Before you file a claim in the Dollar General price overcharge settlement, you need to gather specific documentation that proves you were charged more at the register than the posted shelf price. At minimum, for a cash payment, you must provide either a record of a complaint you previously submitted to a government agency or to Dollar General itself, or objective, contemporaneous evidence of a specific overcharge — such as a receipt paired with a dated photo of the shelf tag showing a different price. Without one of these, your cash claim will be denied. You also need to sign the form, because unsigned submissions are automatically rejected by the Settlement Administrator. This article walks through exactly what you need to have in hand before sitting down with the claim form at DGPriceSettlement.com.
The settlement, formally known as *Braun v. Dolgencorp, LLC*, makes $15 million available to consumers who were overcharged at any U.S. Dollar General store between October 10, 2016 and November 19, 2025. The claim deadline is April 13, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. Below, we break down each piece of documentation, explain the difference between the cash payment and the in-store benefit, flag common mistakes that get claims thrown out, and cover what the separate Pennsylvania Attorney General settlement means for shoppers in that state.
Table of Contents
- What Documents Do You Need for the Dollar General Settlement Claim Form?
- Cash Payment vs. In-Store Discount — Which Benefit Should You Claim?
- How To Locate or Reconstruct Your Overcharge Evidence
- Step-by-Step Guide to Filing Your Claim Before the April 2026 Deadline
- Common Mistakes That Get Dollar General Settlement Claims Rejected
- What the Pennsylvania Attorney General Settlement Means for PA Shoppers
- What Happens After You File and What To Expect Going Forward
What Documents Do You Need for the Dollar General Settlement Claim Form?
The claim form for the Dollar General settlement offers two tracks, and what you need to gather depends on which one you pursue. For the cash payment of $10 per documented overcharge (or the actual overcharge amount, whichever is higher, up to two overcharges per household for a maximum of $20), you must submit proof. That proof falls into two categories. The first is documentation showing you filed a complaint between October 10, 2016 and November 19, 2025, either with a government agency such as a state attorney general’s office or consumer protection bureau, or directly with Dollar General’s customer service. The complaint must reference a specific price overcharge that was never resolved. If you called Dollar General’s hotline and got a case number, that counts. If you filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau or your state AG, records of that submission work too.
The second category is what the settlement calls “objective, contemporaneous evidence.” In practical terms, this means a receipt showing the price you paid at checkout alongside a photo of the shelf tag taken at or around the same time, where the two prices clearly do not match. A receipt alone is not enough — the settlement requires you to show what the posted price was, not just what you paid. If you took a photo of a shelf tag next to a product and then kept the receipt from that trip, you are in good shape. If you only have a receipt and no shelf tag photo, you would need to rely on the complaint-based track instead. One thing worth noting: the form requires your signature. This sounds obvious, but the settlement agreement explicitly states that unsigned claim forms will be rejected. If you are filing online through DGPriceSettlement.com, the electronic signature field is mandatory. If you print and mail the form, do not forget to sign it before dropping it in the mailbox.
Cash Payment vs. In-Store Discount — Which Benefit Should You Claim?
The settlement provides two separate benefits, and they have very different requirements. The cash payment, as described above, demands documentation of a specific overcharge. But the in-store benefit — a $3 discount on a minimum $10 purchase during a designated two-day redemption window — requires no proof of an overcharge at all. You simply need a myDG account or to complete the registration form on DGPriceSettlement.com. That is a much lower bar, and it is available to anyone who shopped at Dollar General during the eligibility period.
However, if you have the documentation to support a cash claim, it is worth filing for the cash payment rather than settling for the $3 in-store discount. The cash payout of $10 to $20 is significantly more valuable, and you can potentially claim both if eligible. The limitation here is the cap: two documented overcharges per household, maximum $20. Even if you were overcharged dozens of times over the nine-year eligibility window, the settlement only compensates for two incidents. If you have documentation for more than two overcharges, submit the two with the highest dollar amounts, since you receive the greater of $10 or the actual overcharge for each.
How To Locate or Reconstruct Your Overcharge Evidence
If you suspect you were overcharged but are not sure whether you still have the evidence, start by checking a few places. Many people photograph shelf prices when they notice a discrepancy, even if they do not immediately file a complaint. Search your phone’s photo library by date and location — if you have location services enabled, filtering photos taken at or near a Dollar General address can surface shelf tag photos you forgot about. Also check your email for any correspondence with Dollar General customer service. If you submitted a complaint through their website or by email, there should be a confirmation or case reference somewhere in your inbox. For the complaint-based track, contact the agency where you filed.
