$11M Hartford & Talcott Premium Tax Settlement, Check If You Qualify — Arbuckle Funding LLC v. Talcott Resolution Life & Annuity Insurance Co., No. 7:23-cv-07972-CS

If you owned a Hartford or Talcott universal life policy and either moved states or lived in one of 16 specific states between 2015 and early 2025 — you may be included, and you don’t have to do anything. Talcott and Prudential agreed to pay $11 million over premium tax overcharges. There’s no claim form. Checks go out automatically if the court approves.

Hartford & Talcott Premium Tax Settlement — Key Facts

Detail	Info
Settlement Amount	$11,000,000
Claim Deadline	None — payment is automatic, no claim form exists
Who Qualifies	Owners of qualifying Hartford/Talcott universal or variable universal life policies with an Address Change or Tax Rate overcharge, premiums paid generally 2015 through early 2025 (exact dates vary by state and issue)
Estimated Payout	UNVERIFIED — no flat or average dollar figure published; amount follows the court-approved Plan of Allocation
Proof Required (Yes/No)	No — the Claims Administrator identifies eligible policies from company records
Settlement Status	Preliminarily approved; final approval hearing set for September 24, 2026
Court & Case Number	U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York — No. 7:23-cv-07972-CS
Law Alleged	Breach of policy contract terms governing premium tax charges (Address Change, Rate Update, Retaliatory Tax Rate, and New York overcharge claims)
Administrator	JND Legal Administration
Official Claim Site	premiumtaxsettlement.com
Last Updated	August 4, 2026

Who Is Talcott and Why Are They Being Sued Over Premium Tax Charges?

Talcott Resolution Life & Annuity Insurance Company and Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Company are the successors to Hartford’s individual life insurance business, with Prudential Insurance Company of America now administering the policies. Universal and variable universal life policies charge a “premium tax” deduction that’s supposed to track the policyholder’s actual state of residence and that state’s tax rate. Plaintiffs say Talcott and Prudential didn’t keep that promise — charging outdated or inflated rates instead of adjusting them the way the policy language required.

What Did Talcott Do to Policyholders Between 2015 and 2025?

Every premium payment on a universal life policy gets a small slice deducted as a “premium tax charge,” meant to mirror what the insurer actually owes the policyholder’s home state. The policy language is specific about this: the rate changes when your address changes, and it changes when your state’s tax law changes.

The lawsuit claims Talcott and Prudential didn’t keep up. Plaintiffs allege four separate problems: policyholders who moved to a lower-tax state kept getting charged the old rate (the “Address Change Issue”), rates weren’t updated when state tax laws changed (the “Rate Update Issue”), Connecticut’s higher tax rate got applied to policyholders in states with lower statutory rates under retaliatory tax rules (the “Retaliatory Tax Rate Issue”), and New York policyholders were charged above the applicable statutory rate. Talcott and Prudential deny wrongdoing — though they acknowledged and corrected certain administrative errors — and no court has ruled on who’s right.

If you’ve felt like your Transamerica-style life insurance overcharge story keeps repeating across the industry, you’re not wrong — insurers miscalculating charges buried inside universal life premiums has become a recurring pattern, and this is the Hartford/Talcott version of it.

Who Qualifies for the Hartford & Talcott Premium Tax Settlement?

Here’s exactly how to know if this case includes you.

• Anyone who owns or owned a universal life or variable universal life policy issued by Talcott Resolution Life & Annuity, Talcott Resolution Life Insurance, Hartford Life Insurance, or Hartford Life and Annuity Insurance
• Policyholders whose address of record changed after their policy was issued and whose premium tax rate wasn’t adjusted to match
• Policyholders whose address of record was in Arizona, Connecticut, D.C., Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, or Wyoming, where an incorrect rate was allegedly applied
• Those who paid premiums during the qualifying window for their specific state and issue — generally 2015 through early 2025

You’re excluded if you’re an officer or director of Talcott or Prudential, part of the presiding judge’s immediate family or staff, employed by Class Counsel’s firm, or if you already filed a valid request to be excluded.

Nobody needs to track down old premium statements. JND Legal Administration is working from company records to figure out who’s owed money and how much.

Related article: $70M Oppenheimer Cash Sweep Settlement, Check If You Qualify — Liberty Capital Group v. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., No. 1:25-cv-04822-JSR

Hartford & Talcott Policyholders Outside the Listed States — Are You Still Covered?

If your only issue is the Address Change problem, yes — that applies regardless of which state you moved to. The 16-state list above only applies to the separate Tax Rate Issue claims. Check the settlement’s Exhibit B for your state’s exact qualifying dates.

Not sure if you qualify for the Hartford & Talcott premium tax settlement? A free consultation with an insurance consumer protection attorney can help before the August 26, 2026 deadline to act.

