Every dollar amount and date on this page is quoted from the official settlement document.
Publishers Clearing House Refunds
Court case: Federal Trade Commission, Plaintiff v. Publishers Clearing House, LLC
Publishers Clearing House settled a lawsuit over deceptive sweepstakes promotions, hidden shipping fees, and misleading privacy claims. If you ever ordered from PCH after clicking one of their promo emails, you could get a cash payment automatically.
Official eligibility wordingConsumers who ordered from Publishers Clearing House after receiving and clicking on one of the company's promotional emails and were impacted by misleading claims regarding sweepstakes entries, surprise shipping and handling fees, or deceptive information about risk-free ordering or data privacy. Checked against the official settlement source by SettleSignal on June 17, 2026.
Key facts
- Who may qualify You may qualify if you ordered something from Publishers Clearing House after clicking one of their promotional emails — and you were misled by claims about sweepstakes entries, surprise shipping and handling charges, or their "risk-free" or privacy promises.
- Estimated payoutEach eligible consumer receives a portion of the $18.5 million settlement fund; payment amount determined by PCH purchases made (approximately $66 per consumer across 281,724 recipients)
- Claim deadlineJuly 29, 2025 (closed)
- Proof requiredNo
- What you needNo claim form required and no proof needed — this is an automatic refund to eligible consumers.
- CourtEastern District of New York
How hard is this claim to file?
✅ You do not need to file — payment is automatic.
Watch out for
- The cashing deadline is 2025-07-29 — this brief was written after that date, so if you have not cashed your check it is almost certainly expired; contact the administrator right away.
- Scam look-alike sites exist; the only official FTC page for this settlement is ftc.gov/enforcement/refunds/publishers-clearing-house-refunds.
- The check comes from Rust Consulting, not from PCH or the FTC directly — do not discard it as junk mail.
- Payment amount varies based on individual PCH purchases, so your check may differ from the approximate per-person figure cited in reports.
We prepare — you file on the official site yourself. This is not legal advice and is not an eligibility decision; the administrator and court decide.
Verify it yourself
How we verified this record
- Claim deadline
- Payout details
- Eligibility
- Proof requirement
- Administrator
- Court case
- Payment status
- 1 field queued for re-check
1 official source linked to this record.
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Claim deadline
July 29, 2025
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Eligibility summary Quoted in the official eligibility wording above ↑
You may qualify if you ordered from Publishers Clearing House after receiving and clicking deceptive promotional emails and were misled about sweepstakes entries, hidden fees, risk-free claims, or data privacy practices.
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Proof requirement
No
No claim form was required to receive payment.
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Payment status
Distribution complete
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Estimated payout
Each eligible consumer receives a portion of the $18.5 million settlement fund; payment amount determined by PCH purchases made (approximately $66 per consumer across 281,724 recipients)
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Administrator
Rust Consulting, Inc.
Show all 5 more verified fields
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Automatic refund
Yes — automatic, no claim needed
No claim form was required to receive payment.
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Court
Eastern District of New York
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Court case number
2:23-cv-04735
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No-claim explanation
Refund checks were automatically mailed to 281,724 eligible consumers on April 30, 2025; no claim form was required
No claim form was required to receive payment.
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Case name
Federal Trade Commission, Plaintiff v. Publishers Clearing House, LLC
Where to act
No claim form is needed — Rust Consulting, Inc. issues this refund automatically; confirm your eligibility and contact details on the official source.
No claim needed — payment is automatic
If you qualify, the settlement pays you automatically. There's nothing to file — just keep an eye on your mail or account around the payment date.
