Talcott Hartford Premium Tax Settlement: No Claim Needed
At a glance
- Status
- Pending final approval
- Defendant
- Talcott Resolution Life & Annuity Insurance Company; Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Company (Prudential Insurance Co. of America as policy administrator; Hartford Life entities are predecessors, not defendants)
- Settlement fund
- $11,000,000
- Claim deadline
- No claim deadline set yet
- No-proof cash option
- Yes — automatic cash payment mailed by JND Legal Administration after final approval; no claim form required
- Estimated payout
- automatic cash payment mailed by JND Legal Administration after final approval; no claim form required
- Administrator
- JND Legal Administration
- Official site
- www.premiumtaxsettlement.com
- Court
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- Case number
- 7:23-cv-07972-CS (Arbuckle Funding LLC et al. v. Talcott Resolution Life & Annuity Insurance Company et al.), No. 7:23-cv-07972-CS
Last verified July 16, 2026
Key dates
| Milestone | Date | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Claim deadline | No claim deadline set yet | Last day to file for a payment |
| Opt-out (exclusion) deadline | August 26, 2026 | Last day to leave the settlement and keep the right to sue |
| Objection deadline | August 26, 2026 | Last day to object to the terms |
| Final approval hearing | September 24, 2026 | When the judge decides whether to approve the settlement |
| Expected payout | Not yet scheduled | Payments are not sent until after final approval and any appeals |
Where to file
Talcott / Hartford Life Insurance Premium Tax Charge Settlement is administered by JND Legal Administration. The only place to file is the official settlement website:
Verify on the official sitewww.premiumtaxsettlement.com
Filing is free. No legitimate settlement charges a fee to file a claim.
You cannot file on RecordingLaw.com. We are an independent publisher, not the settlement administrator, and we are not affiliated with any court, agency, or defendant.
What happened
A group of Hartford and Talcott life insurance policy owners sued over how their premium tax charges were calculated. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York as Arbuckle Funding LLC et al. v. Talcott Resolution Life & Annuity Insurance Company et al., case number 7:23-cv-07972-CS, alleges that owners of universal life and variable universal life policies were charged premium tax amounts that were miscalculated when their state's tax rate changed.
The defendants are both Talcott entities, Talcott Resolution Life & Annuity Insurance Company and Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Company, with The Prudential Insurance Company of America named as the policy administrator. Hartford entities, specifically Hartford Life and Annuity Insurance Company and Hartford Life Insurance Company, are not defendants; they are named only as predecessors that issued many of the affected policies before Talcott acquired much of Hartford's legacy life insurance business. That history is why some class members may still think of their policy as a "Hartford" policy even though it is Talcott being sued.
The parties reached a proposed settlement rather than taking the case to trial. That settlement still needs a judge's sign-off before any money moves, which is where things stand as of July 2026.
Where the case stands right now, and why
As of July 2026, this settlement has preliminary approval but not final approval. That distinction matters. A judge approved the deal well enough to let the class notice go out and the exclusion window open, but has not yet held the hearing where objections are considered, the settlement terms are scrutinized, and attorneys' fees are set.
That hearing is calendared for September 24, 2026 in the Southern District of New York. Until it happens, no one, including JND Legal Administration, can start mailing checks. There is no separate claims-review backlog holding this up and no appeal pending; it is simply waiting for its turn on the court calendar. Anyone who tells you a specific payment date before that hearing has occurred is not working from the court record.
Who is in the class
You are potentially a class member if you own, or owned, a universal life or variable universal life policy issued by Talcott (or a Hartford predecessor entity) where the premium tax charge was tied to your state or municipality of residence, and your policy fits at least one of two separate, alternative tests.
The first, the Address Change Issue, applies no matter what state you live in now: your address of record changed to a state with a lower premium tax rate after the policy was issued, and the insurer allegedly did not adjust the premium tax charge to match the new, lower rate.
The second, the Tax Rate Issues, is narrower. It applies only if your address of record was in one of 17 named jurisdictions: Arizona, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, or Wyoming, and the insurer allegedly applied an incorrect premium tax rate there, for example by not updating the rate when the law changed, or by applying Connecticut's rate to a non-Connecticut policyholder under a retaliatory-tax provision.
You only need to meet one of the two, not both. The premiums also have to fall within a specific payment window that varies by state and by which issue applies, generally sometime between 2015 and early 2025; the settlement agreement's Exhibit B has the exact dates for your situation. The official notice describes the class in these terms rather than by a fixed list of policy series or years.
If none of that matches your policy, either because it is a different Hartford or Talcott product, it never carried a premium tax charge, or it falls outside the applicable date window, you are likely not part of this settlement. The official settlement website is the place to check your specific policy, not a third-party blog or forum post.
How much people realistically get
The $11 million fund is a common fund, meaning it covers every eligible class member's payment plus court-approved attorneys' fees and costs. The official notice does not publish a per-person or per-policy dollar figure, and this article will not invent one.
What is confirmed is the mechanics: payments will be automatic cash amounts mailed by JND Legal Administration, calculated from the fund on a formula the court has not yet finalized. Like any common-fund settlement, individual amounts can be adjusted up or down depending on how many valid class members there are and what the court approves for fees. Treat any number you see quoted for this settlement, aside from the $11 million total fund, as unverified unless it comes directly from JND or the court filings.
What proof is needed
The official notice describes this as a no-claim-form settlement. Eligible class members do not submit documentation, receipts, or a claim form to receive a payment. JND Legal Administration is expected to identify eligible policy owners from Hartford and Talcott's own policy records rather than from anything a class member submits.
This is worth repeating because it cuts against how most people expect class action settlements to work. If you receive correspondence asking you to "file" documentation, upload proof of your policy, or pay a fee to receive your share of this specific settlement, that does not match how the official process is structured.
