The PG&E Fire Victim Trust has made its last scheduled payment to wildfire victims. The October 14 distribution was 1.25 percent of each approved award, lifting the total paid to 71.25 percent. The trust says $13.95 billion has now gone to 66,171 claimants.
The trust says there will be no additional pro rata distributions after this payment. Pro rata means every claimant is paid the same percentage of an approved award. The final round used the same method as earlier ones, so a larger award received a larger check.
On a $100,000 approved award, the final 1.25 percent comes to $1,250, and the 71.25 percent total comes to $71,250. That leaves $28,750 of the award unpaid. The trust has awarded $19.57 billion in all, so the gap between awards and payments runs to about $5.6 billion.
Claimants with determination notices should check three things: the dollar amount awarded, the percentage paid and the address on file. The trust reports 66,530 eligible claimants, of whom 66,171, or 99 percent, have been paid. By that count, 359 eligible claimants are not yet shown as paid.
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Where the final percentage came from
The trust counts 254,776 claims asserted and 71,787 claimants who hold determination notices. Those notices fixed the awards, which total $19.57 billion. The progress figures are dated October 14, the day of the final payment, and the $13.95 billion paid works out to about 71 percent of the awards.
The trust was funded through PG&E’s 2020 bankruptcy settlement. It began at $13.5 billion and grew to about $14.7 billion, KRCR reported in August, as it collected money from outside parties. Total approved awards run closer to $20 billion, Paradise Mayor Steve Crowder told the station.
The final 1.25 percent across $19.57 billion of awards is roughly $245 million. The Davey Tree money, nearly $112 million, was headed into the final round of payments, KRCR reported. Before this payment, a little more than 70 percent of awards had been paid as of September 30, KION reported.
The last source was Davey Tree Services, a vegetation contractor for PG&E. The trust received nearly $112 million from Davey Tree in late July. The trust says all funds from that settlement have been received, which completes the final recovery from third-party litigation.
Trustee Cathy Yanni announced the final percentage in a September 10 message. The trustee told Crowder that victims would receive at least 1 percent of their approved award in the last round. Crowder said everyone would not get the same dollar amount but would get the same percentage.
The installment approach frustrated some survivors. Crowder said he understands why the trust chose it, since victims needed money while claims were being administered, but he said paying in increments can make rebuilding harder. The final round ends that pattern for pro rata checks.
Earlier steps were larger. The trust’s document index lists increases from 45 to 60 percent in January 2023, to 66 percent in March 2024 and to 70 percent in September 2024. The final 1.25 percentage points are the smallest step on that list.
What AB 2700 does about the unpaid 28.75 percent
California Assembly Bill 2700 targets the shortfall. The Senate passed it 40-0, and the Assembly agreed to the final Senate amendments on August 31, KPAY reported. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it in September. It requires the California Public Utilities Commission to produce a report by January 2028.
That report must calculate unpaid claims for wildfires before July 12, 2019, which includes the 2018 Camp Fire. It must also lay out mechanisms, timelines and benchmarks for utilities such as PG&E to pay the missing funds. The bill says any mechanism must send money directly to victims rather than create attorney fee streams.
The law does not make PG&E pay right away. It directs state regulators to assess the shortfall and recommend solutions. Crowder said in August that the process could start in January 2027 and take up to a year, and that any money must not come from ratepayers.
Crowder also acknowledged that PG&E’s debt was discharged in bankruptcy, saying he does not know how a new payment would work. PG&E had not responded to questions from CBS News Bay Area about the bill, and the company has previously denied responsibility for the 2017 Tubbs Fire.
Will Abrams, a Tubbs Fire survivor from Santa Rosa who advocated for the bill, called the fight over compensation “financial abuse” and said “we should not still be fighting for dollars now.” He said the effort will continue until “there’s money in the hands of victims that are suffering.”
Records the trust is keeping
The trust says data associated with it will be kept for ten years. Claimants are asked to review and update their email address, mailing address and phone number so the distribution goes smoothly. The Claims Processor takes calls at 1-888-664-1152 and mail at P.O. Box 25936, Richmond, VA 23260.
For a claimant, the position is plain: the pro rata payments are finished, 71.25 percent of each approved award has been paid, and any further money depends on the AB 2700 process, whose regulatory report is not due until January 2028. Anyone whose paid total does not match the award notice has only the trust’s claims processor to ask.
Is every Fire Victim Trust payment on record?
With the pro rata payments finished, a missing check, a wrong address or a payment total that does not match the award letter becomes the claimant’s problem to document. After 71.25 percent of an award is paid, the receipts are the only proof of what arrived.
The Settlement & Refund Recovery System includes a claim log and payment tracker, and it covers how to get an expired or uncashed settlement check reissued. Its large-print quick-start keeps award letters, payment dates and percentages together before any later question comes up.
Track every Fire Victim Trust payment against the award in a payment tracker →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
