Purpose Financial Settlement Claim Form: Filing, Submission, and Taxes

To file a claim in the Purpose Financial settlement, complete the claim form at PurposeFinancialSettlement.com or mail a paper form postmarked by February 2, 2026. You’ll need the Unique Notice ID printed on the notice letter you received about the February 2023 data breach. Depending on what you’re claiming, you can request an estimated $50 flat cash payment, reimbursement of up to $5,000 in documented out-of-pocket losses, or both. California residents at the time of the breach can claim an additional estimated $50.¹

Who Can File

You qualify as a Settlement Class Member if your name and Social Security number were in Purpose Financial’s files compromised in the February 7, 2023 breach and you received a notice letter. Purpose Financial was formerly Advance America Cash Advance Centers, Inc., and the breach also affected its nine subsidiaries.¹

The Unique Notice ID on that letter is what ties your claim to the class list. If you think you were affected but never received a letter, the settlement website doesn’t describe a separate filing path without a Notice ID. Contact the Settlement Administrator at info@PurposeFinancialSettlement.com or (833) 417-4921 to check your status.

If you filed a valid opt-out by January 2, 2026, you gave up your right to any payment.²

What You Can Claim

The settlement offers three benefits, and you can combine them on one form.³

A pro rata cash payment estimated at $50, available to every class member with no documentation required.
Reimbursement up to $5,000 for documented, unreimbursed expenses tied to the breach and incurred on or after February 7, 2023. Qualifying costs include credit monitoring, identity theft losses, credit freeze fees, professional fees for credit repair or legal help, and miscellaneous items like postage, notary fees, and long-distance phone charges.
An additional estimated $50 for people who lived in California at the time of the breach, claimed by attesting to residency under penalty of perjury.

The $50 figures assume roughly three percent of the class files. If more people file, individual payments shrink pro rata; if fewer file, they grow.¹

What You Need Before You Start

For the flat cash payment alone, gather your full name, current mailing address, the last four digits of your Social Security number, and your Unique Notice ID from the notice letter. If you want to be paid electronically instead of by check, have your payment details ready.³

Out-of-pocket claims require support for every expense. Pull together records like:

Bank or credit card statements showing fraudulent charges or fees paid because of the breach
Receipts or invoices for credit monitoring purchased after February 7, 2023
Bills from attorneys, accountants, or credit repair professionals hired to address the breach
Records of credit freeze and unfreeze fees from credit bureaus
Receipts for smaller costs like notary services, postage, copying, mileage, or long-distance calls tied to resolving breach-related issues

Each expense must be fairly traceable to the breach and cannot have been reimbursed elsewhere. Save digital copies as PDF or JPG so they upload cleanly.³

Filling Out the Form

The claim form lives at PurposeFinancialSettlement.com. To request a paper version, call (833) 417-4921.⁴

Enter your name, current mailing address, last four digits of your Social Security number, and Unique Notice ID. Add electronic payment information if you want to be paid that way. These fields apply to every claim.

To take the flat cash payment, select the pro rata option. No receipts or explanation are required for that portion. California residents should also select the California Resident Cash Payment and complete the residency attestation.

For out-of-pocket losses, list each expense on its own line with the date, amount, and a short description, and attach the matching documentation. The Settlement Administrator reviews every entry. If something is missing or unclear, they’ll send a deficiency notice with a short window to fix it. Respond quickly; an unanswered deficiency notice leads to denial.⁴

How to Submit

You can submit online or by mail. The online portal issues an immediate confirmation, which is worth saving. Paper forms go to:

Purpose Financial Settlement
P.O. Box 5424
Portland, OR 97208

Online submissions must be completed by February 2, 2026. Mailed forms must be postmarked on or before that date. Missing the deadline permanently waives your right to any payment from the fund.²

What Happens After You File

After the filing window closes on February 2, 2026, the Settlement Administrator matches your Notice ID against the class list, reviews any expenses you claimed, and confirms the totals. Incomplete claims trigger a deficiency notice with a limited window to respond.⁴

No money goes out until the court grants final approval. The Final Approval Hearing is set for March 17, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.² Payments then wait out any appeal period, so realistic timing is several months after the hearing, longer if someone appeals.¹

A Note on Taxes

Reimbursement of actual documented losses is generally not taxable, because it restores what you already paid out. The flat pro rata payment isn’t tied to a specific expense and may be treated as taxable income. Starting in 2026, the federal Form 1099-MISC reporting threshold rose from $600 to $2,000 under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act, so a $50 payment alone is unlikely to generate a 1099. Keep a copy of your claim and any payment confirmation with your tax records either way.

1
Hernandez et al. v. Purpose Financial, Inc. f/k/a Advance America Cash Advance Centers, Inc., et al.. Hernandez et al. v. Purpose Financial, Inc. f/k/a Advance America Cash Advance Centers, Inc., et al.
2
Purpose Financial Settlement. Important Dates
3
ClassAction.org. Hernandez et al. v. Purpose Financial, Inc. – Settlement Agreement
4
ClassAction.org. Hernandez et al. v. Purpose Financial, Inc. – Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement