The Scouting Settlement Trust is the fund of about $2.46 billion that pays survivors of abuse in the Boy Scouts of America, and as of October 1, 2026 it had paid $1,331,813,046 on 53,162 claims. About 98% of claims have been decided. Payments are currently 4.7% of each allowed claim's value, no date has been set for the next payment, and the bankruptcy court has not yet ruled on raising the percentage to 5.7%.
The Trust was created by the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy plan and has operated independently of the BSA since the plan took effect. This guide covers where the Trust stands, when payments go out, how claims are valued and how to reach the claims portal. For the tier-by-tier payout chart, see our BSA settlement payout guide.
At a glance: the Scouting Settlement Trust in October 2026
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Established | April 19, 2023, when the BSA bankruptcy plan took effect |
| Trustee | Barbara J. Houser, a retired federal bankruptcy judge |
| Claims submitted to the Trust | 64,347 |
| Determinations issued | 62,754 |
| Claims paid | 53,162, totaling $1,331,813,046 |
| Current payment | 4.7% of each allowed claim value (interim) |
| Next payment | No date set; health-care liens must be addressed first |
| Official website | scoutingsettlementtrust.com (the .org address is not the Trust) |
Figures are from the Trust's Monthly Program Statistics as of October 1, 2026, published on its news and key documents page.
What is the latest on the BSA trust payout?
The Trust has nearly finished deciding claims, but it is paying a small share of each claim's value while larger questions are settled in court. The 2026 timeline:
- January 12, 2026: the Supreme Court declined to hear the last appeal of the bankruptcy plan. With no rehearing request, the plan became final on February 7, 2026.
- February 2026: about $1.5 billion in insurer money 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 15 and 16, 2026: the bankruptcy court heard the dispute over the payment percentage. The Trustee asked for 5.7%, and the representative for future claimants argued for keeping it at 4.7%. No ruling had been issued as of mid-October 2026.
- Late September 2026: the Trustee reported that about 98% of claims had been decided, with roughly 1,200 matrix claims and 5 independent review claims left.
- October 2026: the Trust and insurers were headed to mediation over about $213 million in escrow interest that the insurers held back. The Trust is also suing, in Texas, insurers that did not settle.
When is the second Boy Scout settlement payout?
The second payment has already gone out to most claimants. After the plan became final in February 2026, the Trust paid an additional 3.2% of each allowed claim, raising the total to 4.7%, to claimants who returned the Trust's Governmental Healthcare Liens Election Form. Part of that amount was held back for some claimants to cover health-care liens, and in late September 2026 the Trust released about 2,100 of those reserves.
No date has been set for a third payment. The Trust's website says: "Before further distributions can be made, healthcare liens asserted against the settlement proceeds paid by the Trust to Claimants must be addressed." The size of any later payment also depends on the court's ruling on the payment percentage and on what the Trust recovers in the escrow-interest dispute and from insurers that did not settle.
How does the Trust decide what a claim is worth?
There were three ways to be paid, and survivors made that choice years ago:
- Expedited Distribution: a flat $3,500 for survivors who chose it on their plan ballot. Payments started in September 2023, and there are no further payments on these claims.
- Matrix review: survivors who submitted a claim questionnaire by May 31, 2024 are placed in one of six tiers, adjusted for the facts of the claim, and paid the allowed value times the payment percentage. See the full BSA payout chart.
- Independent Review Option: survivors who elected it by February 23, 2024 have their claims valued by a retired judge as a jury might value them. The fees are $10,000 at election and $10,000 before the review, and the Trustee can waive them. The Trust pays only the first $1 million of an award at the payment percentage.
Claims are reviewed in the order they were submitted. The main exception is an exigent health claim: if a doctor declares there is substantial doubt the claimant will survive six more months, the claim moves ahead and is paid within 30 days after the signed release. The Trust sends payments every other week.
How do I log in to the Scouting Settlement Trust portal?
The Trust's Claims Processing Portal is reached through the Login link on the official website, scoutingsettlementtrust.com. Lawyers use it to manage their clients' claims. Survivors without a lawyer can request access by emailing info@scoutingsettlementtrust.com.
Be careful with look-alike sites. Scoutingsettlementtrust.org is run by an advocacy group, not the Trust. If anyone contacts you about a Trust payment, confirm it through the official website or your attorney before you share any information.
Where does the Trust's money come from?
| Source | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Boy Scouts of America, national organization | About $219 million, as valued by the bankruptcy court |
| Local BSA councils | $515 million in cash and property, plus a promissory note |
| The Hartford | $787 million |
| Century and Chubb | $800 million |
| Zurich | $52.5 million |
| Clarendon | $16.5 million |
| United Methodist entities | $30 million |
| Other insurers | Later settlements, plus the Trust's lawsuit against insurers that did not settle |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not on the list: its proposed $250 million settlement was rejected in 2022. Our BSA settlement guide explains how claims involving Church-sponsored troops are handled.
Do I have to pay taxes on my Boy Scout settlement?
Usually not, if the payment compensates for personal physical injuries or physical sickness, which federal law excludes from income. Payments for emotional distress that does not flow from a physical injury can be treated differently, so ask a CPA or tax attorney about your own situation.
Talk to a lawyer about your Trust claim
If you need help with a determination, a reconsideration request, the health-care lien process or a payment that does not look right, contact The Nguyen Law Firm or call (713) 747-7777 for a free, confidential consultation. Survivors in the Houston area can also learn more about our Houston personal injury lawyers.
This article provides general information, not legal advice. Figures come from the Scouting Settlement Trust's reports as of October 1, 2026 and change every month.
Call (713) 747-7777