The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ordered Block, Inc., the owner of Cash App, to repay users up to $120 million for unauthorized transfers and related failures, and to pay a separate $55 million civil penalty. The order was issued January 16, 2025. Money is now moving: the settlement administrator says checks are being mailed starting June 8, 2026.
The two numbers are not the same pot. The CFPB says Block must pay at least $75 million and up to $120 million to harmed consumers. The $55 million penalty goes to the bureau’s victims relief fund, not to Cash App users. Together the CFPB put the package at $175 million.
CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said at the time that “Cash App created the conditions for fraud to proliferate on its popular payment platform.” The bureau says Cash App has more than 56 million accounts and brought in about $4 billion of Block’s roughly $7.5 billion in 2023 gross profit.
That leaves a practical question for anyone who has used Cash App since July 1, 2019. Did a fraud report go uninvestigated, a refund come back short, or an account sit frozen? People in those situations who never saw a settlement notice should know a mailing is under way, and that the administrator takes questions by phone.
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Who the order covers
The consent order defines the harmed group by what went wrong. It covers Cash App users whose unauthorized transfer was never investigated, whose dispute took more than 60 days, or who got only a partial refund. It also covers people whose account was frozen at least 14 days with a balance of $25 or more, and people denied a temporary credit on a disputed error of $10 or more.
The period starts July 1, 2019. The administrator’s site says the agreement covers Cash App’s customer service and dispute practices from July 1, 2019, through January 16, 2025.
The CFPB said in January 2025 that consumers did not need to take any action to receive redress. The bureau lists the grounds as unauthorized transfers that were not investigated, refunds not given, accounts locked for a long time, and no temporary credit during a delayed investigation.
How the payments are figured
The order sets formulas, not flat checks. People with unauthorized transfers get a pro rata share of the amount they disputed or the refund they were owed. Frozen-account users share in $50 per person. Those denied a temporary credit get a share of interest at 30 percent a year, up to $50.
Because $120 million is a ceiling, the final per-person amounts depend on how many people qualify. Block runs the redress under the order, and the CFPB enforces it. If redress finishes below $75 million, Block must pay the shortfall to the bureau 90 days after its final report, and the bureau can use it for more redress or send it to the U.S. Treasury.
Payment is by check, according to the administrator’s site. Cash App users active in the last six months may instead get a credit to their account, under the order’s terms. The administrator’s toll-free number is (888) 832-1301. Block also lists 1-888-488-1181 and CFPBinquiry@cash.app for redress questions on the CFPB case page.
States stepped in to keep it alive
The payout has a second layer of protection. On July 8, 2026, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a $45 million settlement with Block joined by 46 attorneys general. His office says the states required Block to honor the CFPB’s redress terms as a “backstop against termination” after the federal administration moved to end or withdraw several earlier CFPB settlements.
Bonta said in the announcement that Block “told Cash App customers that their money was just as safe and secure as in a bank.” California’s share of the state money is $2.9 million. The state release adds that Cash App had no live phone support for years, and that scammers used fake Cash App numbers.
What Cash App has to change
The order also rewrites how Cash App handles problems. Under the consent order, Block must keep live customer service open 24 hours a day, with a human on the phone at least 12 hours daily and in chat at least 18 hours. It must explain any account restriction in writing within 24 hours, decide appeals within 10 business days, and issue a temporary credit within 10 business days if an investigation is still open.
The CFPB found Block used card-network chargebacks in place of the dispute process federal rules require, and that it misled users about fraud protection. The order runs at least five years from its effective date, so the bureau can act if the rules are broken.
Is a Cash App check on the way?
The open question is simple. Anyone who disputed a Cash App transfer or had an account frozen since mid-2019, and has not been contacted, can ask the administrator at (888) 832-1301 whether a payment was set aside. The administrator’s settlement site is the free place to start. Anyone who got a notice should keep it and the check envelope until the money clears.
Cash App users can also file or review a dispute with the bureau through its complaint page. Scam callers sometimes pose as settlement staff, and a real administrator does not ask for a fee or a password to release money.
Waiting on a Cash App check?
Settlement checks get lost in the mail, expire in a drawer, or arrive months after a notice nobody saved. For people who disputed a Cash App transfer years ago, that is how money tied to the CFPB order can end up uncashed.
The Settlement & Refund Recovery System includes a claim log and payment tracker, plus a guide to getting an expired or uncashed settlement check reissued. It also lays out the four-date rule for reading a settlement notice and a source vault of 12 official places money sits.
Get the claim log and payment tracker for Cash App settlement checks →
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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.
