If you sold a house anytime in the last seven years, you’ve probably seen the headlines about a massive pot of money waiting to be split up. Maybe you even got one of those official-looking envelopes in the mail or an email that looked suspiciously like spam but turned out to be a legal notice. Now, everyone is asking the same thing: when do I actually get my check? Honestly, the nar settlement payout date is a bit of a moving target, and if you’re expecting a windfall by next week, you might want to settle in for a bit of a wait.
The legal world moves slow. Like, really slow.
We are talking about a web of different lawsuits—Burnett, Moehrl, Gibson—that all got lumped into this giant conversation about how real estate agents get paid. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) agreed to pay $418 million. Then you’ve got big brokerages like Keller Williams, RE/MAX, and Anywhere Real Estate (they own Coldwell Banker and Century 21) adding hundreds of millions more to the pile.
The messy reality of the nar settlement payout date
So, here is the deal. While the courts gave the "final" green light to the NAR's portion of the settlement back in late 2024, that doesn't mean the money just flies out of a pneumatic tube into your bank account. There is a whole process of "claims administration" that has to happen first.
Basically, the administrators have to look at every single person who filed a claim and verify that they actually sold a home during the eligible period. For most of these cases, the window for selling was between October 31, 2017, and mid-2024. If you filed your claim by the various deadlines—some were in May 2025, others stretched into the end of 2025—you’re in the system.
But here’s the kicker. Appeals.
Even after a judge says "yes," someone almost always says "wait a minute." As of early 2026, oral arguments for appeals in the landmark Sitzer-Burnett case are still bubbling through the system. This is a massive roadblock. Usually, settlement funds can’t be distributed until every single appeal is exhausted or dismissed. If the court is still listening to arguments in January 2026, you can bet the check-mailing machine isn't plugged in yet.
Why your check isn't in the mail yet
It's frustrating. You see the news, you see the "billions" in settlement totals, and then... nothing.
The money is often paid out in installments. For example, the NAR didn't just write a check for $418 million on day one. They are paying that out over four years. They paid a big chunk of about $197 million in early 2025, and another $72 million is scheduled for February 2026. If the money isn't even fully in the hands of the settlement fund yet, it's pretty hard for them to give it to you.
Also, consider the sheer volume of people. Millions of Americans sold homes in that timeframe. Each one of those claims needs to be calculated based on how much commission was actually paid. It's not a flat $500 for everyone. It's a pro-rata share.
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- Step 1: Collect all the money from the defendants (NAR, HomeServices of America, etc.).
- Step 2: Subtract the massive legal fees (lawyers usually take around 30%).
- Step 3: Subtract the costs of mailing millions of notices.
- Step 4: Divide the remaining "net settlement fund" by the total value of all valid claims.
If you sold a $200,000 house, your slice is going to be way smaller than someone who sold a $2 million mansion and paid a 6% commission.
When to actually expect the money
Realistically? Most legal experts who track these class actions are looking at mid-to-late 2026 as the earliest window for the first wave of checks.
Some of the smaller settlements with individual brokerages might move faster. If you were part of the RE/MAX or Keller Williams settlements specifically, their timelines are sometimes decoupled from the main NAR drama. But even then, the administrators often wait to send everything at once to save on administrative costs.
Don't buy a boat based on this money.
Seriously. Most people are likely to receive somewhere between $10 and $100. It sounds depressing given the billions of dollars involved, but when you divide a few hundred million dollars by several million home sellers, the math gets small fast. There are outliers, of course. If you paid a massive commission and not many people in your specific "sub-class" filed claims, you might see more. But for the average person? It’s dinner money, not down-payment-on-a-new-car money.
How to check your status
If you're worried you missed the boat, you should check the official portals. The main site for the Burnett/NAR litigation has been the go-to source for updates.
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- Find your confirmation number from when you filed.
- Check the "Case Updates" section of the settlement website.
- Make sure your address is current if you've moved since filing the claim.
If you moved after selling that house (which, duh, you probably did), the settlement administrator might have an old address on file. If they mail a check to your old place and it gets returned, that money eventually goes to the state's "unclaimed property" fund. You don't want to have to hunt it down there three years from now.
What most people get wrong about the "payout"
The biggest misconception is that the settlement is a "refund" of the commission you paid. It's not. It’s a recovery of "damages" because the courts found that the rules were set up in a way that stifled competition.
Another thing? The nar settlement payout date isn't a single day.
Distribution usually happens in waves. They might start with the simplest, undisputed claims and move to the more complex ones. Or they might wait until every single brokerage involved has finished their individual court dates.
You’ve also got the Department of Justice (DOJ) lurking in the background. They’ve been very vocal about not liking some of the settlement terms. If they jump in and try to blow up the deal because they want even more radical changes to how real estate works, that could reset the clock entirely.
Actionable steps you can take right now
While you wait, there are a few things that are actually worth doing. First, keep a digital folder with your Closing Disclosure (often called the HUD-1 or CD). This is the document that proves exactly how much you paid in commissions. If the administrator reaches out and says your claim is "deficient" or they need more proof, having that PDF ready will save you a massive headache.
Secondly, stay skeptical of "claim recovery" services. You will probably start getting emails or calls from companies offering to "help you get your NAR money faster" for a fee. Do not do this. These are often scams or just unnecessary middle-men taking a cut of your already-small payout. The official settlement administrator is the only one who can actually pay you.
Lastly, check your email filters. Search for "Real Estate Commission Settlement" or "JND Legal Administration." Sometimes they send out "Notice of Deficiency" emails if a signature was missing or a file didn't upload correctly. If you don't fix those within their timeframe, your claim gets tossed.
It’s a waiting game. The legal system is built for precision, not speed. Keep your address updated, keep your closing docs handy, and maybe check back in around the fall of 2026. Until then, any "confirmed date" you see online that isn't from the court-appointed administrator is probably just a guess.
Next Steps for Home Sellers:
- Verify your claim status on the official settlement website (usually managed by JND Legal Administration).
- Update your mailing address with the administrator if you have moved since filing your claim in 2024 or 2025.
- Save your Closing Disclosure (CD) in a secure cloud folder in case you are asked for supplemental proof of the commissions you paid.