Claim form
A claim form is the form you submit, online or by mail, to ask for your share of a class action settlement.
Also called: settlement claim form, proof of claim
A claim form is the form you submit, online or by mail, to ask for your share of a class action settlement.
What it means
A claim form is the form you complete to ask for money or other benefits from a class action settlement. Many settlements that pay people require one. You usually file it online on the settlement website, and many settlements also let you print it and mail it in.
The form typically asks who you are and how you qualify, for example, that you bought a product or had an account during a set time. It also asks how you want to be paid, and sometimes for documents. Near the end you sign, or check a box, to confirm your answers are true. Some forms also ask for a Claim ID that appears on your notice.
Every claim form has a deadline. Filing directly with the settlement administrator is free. Some settlements skip the form and pay people automatically from company records.
What it means for you
The claim form is the step that turns being a class member into getting paid. If you miss the deadline, you usually get nothing, and unless you opted out you are still bound by the settlement. Answer only what is true, keep your confirmation, and use the form linked from the official settlement website, not from an ad. Owed opens the official claim form for each settlement and reminds you before the deadline, but you submit it yourself.
Example
Say a streaming service settles over unexpected price increases. You get an email with a link to the claim form. You enter your name, the email on your account and the months you subscribed. You choose PayPal for payment, check the box confirming your answers are accurate, and submit before the deadline. A confirmation email follows with a claim number.
FAQ
No. Filing directly with the settlement administrator is free. The FTC says it never requires upfront fees for its refunds, and anyone who asks you to pay to file a claim should be treated as a likely scam.
The administrator may send a deficiency notice asking you to fix it by a set date, or it may reject the claim. Use the contact details on the official settlement website to correct it, and do it before the claim deadline if you can.
Related terms
- Federal Judicial Center, Judges' Class Action Notice and Claims Process Checklist and Plain Language Guide (2010)
- FTC, Refund Programs: Frequently Asked Questions
- FTC staff report, Consumers and Class Actions: A Retrospective and Analysis of Settlement Campaigns (September 2019)
Updated Oct 18, 2026. Plain-English definitions for general information — not legal or tax advice.