How to file
There is nothing to file. If you are an eligible class member, you do not need to submit a form, register online, or contact the administrator to receive your payment once the court grants final approval. The only action available to a class member right now is the opposite of filing: deciding whether to exclude yourself from the class (opt out) or to object to the settlement terms, both against an August 26, 2026 deadline. The two deadlines are not identical in what they require: an exclusion request must be postmarked by August 26, 2026, while a written objection must be filed with the court and served on counsel by August 26, 2026, which is a stricter standard than a mailbox postmark.
Excluding yourself means you leave the class, keep your own right to sue Talcott and Hartford separately over the same premium tax claims, and give up any payment from this $11 million fund. Objecting is different: you stay in the class and eligible for a payment, but you tell the judge in writing why you think the settlement terms are unfair, and the judge considers that objection at the September 24, 2026 hearing. Most eligible class members do neither and simply wait for the automatic payment process to run its course after final approval.
If you are not sure whether you are covered
If you have not received a notice but believe you own or owned a qualifying Hartford or Talcott policy, the official settlement website is the place to check, not a search result or a third party offering to "look up" your eligibility. The same applies if you receive an unsolicited call, text, or email referencing this settlement and asking for a Social Security number, bank account information, or a fee: a legitimate payment under this settlement is mailed automatically and does not require you to provide financial information or pay anything to receive it.
If you decide to research your own policy statements for premium tax charges, keep copies of your annual statements. They are the only records that would matter if you ever needed to raise a question about your own policy directly with Talcott or Prudential as administrator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to file a claim for the Talcott Hartford premium tax settlement?
No. The official settlement notice states that eligible policy owners will automatically receive a payment mailed by JND Legal Administration once the court grants final approval. There is no claim form to submit.
What is the deadline for the Talcott Hartford settlement?
The only deadline currently in effect is August 26, 2026, but it is not the same standard for both actions. An exclusion (opt-out) request must be postmarked by August 26, 2026. A written objection must instead be filed with the court and served on counsel by August 26, 2026, which is a stricter standard than simply mailing it by that date. There is no claim-filing deadline because no claim form exists.
What is the difference between opting out and objecting?
Opting out removes you from the class, lets you keep the right to sue on your own, and forfeits any payment from the $11 million fund; the request just needs to be postmarked by August 26, 2026. Objecting keeps you in the class and eligible for payment while you formally tell the judge why you think the settlement is unfair, ahead of the September 24, 2026 final approval hearing; an objection has to be filed with the court and served on counsel by August 26, 2026, not merely postmarked.
How much money will I get from the Talcott Hartford settlement?
The official notice does not state an individual payout amount. The $11 million fund covers all eligible class members plus court-approved fees and costs, and any per-person figure quoted outside the official notice is not confirmed by the administrator or the court.
When will checks be mailed for this settlement?
As of July 2026, no payment date has been set. The court's final approval hearing is scheduled for September 24, 2026, and no payments can go out before that hearing takes place.
Who is eligible for the Talcott Hartford settlement?
Owners of universal life or variable universal life policies issued by Talcott, or a Hartford predecessor entity, whose policy meets one of two tests may be eligible: an Address Change Issue, which applies in any state, or a Tax Rate Issue, limited to 17 named jurisdictions. The official settlement website has the full class definition and the exact payment-period dates that apply to each.
Is Talcott the same company as Hartford?
No. The defendants in this case are two Talcott entities, Talcott Resolution Life & Annuity Insurance Company and Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Company. Hartford entities are not defendants; they are named only as predecessors, because Talcott acquired much of Hartford's legacy life insurance business. That is why some policy owners covered by this settlement still think of their policy as a Hartford policy even though Hartford is not being sued here.
Is my settlement payment from this case taxable?
It depends on what the payment is considered to replace under IRS rules, and this article is not tax advice. The IRS explains that the taxability of a settlement payment follows the nature of the underlying claim, so consult a tax professional about your specific payment.
Why is there no claim form for this settlement?
The administrator, JND Legal Administration, is expected to identify eligible policy owners directly from Hartford and Talcott's own policy records rather than through claims submitted by class members, which is why the official notice describes payments as automatic.
How to tell a settlement notice is real
Check the case name, case number, and court against the official settlement site. Go to that site directly instead of clicking a link in an email or text. Nobody legitimate will call, text, or email out of the blue asking for your Social Security number, bank account, or card details, and nobody will charge you to file. Report anyone who does at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Informational only. Not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not affiliated with any settlement.
RecordingLaw.com is an independent legal-information publisher. We are not a law firm, not a settlement administrator, and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any court, government agency, defendant, or claims administrator described on this page. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship.
We do not process claims and we never collect your claim information. You cannot file a claim on RecordingLaw.com. To file, opt out, object, or check your status, use only the official settlement administrator identified above. We link to it for your convenience.
Filing a legitimate claim is free. No legitimate settlement or administrator will charge you a fee to file, or ask for your Social Security number, bank, or card details by unsolicited call, text, or email. If someone does, it is likely a scam. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Deadlines, amounts, and approval status change and are set by the court. We verify against the official administrator and court records, but confirm the current details on the official site before acting. Nothing here guarantees eligibility, a payment, or any amount. Settlement payments may be taxable. See IRS Publication 4345. and consult a tax professional. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state. Affiliate disclosure.
Sources and References
- Talcott / Hartford Life Insurance Premium Tax Charge Settlement, official settlement website (JND Legal Administration)(premiumtaxsettlement.com)
- Tax Implications of Settlements and Judgments(irs.gov).gov
- IRS Publication 4345, Settlements: Taxability(irs.gov).gov
- FTC Refund Programs, how settlement and refund payments from FTC actions work(ftc.gov).gov