State attorney general offices and consumer protection bureaus maintain records of complaints. You can request a copy of your submission, which serves as the documentation the claim form requires. If you complained directly to Dollar General by phone, ask their customer service department whether they can provide a record of your complaint. Having a case number, date, and summary of the issue is what you need. The reality is that many people who were overcharged simply accepted it and moved on, which means they have no documentation today. For those consumers, the in-store $3 benefit is the available option. The settlement was structured this way intentionally — the cash fund is limited to $8.5 million, and requiring documentation keeps it directed toward people who took action at the time.
Step-by-Step Guide to Filing Your Claim Before the April 2026 Deadline
Once you have your documents assembled, the actual filing process is straightforward. Go to DGPriceSettlement.com, where you can either file online or download a PDF of the claim form to print and mail. The online option is faster and eliminates the risk of your signature being missed, since the system will not let you submit without completing all required fields. The mailed version must be postmarked by April 13, 2026; the online version must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on the same date. When filling out the form, you will enter your contact information, identify which benefit you are claiming, and attach or describe your supporting evidence.
For the cash payment, be specific: include the date of the overcharge, the store location, what the shelf price was, and what you were charged. If you are uploading a receipt and shelf tag photo, make sure both are legible. Blurry or cropped images may result in your claim being questioned by the Settlement Administrator. For the in-store benefit, the process is simpler — register with your information and either link your myDG account or create one through the settlement site. The tradeoff between the two methods is essentially effort versus reward: the in-store benefit takes five minutes with no documentation, while the cash claim takes more preparation but pays out significantly more.
Common Mistakes That Get Dollar General Settlement Claims Rejected
The most frequent reason claims are denied in settlements like this one is insufficient documentation. Submitting a receipt without corresponding evidence of the posted shelf price will not meet the “objective, contemporaneous evidence” standard. The settlement language is specific — you need proof of what the price was supposed to be and proof of what you actually paid, and the two must clearly conflict. A receipt showing you paid $5.75 for a product means nothing on its own if you cannot also show the shelf tag listed it at $4.50. Another common issue is missing the signature.
It bears repeating because it trips people up in nearly every class action settlement: if the form is not signed, it is automatically rejected. There is no grace period and no follow-up request. The Settlement Administrator processes thousands of claims and applies the rules as written. Additionally, be aware of the household cap. If two people in the same household each file for two overcharges, that exceeds the two-per-household limit and may result in both claims being flagged or reduced. Coordinate with anyone in your household who might also be filing.
What the Pennsylvania Attorney General Settlement Means for PA Shoppers
Separate from the *Braun v. Dolgencorp* class action, the Pennsylvania Attorney General secured a $1.55 million settlement with Dollar General in December 2025 over pricing accuracy failures at more than 900 Pennsylvania locations. Investigators found that Dollar General stores failed more than 40 percent of pricing accuracy inspections between 2019 and 2023.
Under that settlement, Dollar General agreed to train employees on price accuracy, update shelf tags at least weekly, conduct two unannounced pricing audits per store per fiscal year, correct known price inaccuracies within 24 hours, and post a notice at registers stating the lowest posted price will be honored. If you are a Pennsylvania resident, this AG settlement may affect how Dollar General handles your in-store pricing going forward, but it is a separate matter from the national class action. You can still file a claim through DGPriceSettlement.com for the *Braun* settlement if you meet the eligibility criteria. The two settlements address the same underlying problem — systemic overcharging — but through different legal channels.
What Happens After You File and What To Expect Going Forward
After submitting your claim, the Settlement Administrator will review it for completeness and supporting documentation. The final fairness hearing is scheduled for March 19, 2026, at which point the court will decide whether to approve the settlement terms. Assuming approval, cash payments will be distributed after the claims process closes and all submissions are reviewed.
The timeline for receiving payment is typically several months after the claim deadline, though exact dates have not been announced. Looking ahead, the operational changes Dollar General agreed to — including pricing audits and corrective measures — represent the $6.5 million injunctive-relief component of the settlement. These reforms are designed to reduce overcharging going forward. Whether they succeed will depend on enforcement and the company’s follow-through, but the combination of financial penalties and mandated operational changes puts meaningful pressure on Dollar General to fix a problem that has persisted for years across thousands of stores nationwide.