Class Action Settlement Per-Member Payout Estimator
Estimates the individual payout each class member may receive from a class action settlement fund after deducting attorney fees, administrative costs, and incentive awards.
Total settlement amount agreed upon before any deductions.
Percentage of gross fund awarded to class counsel (typically 25–40%).
Fixed costs for settlement administration, mailing notices, and claims processing.
Total incentive payments to named/lead plaintiffs (often $1,000–$25,000 each).
Total number of individuals in the certified class.
Percentage of class members expected to submit valid claims (typically 2–15%).
Amount reserved for cy pres recipients or reversion to defendant (enter 0 if none).
Formula
Step 1 — Attorney Fees:
Attorney Fees = Gross Fund × (Attorney Fee % ÷ 100)
Step 2 — Net Distributable Fund:
Net Fund = Gross Fund − Attorney Fees − Admin Costs − Incentive Awards − Cy Pres Reserve
Step 3 — Expected Claimants:
Claimants = round(Total Class Members × (Claim Rate % ÷ 100))
Step 4 — Per-Member Payout:
Per-Member Payout = Net Fund ÷ Claimants
Assumptions & References
- Attorney fees in common-fund class actions typically range from 25–33% under the percentage-of-fund method (In re Bluetooth Headset Prods. Liab. Litig., 654 F.3d 935, 9th Cir. 2011).
- The 25% "benchmark" for attorney fees in the Ninth Circuit is widely cited; other circuits may apply the lodestar method.
- Claims rates in consumer class actions historically average 2–10%; complex financial or data-breach cases may reach 15–30% (NCLC Class Action Report, 2022).
- Named plaintiff incentive awards are subject to court approval and have been scrutinized post-Johnson v. NPAS Solutions (11th Cir. 2020); enter $0 if uncertain.
- Cy pres distributions to third-party charities require court approval and a nexus to the class injury (Frank v. Gaos, 586 U.S. ___ (2019)).
- All figures are pre-tax estimates. Settlement proceeds may be taxable depending on the nature of the claim (physical injury vs. economic/punitive damages) per IRC §104.
- This tool does not account for pro-rata reductions if total valid claims exceed the net fund, or tiered payout structures based on individual harm levels.