How Much Can Hartford & Talcott Premium Tax Settlement Class Members Get? Up to $11 Million Total

Payments aren’t flat, and they’re not equal across claim types. If your overcharge falls under the Address Change or Rate Update issues — the ones Talcott and Prudential partly acknowledged — you’re in line for 100% of your alleged overcharge, minus your proportional share of attorneys’ fees and costs. If your claim is a Retaliatory Tax Rate or New York overcharge — the ones still disputed — you’ll get a pro-rata share of whatever’s left in the Net Settlement Fund after those first payments are calculated, so those claims are worth less on the dollar.

The lawyers get paid before any of that. Class Counsel can seek up to one-third of the fund — $3,666,666.67 — plus expenses, and up to $25,000 per named plaintiff as an incentive award. If someone qualifies under more than one issue, their payments get combined into a single check.

Payments go out after the September 24, 2026 final approval hearing and after any appeals wrap up — there’s no published payment date yet. As always, ask a tax professional whether your check needs to be reported.

Here’s the part worth sitting with: the acknowledged claims pay closer to full value, and the disputed ones pay less. Same lawsuit, two different math problems.

How Does the Hartford & Talcott Payment Actually Happen?

1. JND Legal Administration reviews Talcott and Prudential’s policy records to identify who had an Address Change or Tax Rate overcharge
2. Your payment amount is calculated under the court-approved Plan of Allocation
3. No claim form exists — you don’t submit anything to get paid
4. If you’re eligible, a paper check is mailed to your address on file after final approval
5. If your address has changed recently, contact JND Legal Administration at 1-888-337-0128 to make sure your check goes to the right place
6. Watch your mail after September 24, 2026 — that’s when the court decides whether to approve the deal

There’s genuinely nothing to fill out. The only action items here are opting out or objecting, and both have the same deadline: August 26, 2026.

Should Hartford & Talcott Class Members Opt Out or Object Before August 26, 2026?

What Opting Out of the Hartford & Talcott Settlement Actually Means

Opting out means giving up any payment from this settlement, but keeping the right to sue Talcott and Prudential on your own over the same premium tax issues. You can exclude specific policies while staying in for others if you own more than one. Requests must be mailed — not emailed — and postmarked by August 26, 2026.

How to Object to the Hartford & Talcott Settlement

Objecting keeps you eligible for a payment while letting you tell the court what you don’t like about the deal, the Plan of Allocation, or the attorneys’ fee request. Objections must be filed with the Clerk of the Court at the U.S. Courthouse, 300 Quarropas Street, White Plains, NY 10601, and served on Class Counsel and defense counsel, by August 26, 2026.

Talk to a class action lawsuit attorney before August 26, 2026, if you’re weighing either option.

Hartford & Talcott Premium Tax Settlement — Frequently Asked Questions, No. 7:23-cv-07972-CS

Do I need a lawyer to get a payment from the Hartford & Talcott settlement? 

No. Since there’s no claim form, eligible policyholders don’t need to do anything — let alone hire a lawyer — to receive a check. A lawyer only matters if you’re considering opting out or have questions about your specific policy.

Is the Talcott $11 million premium tax settlement legitimate? 

Yes. It comes from Arbuckle Funding LLC et al. v. Talcott Resolution Life & Annuity Insurance Company et al., No. 7:23-cv-07972-CS, pending before Judge Cathy Seibel in the Southern District of New York, with JND Legal Administration as the court-appointed administrator.

When will Hartford & Talcott settlement payments be sent? 

After the September 24, 2026 final approval hearing, and only once any appeal period passes. JND Legal Administration hasn’t published an exact mailing date yet.

What if I never file anything — do I still get paid? 

Yes, if you’re eligible. This settlement pays automatically. Doing nothing means you stay in the class, get your payment if you’re owed one, and give up the right to sue separately over these claims.

Will my Hartford & Talcott settlement payment be taxed?

 Possibly, depending on how it’s characterized. Keep any notice you receive and check with a tax professional once your check arrives.

Does this settlement cover cost-of-insurance (COI) rate increases too? 

No. This settlement is limited to premium tax charges only — COI rate claims aren’t part of it and aren’t released by this deal.

What happens if I already sold or surrendered my policy?

 You can still be included. Eligibility is based on whether you owned a qualifying policy and paid premiums during the relevant window — not whether you still hold the policy today.

How do the Address Change claims differ from the Retaliatory Tax Rate claims in what I’ll get paid?

 Address Change and Rate Update claims — the ones partly acknowledged — pay closer to 100% of the alleged overcharge. Retaliatory Tax Rate and New York claims are still disputed and pay a smaller, pro-rata share of what’s left in the fund.

Sources Used in This Hartford & Talcott Premium Tax Article

• Official Settlement Site — Talcott Premium Tax Settlement, Home page: https://www.premiumtaxsettlement.com/
• Court-Authorized Long Form Notice: https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/1eeb16db-4934-006e-40a6-38fa91285ebb/d368d6a0-4536-44e3-967a-b98cc4cb6c05/Long%20Form%20Notice.pdf

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against the court-authorized Long Form Notice and the official Talcott Premium Tax Settlement website on August 4, 2026. Last Updated: August 4, 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws vary by state and individual circumstances differ. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney.