AT&T $177M Data Breach Class Action Lawsuit Settlement, Payments, Eligibility & Status

If your personal data was exposed in either AT&T data breach announced in 2024, you may qualify for a cash payment from a $177 million settlement — but the claim deadline of December 18, 2025 has passed. If you filed before the deadline, payments are expected to begin approximately 40 days after final court approval at the January 15, 2026 hearing. The official settlement website is telecomdatasettlement.com

Key Dates

What This Lawsuit Is About

The lawsuit alleges that AT&T-specific fields were contained in a data set released on the dark web in a data incident announced on March 30, 2024, and that in a separate incident announced on July 12, 2024, certain limited AT&T data had been unlawfully downloaded from a third-party cloud platform hosted by Snowflake, Inc.

AT&T has not admitted any wrongdoing but agreed to pay the $177 million settlement to resolve the allegations. The case was consolidated in federal court in Texas and covers both incidents in a single, combined settlement.

Settlement Amount Breakdown: The Complete Math

The total $177,000,000 settlement fund is divided into two separate settlement funds: the AT&T 1 Settlement Fund of $149 million to resolve claims related to the first data incident, and the AT&T 2 Settlement Fund of $28 million to resolve claims related to the second data incident.

From each fund, the following deductions are made before any money reaches claimants:

AT&T 1 Fund — $149,000,000

AT&T 2 Fund — $28,000,000

The exact net settlement amounts available for distribution are unknown at this time and will be based on the amount of settlement administration costs, the amount of attorneys’ fees, costs, and service awards, and the number of valid claims received.

Who Qualifies

You are part of AT&T Settlement Class 1 if your personally identifiable information — such as name, address, Social Security number, or other data — was included in the AT&T 1 Data Incident. You are part of AT&T Settlement Class 2 if you are an AT&T account owner or line or end user whose telephone-related data was involved in the AT&T 2 Data Incident.

AT&T 1 Class — data exposed in breach announced March 30, 2024:

• Your data was part of a dark web leak originating from a 2019 breach
• Exposed information may include: name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, account passcode, billing account number, and/or Social Security number
• You must be a living person in the United States

AT&T 2 Class — data exposed in breach announced July 12, 2024:

• Data was illegally downloaded on April 14, 2024, and may include call records, telephone numbers interacted with, counts of interactions, aggregate call durations, and for a small subset, cell site identification numbers
• You must be an AT&T account owner, line user, or end user at that time

Overlap Class: If you were impacted by both incidents, you are an “overlap settlement class member” and may be eligible to claim from both funds.

Who Is NOT Eligible

AT&T employees, directors, officers, and their immediate families are excluded. Anyone who opted out of the settlement by the November 17, 2025 deadline has waived their right to payment.

Critical correction about the “$7,500” figure: Many websites misleadingly imply all claimants can receive $7,500. This is inaccurate. The $7,500 maximum only applies to overlap settlement class members who can document qualifying losses from both the AT&T 1 and AT&T 2 data incidents — up to $5,000 for AT&T 1 losses and up to $2,500 for AT&T 2 losses, combined. Single-breach claimants without documented losses will receive a much smaller pro rata tier payment. Most claimants will receive significantly less than $7,500.

Self-prepared documents such as handwritten receipts, personal accountings, statements, declarations, or affidavits are not sufficient on their own to qualify for documented loss reimbursement.

Payment Calculation: How Much Could You Get?

Step 1: The Payment System

The settlement uses three separate payment tracks depending on which breach affected you and whether you can document financial losses.

Step 2: The Three Tiers Explained

Tier 1 applies to AT&T 1 Settlement Class Members whose Social Security number was included in the breach. Tier 1 Cash Payments are five times the amount of a Tier 2 Cash Payment.

Tier 2 applies to AT&T 1 Settlement Class Members whose data was exposed but whose Social Security number was not included. Tier 2 is a pro rata share of the AT&T 1 Net Settlement Fund remaining after documented loss payments.

Tier 3 applies to AT&T 2 Settlement Class Members who do not claim a documented loss. It is a pro rata share of the AT&T 2 Net Settlement Fund.

Step 3: Payment Examples with Real Numbers

Exact per-claimant amounts cannot be confirmed until the final number of valid claims is known. Here are honest estimates based on the documented settlement math:

These are illustrative estimates. The actual amount of the net settlement available for distribution is unknown at this time and will depend on the final settlement administration costs, attorneys’ fees, service awards, and the total number of valid claims received.

Step 4: What Remains Unknown

Final payout amounts will not be confirmed until after the January 15, 2026 hearing, claim validation is complete, and any appeals are resolved. Settlement class member benefits will begin after the settlement has obtained court approval and the time for all appeals has expired.

