One new $45 no-proof claim; no fresh closing-week pick survives the filter (2026)

The closing-week lane has no fresh national claim that clears every filter. One open ACCC data-incident settlement is worth checking now if you received the official notice: the alternative cash payment is $45, the form requires no proof or explanation, and the deadline is September 16, 2026. That deadline falls two days outside this issue's 14-day closing window, so this is an early-warning item rather than a closing-this-week pick.

Most class-action checks are small. A $45 payment is useful only when the eligibility match is clear and the form takes a few minutes. The amounts below are settlement terms or practical estimates, not guaranteed checks.

Short version

Settlement	Deadline	Realistic value	Proof or access gate	Filing path
American Consumer Credit Counseling data incident	Sept. 16, 2026	$45 alternative cash	You must be in the official notice-defined class; Category 2 requires no proof or explanation	Official claim form

Closing this week: No new national, mass-market, low-proof settlement qualified for August 31 through September 14 after removing repeats, closed claims, narrow classes, and claims with records-heavy proof.

Current claim: ACCC closes September 16. The administrator's site says the online claim form is the fastest filing route, and the official FAQ confirms that Category 2 asks for no proof or explanation. 1

Closing this week

The first lane covers deadlines from August 31 through September 14, 2026. This week has several settlement listings that look tempting in search results, but the eligible set becomes empty after the channel's filters are applied.

Circle K/Gas Express was already covered in an earlier issue, so it is not a new opportunity for this channel. YouTube TV also drops out: the official settlement website lists August 30, 2026 as the claim deadline, which had passed before this issue date. A directory page still showing a later date should not send anyone to a closed claim. 2

The result is less exciting than a long list of names, but it is more useful. A claim that repeats an earlier issue gives the reader no new chance to recover money. A claim with a deadline that already passed gives the reader a failed filing attempt. A claim that needs years-old receipts belongs in a different kind of guide.

The next deadline worth putting on the calendar is September 16. It sits outside the 14-day closing lane, yet the ACCC form is open now and the payment option fits the channel's stated range. The two-day gap is why the item appears below as an early warning instead of being described as closing this week.

Newly opened and current claims

American Consumer Credit Counseling: $45, deadline September 16

Underlying lawsuit. Dinkel, et al. v. American Consumer Credit Counseling, Inc., Case No. 2581CV02933, is pending in the Superior Court of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The lawsuit alleges that a criminal third party accessed certain ACCC employee email accounts in a January 2025 cybersecurity incident, and that the accounts may have contained people's personal information. ACCC denies wrongdoing, and the court has made no finding of liability. 3

Who qualifies. The official class definition covers: "All individuals residing in the United States whose PII was potentially compromised in the Data Incident experienced by Defendant, including all those who received notice of the Data Incident." PII means personally identifiable information. The administrator's FAQ says the potentially affected information may have included names, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, financial account numbers, or payment card information. 1

The practical eligibility check is the notice. Search email and paper mail for American Consumer Credit Counseling, ACCC, or the name of the settlement administrator. The legal definition is broader than "everyone who has ever used a credit counselor": it is limited to U.S. residents whose information was potentially compromised in this particular incident. People who received an ACCC data-incident notice have the clearest path to confirmation.

The FAQ also lists exclusions. The defendant, its related companies, officers, directors, successors, the judge and close family, and people found criminally responsible for causing the incident are excluded. Those exclusions will rarely affect an ordinary consumer, but the exact language matters when a reader checks the class. 1

What it is worth. Category 2 provides a one-time $45 alternative cash payment. The FAQ says a class member may choose Category 2 instead of Category 1 benefits. The $45 amount is the figure stated in the settlement terms, rather than a pro-rata estimate based on an assumed claimant count. The payment still depends on a valid, timely claim and the settlement's final approval process. 1

Category 1 is a different decision. It covers documented out-of-pocket losses up to $3,500 and also includes compensation for up to four hours of time at $20 per hour, capped at $80. The documented-loss path requires records such as bank statements or receipts, while the lost-time path requires a brief description of time spent responding to the incident. Those options may matter to someone with real, supported losses, but they are outside this issue's low-friction lane. 1

Proof and access. Category 2 requires no proof or explanation. A claimant still has to submit a valid claim form and choose the alternative cash payment. The settlement administrator's online form is linked from the official FAQ, and the administrator also provides a printable form for mail filing. 1

The notice remains the sensible starting point because the class is notice-based in practice. The official home page says that people sent notice about potentially impacted private information may be entitled to settlement benefits. A missing notice is a reason to contact the administrator and ask for help checking eligibility, not a reason to guess. The FAQ lists the administrator's email as info@ACCCSettlement.com and the toll-free number as (833) 421-7260. 3

Deadline and filing path. Submit an online claim by September 16, 2026. A mailed claim must be postmarked by the same date. The official ACCC claim form is the direct filing path. The administrator's FAQ also links to the official printable claim form and lists the settlement's official documents page. 1

Expect roughly four to five screens for a straightforward online filing: identify yourself or enter the notice information, select Category 2, provide the requested contact or payment details, review the certification, and submit. The exact screen count can change as the administrator updates the form, so treat the estimate as a time check rather than a promise.

The settlement remains proposed until the court grants final approval. The official FAQ lists a final approval hearing for October 8, 2026, and says payments will be issued after final approval and any appeals are resolved. A submitted claim is therefore a chance to receive $45, not an immediate $45 payment. 1

Five-minute value check. Spend the first minute searching email and paper mail for the ACCC incident notice. Spend the next two minutes opening the official form and confirming that the notice or administrator connects you to the defined class. Spend the final two minutes filing Category 2 if the match is clear. The $45 payment makes sense for a reader who already has the notice and can complete the form quickly. A reader who has to reconstruct an old relationship with ACCC or assemble loss records should stop; the quick path is designed around the official class match, not detective work.

Why the list is short

The channel's useful filter is stricter than a general settlement directory. A case needs an open official filing path, an ordinary-consumer class, a payout that fits the $5–$500 range, and a proof burden that can be handled in minutes. Claims tied to a specific employer, a small local service, a private notice with no broad consumer route, or a purchase that must be proved with old receipts do not belong beside a no-proof cash claim.

The ACCC settlement itself shows why the labels matter. The $45 Category 2 option is low proof, while the larger documented-loss category asks for records. The same settlement can contain both paths, but only one path belongs in a quick-claim guide. The $45 amount is also subject to the settlement's validity and approval conditions, so readers should treat it as an expected settlement benefit rather than a guaranteed result.

A short issue can save more time than a crowded issue. The closing-week section has no fresh qualifying pick, and the current section has one claim with a direct official route. That leaves the reader with a clear choice: check for the ACCC notice, file the $45 option when the class match is real, and wait for the next issue for a new deadline rather than forcing a weak candidate into this week's list.

Three quick wins

Search for the ACCC notice first. Use the words "American Consumer Credit Counseling," "ACCC," and "data incident" in email search, then check paper mail. The notice gives the fastest route to confirming that the official class includes you.
Use the $45 Category 2 path when eligible. Category 2 requires no proof or explanation. The documented-loss route belongs to people who already have records tied to the incident and can support those losses.
Set a September 16 reminder now. File through the official ACCC claim form before the online deadline, or mail the printable form early enough for a September 16 postmark. If the notice is missing, use the administrator's contact information on the official FAQ and let the administrator resolve the eligibility question.

Fuentes de referencia

1
ACCC settlement FAQ
acccsettlement.com
2
YouTube TV settlement website
youtubetvsettlement.com
3
ACCC official settlement website
acccsettlement.com