How to claim your cash payment from the latest Facebook settlement

If you had a Facebook account at any point between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022, Facebook’s parent company Meta might owe you money. No, Mark Zuckerberg is not feeling generous — Meta agreed to pay $725 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that claimed the company improperly shared user data with Cambridge Analytica. The plaintiff’s lawyers note that Facebook’s settlement is the largest recovery ever in a data privacy class action.

Before we tell you precisely how to secure your cut of the Facebook settlement, you should temper your expectations when it comes to the amount.

The settlement agreement says up to 25% of the $725 million settlement fund can be used to pay attorneys’ fees. Additionally, reimbursement of any attorney expenses will come from the fund. That brings the fund down to around $540 million, give or take a few million, to be split among the more than 200 million Facebook users in the US.

It’s also worth noting that you have to submit a claim to receive a cash payment, so the fewer people that submit a claim, the higher your cut will be.

Facebook settlement: How to get your cut

Now, without further ado, here’s what you need to do to submit your claim:

1. If you were a Facebook user any time between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022, go to FacebookUserPrivacySettlement.com/#submit-claim in your browser.
2. Fill out all the required fields, including your contact information, details about your Facebook account, and your payment option.
3. Depending on which payment option you choose, you might have to log in to the account of the service you chose, such as PayPal or Venmo.
4. Sign your name at the bottom of the page at hit the Submit button.

If you want to receive a cash payment, you have until August 25 to submit a claim form. If you want to opt out of the settlement and retain your right to sue Meta separately, you’ll have until July 26 to do so. If you do nothing, you will still be part of the settlement class, but you won’t receive a cash payment and you’ll forfeit your right to sue.