The Boy Scouts settlement pays survivors a percentage of each claim's value, and that percentage is currently 4.7%. Claim values in the Scouting Settlement Trust's payout chart run from $3,500 to $2.7 million, so a claim valued at $600,000 has been paid about $28,200 so far. As of October 1, 2026, the Trust had paid $1,331,813,046 on 53,162 claims, and the next increase depends on a bankruptcy court ruling that has not been issued yet.
The money comes from the Scouting Settlement Trust, a fund of about $2.46 billion created by the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy plan, which took effect on April 19, 2023. This page explains the payout chart and what survivors actually receive. For the Trust's process, payment dates and claims portal, see our Scouting Settlement Trust guide.
At a glance: the BSA settlement in October 2026
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How big is the fund? | About $2.46 billion, held by the Scouting Settlement Trust |
| Is the settlement final? | Yes. The Supreme Court declined review on January 12, 2026, and the plan became final on February 7, 2026. |
| How many claims are decided? | 62,754 determinations issued as of October 1, 2026, about 98% of the claims submitted |
| How much has been paid? | $1,331,813,046 on 53,162 claims |
| What share of a claim is paid? | 4.7% of the allowed value, on an interim basis |
| Is that going up? | The Trustee has asked the court for 5.7%; no ruling yet |
| When is the next payment? | No date set; health-care liens have to be resolved first |
What is the latest on the BSA lawsuit settlement?
The bankruptcy plan is final and the Trust is paying claims, but at a small percentage of their value. Here is what has happened in 2026:
- January 12, 2026: the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the last appeal of the plan (No. 25-490). No rehearing was requested, so the plan became final on February 7, 2026.
- February 2026: about $1.5 billion in insurer money that had been held in escrow during the appeals was paid to the Trust, and the payment percentage was raised on an interim basis from 1.5% to 4.7%.
- June 2026: the bankruptcy court heard a dispute over raising the percentage. The Trustee asked for 5.7%, and the representative for future claimants argued it should stay at 4.7%. As of mid-October 2026 the court had not ruled.
- October 1, 2026: the Trust reported 62,754 claim determinations issued and $1,331,813,046 paid on 53,162 claims.
- October 2026: the Trust and its insurers were headed to mediation over about $213 million in escrow interest that the insurers held back.
BSA payout chart: what each tier is worth
The Trust Distribution Procedures sort every matrix claim into one of six tiers based on the type of abuse. Each tier has a base value and a maximum value. The Trust adjusts the base value for the facts of each claim, caps it at the tier maximum, and then pays the allowed value times the payment percentage. Values are also adjusted for inflation each year (2.8% for 2025 and 2.5% for 2026).
| Tier | Type of abuse | Base value | Maximum value | Paid at 4.7% (base / maximum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anal or vaginal penetration by an adult perpetrator | $600,000 | $2,700,000 | $28,200 / $126,900 |
| 2 | Oral contact by an adult; anal or vaginal penetration by a youth perpetrator | $450,000 | $2,025,000 | $21,150 / $95,175 |
| 3 | Masturbation by an adult; oral contact by a youth perpetrator | $300,000 | $1,350,000 | $14,100 / $63,450 |
| 4 | Masturbation by a youth perpetrator; unclothed touching of sexual or other intimate parts by an adult | $150,000 | $675,000 | $7,050 / $31,725 |
| 5 | Unclothed touching by a youth perpetrator; clothed touching other than masturbation; exploitation for child pornography | $75,000 | $337,500 | $3,525 / $15,863 |
| 6 | Sexual abuse without touching; adult abuse claims | $3,500 | $8,500 | $165 / $400 |
Source: Scouting Settlement Trust Distribution Procedures, Article VIII.A. The "paid at 4.7%" column is rounded to the nearest dollar and is before inflation adjustments, attorney fees and any amounts held back for health-care liens.
How the Trust adjusts a claim's value
- Nature and extent of the abuse: can raise the value up to 1.5 times.
