If you’re still annoyed by outrageously high beef prices, you might finally be getting a little payback.
Customers who bought beef products between 2014 and 2019 in one of 26 states could be eligible for a share of an $87.5 million class action settlement reached with several of the country’s largest beef manufacturers.
But before you pop the celebratory champagne, it’s important to know that this victory comes with a catch.
What’s the Beef?
Some of the nation’s biggest beef processors, including Cargill and Tyson, agreed to pay a combined $87.5 million as part of a settlement resolving a massive class action lawsuit that accused the companies of scheming to keep beef prices high.
Plaintiffs alleged that the beef companies spent years quietly pulling back on supply by processing fewer cattle, even as demand remained strong, which helped keep beef prices elevated at grocery stores nationwide between August 1, 2014, and December 31, 2019, according to a website dedicated to the litigation.
Under the settlement, Tyson agreed to pay $55 million and Cargill agreed to pay $32.5 million, totaling $87.5 million that will be allocated to affected consumers. Other beef companies named in the lawsuit — including National Beef Packing Company, Swift Beef Company, JBS USA Food Company, and JBS Packerland — declined to participate in the settlement.
Which Beef Qualifies?
The settlement covers more than 280 specific beef cuts, all of which are listed on the official claims website, so eligibility isn’t left up to guesswork.
Qualifying purchases include fresh or frozen, unprocessed beef from common cuts like chuck, loin, rib, and round.
Ground beef and anything that was marinated, seasoned, flavored, breaded, or fully cooked are not eligible. Premium and specialty products, such as USDA Prime, organic, grass-fed, Wagyu, kosher, halal, or certified humane beef, also don’t qualify. Restaurant meals are not included.
If you’re unsure whether a specific product qualifies, you can search the full list by product name on the settlement website.
Who Is Eligible?
If you bought any of the eligible beef cuts for home cooking during the covered period and made the purchase at a grocery store or supermarket — not directly from a beef company or processor — there’s one more thing to check: your ZIP code. According to the litigation attorneys, there are around 36 million potential class members across 26 states and Washington, D.C.
Eligible purchases must have been made in one of the following states:
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Utah
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Washington, D.C.
How to Claim Your Money
You have until June 30, 2026, to submit a claim through OverchargedForBeef.com. Receipts aren’t required, but you must estimate how often you bought qualifying beef and roughly how much you spent.
Payments will be divided on a pro-rata basis after legal and administrative costs, meaning the final amount depends on how many people file claims and how much eligible beef they report.
If your claim is approved, you’ll be able to choose how you want to be paid— through a paper check, digital payments through PayPal or Venmo, or a digital gift card for retailers like Amazon, Instacart, or Starbucks.
A court fairness hearing is scheduled for May 12, 2026, so payments won’t be issued until the settlement receives final approval.
