually because someone applied for credit.

The lawsuits said that when people disputed inquiries they didn't authorize, Equifax didn't contact the company that pulled the report and didn't remove the inquiry. Instead, the suits said, some people got a letter saying inquiries are just a factual record of who accessed the file. The suits claimed that broke the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the federal law that says credit bureaus have to look into disputes properly. Equifax denies any wrongdoing.

A court gave the deal preliminary approval on August 5, 2026. The final approval hearing is set for December 10, 2026.

What it means for you

You may be in the class if Equifax's records show either:

• You mailed a hard inquiry dispute coded "not mine" between October 4, 2016 and March 27, 2026, or
• You disputed a hard inquiry any way between August 31, 2021 and March 27, 2026.

There's also a New York group for people who got a letter marked "Cons Comm 664" between late 2017 and September 2024.

Estimated payouts are about $100 for the general group, $300 for the certified group and $400 for the New York group. Final amounts depend on how many people file. Up to $10 million can go to the lawyers. Nobody gets paid until the deal gets final approval and any appeals are over.

What to do

• Look through your mail and email for a settlement notice. You need the claim number and PIN in it to file.
• To file, you have to swear that you lost money or privacy, had some other harm, or were denied credit because of a disputed inquiry. Only file if that's true.
• Claims are due November 29, 2026. The opt-out deadline is November 20.
• Filing is free. Don't pay anyone to file for you.
• Still seeing inquiries you never approved? You can keep disputing them yourself, for free.

Not sure what's on your reports? Get a free review at credora.co.

This post is general information, not legal advice. Credora is not a law firm. Results vary and are not guaranteed.