Your second Juul settlement check is being sent to you automatically using the same payment method you received your first distribution on. No action is required on your part—the payment will arrive in the account or inbox where you received your initial check. As of March 2026, approximately 165,982 eligible claimants are receiving a second round of payments totaling $15.3 million, drawn from uncashed checks and uncollected digital payments from the first distribution cycle.
This article explains how these second payments work, which payment methods you might receive your check through, and what to do if something goes wrong. The second distribution represents the settlement administrator’s effort to reach claimants who either never cashed their first check or didn’t collect their initial digital payment. If you received $50 from the first round via direct deposit, your second payment of approximately $92.48 will arrive the same way—without you needing to fill out forms or request anything. However, understanding the mechanics of this automatic process and knowing your payment options can help you prepare for the deposit and avoid missing it if it arrives in an unexpected format.
Table of Contents
- What Payment Methods Are Available for Your Juul Second Check?
- How the Automatic Payment Process Works for Second Distributions
- When to Expect Your Second Payment
- What If You Didn’t Receive Your First Payment? Alternative Options
- Common Issues and Troubleshooting Your Missing Second Check
- Tax Implications and Reporting Your Juul Settlement Payments
- The Broader Settlement Context—Why There’s a Second Distribution
What Payment Methods Are Available for Your Juul Second Check?
The juul settlement administrator accepts six different payment methods for distributing settlement checks: Virtual MasterCard, Amazon card, Venmo, PayPal, ACH direct deposit, and traditional paper checks. Your second payment will use whichever method you selected or was assigned during the first distribution cycle. This means if you received your initial payment via PayPal, your second check will also arrive as a PayPal transfer to the same account. The settlement avoids forcing claimants into a different payment channel, which would require updating account information or taking additional steps.
Virtual cards and digital payment methods like PayPal or Venmo typically deliver funds within 1-3 business days of the distribution date, whereas paper checks often take 5-10 business days depending on postal delivery. For example, if you received your first $50 payment through a Virtual MasterCard on October 28, 2024, your second payment of around $92 will load onto that same card automatically. ACH direct deposits, which go straight to your bank account, are the fastest option but require you to have provided valid banking information during the claims process. However, if your payment method information has changed since the first distribution—such as a closed bank account or invalid email address associated with a digital wallet—the settlement administrator may need to issue a replacement check or contact you through your original claim information. This is why keeping the contact information from your claim current is important, even though you won’t actively be filing anything.
How the Automatic Payment Process Works for Second Distributions
Unlike the first distribution where claimants had to wait months for the settlement administrator to validate claims and process payments, the second distribution is simpler: the administrator automatically sends remaining funds to previously verified eligible claimants using their existing payment preferences. You don’t need to take any action, update your account, provide new banking information, or respond to emails. The payment is triggered automatically once the administrator confirms your eligibility status from the first round. The $15.3 million being distributed in this second round represents uncashed checks and uncollected payments from the initial distribution cycle. Some claimants received digital payments but never collected them, while others received paper checks in the mail and never deposited them. Rather than holding onto this money, the settlement administrator redistributes it proportionally among all eligible claimants.
This means your second payment amount is different from your first—potentially larger or smaller depending on how many claimants failed to collect their initial payments. The average second payment is $92.48, though individual amounts range from the minimum up to $1,413.63 for claimants who are eligible for maximum compensation. The automatic nature of this process eliminates the biggest risk from the first round: claimants missing their payment because they weren’t watching. However, the trade-off is that you have less control. If your payment method has genuinely changed (you closed a bank account, deleted an email, or switched phone numbers), the automated system might not catch that change, and your payment could be lost or delayed. This is particularly true for paper checks sent to old addresses—if you’ve moved and didn’t update your mailing address with the settlement administrator, your second check could be returned to sender.
When to Expect Your Second Payment
The second payment distribution began in March 2026, with payments expected to arrive throughout the month as the settlement administrator processes and distributes funds across all eligible claimants. Digital payments via PayPal, Venmo, Virtual MasterCard, and Amazon cards typically appear within 1-3 business days of the distribution date. If you received your first payment on October 21, 2024 (when the first distribution launched), you should watch your account starting in early March 2026 for the corresponding second payment in your preferred method. Paper checks and ACH direct deposits take longer. A paper check can take 5-10 business days to arrive from the distribution date, depending on where you live and current mail delivery speeds. ACH transfers appear as pending deposits in your bank account, usually within 2-3 business days, then clear within a standard banking cycle.
For example, if the settlement administrator processes your ACH payment on March 22, 2026, you might see it pending in your account by March 24, with full availability by March 27. The challenge is that there’s no personal notification for the second distribution—no email confirming your payment like some companies send. You have to actively check your payment method to notice the deposit. If your second payment is arriving via a Virtual MasterCard that you haven’t checked in months, the balance might accumulate without you realizing it. Paper checks require you to check your mailbox regularly. This passive approach means being proactive about monitoring the accounts or cards where you expect the payment.