- Abuser profile: can raise it up to 2 times.
- Impact on the survivor: can raise it up to 1.5 times.
- Reducing factors: include the statute of limitations in the state where the abuse happened.
A survivor who disagrees with a determination has 30 days to ask the Trust to reconsider. The request carries a $1,000 fee, which the Trust can waive.
How much will people get from the Boy Scout lawsuit?
Much less than the chart values, at least for now. Every matrix claim is paid as its allowed value multiplied by the payment percentage, which has been 4.7% since February 2026. A survivor whose Tier 1 claim was allowed at the $600,000 base value has received about $28,200 so far, before attorney fees. Across all paid matrix claims, the average payment so far is roughly $27,600, by our calculation from the Trust's October 2026 figures.
The percentage is low because the claims are worth far more than the money available. The Trust's consultant estimated allowed claims at about $35.5 billion in March 2026, against a fund of about $2.46 billion plus whatever the Trust recovers from insurers that did not settle. If the court approves the Trustee's request for 5.7%, a claim allowed at $600,000 would receive about $34,200 in total.
Two groups are paid differently:
- Expedited Distribution: survivors who chose this option on their plan ballot received a flat $3,500, with payments starting in September 2023 and nothing further. As of October 1, 2026, 5,660 of these had been paid.
- Independent Review Option: survivors who elected it by February 23, 2024 had their claims valued by a retired judge as a jury might value them. An award can exceed $2.7 million, but the Trust pays only the first $1 million of it at the payment percentage, and anything above that only from a separate fund made up of insurance recoveries. As of October 1, 2026, 196 of the 201 independent review claims had been decided.
Will the BSA settlement payment I receive be taxable?
Generally not, if the payment compensates for personal physical injuries or physical sickness, which federal tax law excludes from income (26 U.S.C. § 104(a)(2)). Payments for emotional distress that does not flow from a physical injury can be treated differently. Ask a CPA or tax attorney about your own situation before you file.
Does the LDS Church still support the Boy Scouts?
No. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ended its sponsorship of Scouting on December 31, 2019, after more than a century as the largest sponsor of troops in the United States.
The Church is not one of the Trust's contributors under the confirmed plan. A proposed $250 million settlement with the Church was rejected by the bankruptcy judge in July 2022 and dropped from the plan. Under the confirmed plan the Church is a "Participating Chartered Organization," not a contributing one. Scouting abuse claims against a participating organization are channeled to the Trust, which means they must be pursued against the Trust rather than the Church. That covers abuse that first occurred on or after January 1, 1976, and earlier abuse that is covered by a policy issued by one of the plan's settling insurers. The plan's definitions are technical, so a lawyer should check where a particular claim falls. For abuse outside of Scouting, see our page on sex abuse lawsuits against the LDS Church.
How a lawyer can help with a Trust claim now
The deadlines to submit a claim questionnaire (May 31, 2024) and to choose independent review (February 23, 2024) have passed, but survivors with claims in the Trust still have decisions to make:
- Asking for reconsideration within 30 days of a determination that undervalues the claim.
- Completing the Trust's health-care lien election, which has to be resolved before further payments.
- Asking for priority handling when a claimant is in serious ill health, under the Trust's exigent health process.
- Checking that each payment matches the determination and the current payment percentage.
Survivors whose abuse also involved people or organizations that the plan does not protect may have separate claims outside the Trust, and those depend on each state's deadlines.
Talk to a lawyer about your BSA claim
If you have questions about your Trust determination, your payment or a related abuse claim, contact The Nguyen Law Firm or call (713) 747-7777 for a free, confidential consultation. If you live in the Houston area, you can also learn more about our Houston personal injury lawyers.
This article provides general information, not legal advice. Trust figures come from the Scouting Settlement Trust's reports as of October 1, 2026 and change every month; check the Trust's website or your attorney for your own claim.
Call (713) 747-7777