How to File — Current Status

The online claim form closed on December 18, 2025. If you did not file online before that date, your only remaining option is a late paper claim.

You can download a Late Claim Form from the Documents page at telecomdatasettlement.com and submit it by mail, but the settlement administrator cannot guarantee that late claims will be accepted.

Mail late claims to:

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

If you filed before December 18, 2025: No further action is required. Monitor telecomdatasettlement.com for payment timeline updates after the January 15, 2026 hearing.

Questions about your claim: Call (833) 890-4930 or visit the official settlement website.

What You Must Know

On taxes: Data breach settlement payments may be taxable depending on the nature of your losses and what the payment compensates. This article does not provide tax advice — consult a tax professional.

On credit monitoring: Additional settlement benefits include free credit monitoring services for eligible claimants. Check the official settlement website for details on this non-cash benefit.

On AT&T’s position: AT&T has not admitted any wrongdoing and agreed to settle only to avoid the cost and uncertainty of continued litigation.

Common mistake to avoid: Many people receiving settlement emails assumed they would automatically receive $7,500. The maximum only applies to overlap claimants with documented, provable losses from both breaches. Tier payment recipients will receive much less. Do not confuse the settlement maximum with what most people receive.

On the $1.8M California employee settlement: A separate, unrelated AT&T settlement also exists — Gilbert et al. v. AT&T Mobility Services LLC, Case No. 23STCV24512 — a $1,916,250 settlement for current and former non-exempt California AT&T Mobility employees who worked between September 21, 2022, and September 3, 2025. Its final approval hearing is March 23, 2026, and no claim form is required — eligible employees receive payments automatically. This is a completely separate case from the data breach settlement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much money will I get from the AT&T settlement? A: It depends on which breach affected you and whether you submitted documentation of financial losses. AT&T 1 claimants can receive up to $5,000 for documented losses; AT&T 2 claimants up to $2,500. Overlap claimants affected by both breaches can receive up to $7,500 combined. Claimants without documented losses receive a much smaller pro rata tier payment — likely in the range of $10–$200 depending on claim volume and tier.

Q: Can I still file a claim? A: The online deadline closed December 18, 2025. A late claim form is available to download and mail, but the administrator cannot guarantee late claims will be accepted.

Q: When will I receive my payment? A: Payments will begin approximately 40 days after the court grants final approval, or 60 days after any appeals are resolved. The final approval hearing is January 15, 2026. If no appeals are filed, payments could begin as early as spring 2026.

Q: What data was exposed in each breach? A: The AT&T 1 breach exposed names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, dates of birth, account passcodes, billing account numbers, and Social Security numbers. The AT&T 2 breach exposed telephone numbers, numbers interacted with, interaction counts, aggregate call durations, and for some customers, cell site identification numbers.

Q: Do I need documentation to file? A: Only if you claim a Documented Loss Cash Payment. For documented loss claims, you must submit proof that is not self-prepared — such as receipts, bank statements, or credit monitoring invoices. Tier payment claimants do not need to provide documentation of losses.

Q: How do I know if my data was in the breach? A: You can call (833) 890-4930 or visit telecomdatasettlement.com to check. If you were an AT&T customer between 2019 and July 2024, your data may have been exposed.

Q: What is the difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2? A: Individuals whose Social Security number was stolen are eligible for Tier 1 — which is five times the Tier 2 payment amount. Those whose data was exposed but whose SSN was not included in the breach qualify for a Tier 2 payment.

Q: Is the AT&T employee settlement the same case? A: No. The $1.9 million Gilbert v. AT&T Mobility Services settlement covers California AT&T Mobility employees and labor law violations — it is a completely separate case with a different court, different attorneys, and different eligibility criteria.

Q: Will AT&T change its data practices as part of this settlement? A: The settlement agreement focuses on financial compensation rather than operational mandates. AT&T did not admit wrongdoing as part of the agreement.

Q: What if I never got a notice from AT&T? A: Notices were sent to affected customers beginning August 4, 2025. If you did not receive a notice but believe you were an AT&T customer during the relevant period, you could still file a claim using your AT&T account number or full name via the settlement website. Contact (833) 890-4930 for assistance.

Last Updated: February 17, 2026

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Settlement terms, eligibility, and payment amounts are subject to court approval and may change. For official information, always refer to the settlement administrator or the official settlement website.

About the Author

Sarah Klein, JD, is a licensed attorney and legal content strategist with over 12 years of experience across civil, criminal, family, and regulatory law. At All About Lawyer, she covers a wide range of legal topics — from high-profile lawsuits and courtroom stories to state traffic laws and everyday legal questions — all with a focus on accuracy, clarity, and public understanding.
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