What If You Didn’t Receive Your First Payment? Alternative Options
If you were eligible for the Juul settlement but never received your first payment—either because your payment method information was invalid, outdated, or incorrect—you may not automatically receive a second payment using the same failed method. However, you shouldn’t give up. The settlement administrator’s website provides a payment status tool where you can check whether your claim was processed, what payment method is on file, and whether your payment was issued. If it shows your payment was issued but failed to deliver, you can often request a replacement check or update your payment information. The Juul settlement’s official payment FAQ and claims website allow you to submit inquiries about missing payments. You can typically request that your payment be reissued via paper check if your digital payment method failed, or vice versa.
For instance, if your Virtual MasterCard was rejected and you never received the alternate paper check, you can contact the settlement administrator and request the payment be sent as a paper check to your current address. These requests are usually processed within 2-4 weeks, though the second distribution timeline means replacement payments might overlap with the second round. If you’re unsure whether you’re even in the eligible claimant pool—perhaps you submitted a claim but never received confirmation—the settlement website allows you to verify your claim status. This is crucial before the second distribution, because eligible claimants who don’t verify their standing might be excluded from automatic payments. If you were supposed to receive a first payment but never did, and you’re also not receiving a second payment, your claim may not have been validated. Taking 10 minutes to check your claim status now can prevent missing out on both rounds of compensation.
Common Issues and Troubleshooting Your Missing Second Check
The most common issue with settlement payments is that claimants don’t actually notice the payment has arrived. Digital payments can quietly show up in accounts you haven’t checked in months. If you received your first payment via PayPal in October 2024, a second payment in March 2026 might sit unclaimed in your PayPal wallet indefinitely if you’re not actively logging in. To avoid this, create a phone reminder for mid-March to check every payment account where you might receive your second distribution—especially if it’s been months since you last looked. Another frequent problem is outdated or closed accounts. If you provided a bank account number during the original claims process in 2023-2024, that account might be closed by March 2026. Banks typically reject ACH payments to closed accounts, causing the transfer to fail. Similarly, email addresses and phone numbers change.
If your Venmo account or email is no longer active, the payment delivery will fail. The settlement administrator tries to contact claimants through their original phone number or email to resolve delivery issues, but this only works if you still have access to those contacts. The best preventative step is to log into the settlement’s claims portal now and verify that your account information is still valid. A third issue affects paper check recipients: address changes. If you’ve moved since October 2024 when you originally received your first check, the second check will be mailed to the old address on file. Post offices will attempt to forward it if they have an active change of address on file, but after a certain period, forwarding expires. Unclaimed paper checks are then returned to the settlement administrator, which creates a more complicated process to claim your payment. If you’ve moved, log into the claims portal and update your mailing address immediately, before the second distribution batch processes your payment.
Tax Implications and Reporting Your Juul Settlement Payments
Settlement payments from class action lawsuits have tax implications that vary depending on your state and the type of claim. The Juul settlement compensates claimants for damages related to the marketing and sale of nicotine vaping products, which generally means the payments are taxable income to the IRS. The settlement administrator will issue a 1099-MISC form if your total settlement payments exceed $600, which will be reported to the IRS. Even if you don’t receive a 1099-MISC, the payments are technically taxable income that should be reported on your tax return. Your second payment is typically treated as income in the tax year you receive it—so a second distribution in March 2026 would be reported on your 2026 tax return. Combined with your first distribution received in October 2024, your total Juul settlement income across both years should be reported. For example, if you received $50 in the first round and $92 in the second, that’s $142 total in settlement income.
If your state has state income tax, you may owe state taxes on this amount as well. Consulting a tax professional is worth the cost to understand your specific situation, especially if your total settlements for the year are substantial. Some claimants mistakenly assume settlement payments are tax-free because they’re compensation for wrongdoing by a corporation. This is incorrect for damages related to personal injury or lost wages, but it is less clear-cut for settlements that compensate for deceptive practices or economic loss. The IRS generally taxes settlement payments unless they explicitly compensate for physical injury or illness. The Juul settlement doesn’t qualify under that exception, so your payments are likely taxable. When you file your 2026 tax return, include the second payment and any 1099-MISC form you receive from the settlement administrator.
The Broader Settlement Context—Why There’s a Second Distribution
The Juul settlement was originally approved as a $300 million payout to resolve claims from smokers and vapers who were harmed by Juul’s marketing practices and products. The settlement administrator initially validated 842,004 eligible claims out of 14 million submitted claims, distributing the settlement proportionally among those verified claimants. However, not every eligible claimant actually collected their payment. Some never cashed their paper checks, others never transferred funds from their virtual card or digital wallet, and administrative delays caused some payment methods to become invalid before the payment could be delivered.
Rather than let that $15.3 million sit unclaimed, the settlement administrator opted to conduct a second distribution cycle, spreading the uncollected funds among the same 842,004 eligible claimants proportionally. This is a more efficient and fairer approach than trying to conduct a new claims period or leaving the money in escrow indefinitely. The second distribution also serves as a final opportunity for claimants to actually receive compensation—if you missed the first round, the second round is your last chance to benefit from this particular settlement. Future settlement cycles may not exist, and unclaimed settlement funds can sometimes be directed to cy pres recipients (charitable organizations aligned with the settlement’s purpose) if claimants don’t collect them.