Acima Settlement: $183.5M and What Customers Get

Rent-to-own company Acima agreed on November 12, 2026 to pay $183.5 million to settle claims from 43 states. The deal includes $43 million in consumer refunds and $130 million in canceled lease balances, plus $10.5 million for the states. The states' claims are allegations, not findings by a court, and the Pennsylvania piece of the deal still needs a judge's signature.

If you ever financed a couch, a washer or a laptop through Acima at a store checkout, here is what the Acima settlement means for you, who gets contacted, and what to do while you wait.

What is the Acima settlement?

The deal names Acima Digital, LLC and its parent, Acima Holdings, LLC. According to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Acima works with retailers to offer rental-purchase agreements at checkout. The Oregon Department of Justice describes the plans as covering "things like furniture, appliances, and electronics." A shopper picks out the item, applies through Acima, and Acima buys it and leases it to the shopper. Pay every installment and the item is yours. Return it and the lease ends.

Attorneys general from 43 states brought the settlement, led by Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Tennessee. Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday's office filed a Consent Petition in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, and it awaits a judge's approval. Other states are filing their own consent judgments; Colorado's, for example, requires Acima to comply with the Colorado Rental Purchase Agreement Act and the Colorado Consumer Protection Act.

The money breaks into three parts, with different kinds of relief:

$43 million in consumer restitution, paid as refunds to customers nationwide
$130 million in lease balance reductions, meaning balances customers still owe get wiped out
$10.5 million paid to the states

A refund puts money back in your pocket. A canceled balance means Acima stops collecting what is left on a lease. Which one applies to you depends on your account: whether you paid the lease off, still owe on it, or walked away from it.

Acima reports the numbers differently. In a statement carried on Business Wire, Acima said it will "pay $53.5 million to the 43 states." That figure combines the $43 million in restitution with the $10.5 million paid to the states, and it leaves out the $130 million in forgiven balances, which is debt Acima writes off, not cash it pays out. The same statement describes the deal as "resolving the previously disclosed 2021 multistate investigation into rental-purchase transactions of Acima."

Acima is a wholly owned subsidiary of Upbound Group, Inc., the Plano, Texas company that also owns the Rent-A-Center brand. Rent-A-Center completed its acquisition of Acima in February 2021, and a 39-state investigation led by Nebraska's attorney general was announced that November. The 43-state settlement is the end of that investigation.

What did the states say Acima did wrong?

These are allegations, not findings a court has made. Here is what the states say.

The core complaint is about the gap between the ad and the contract. The states allege that Acima marketed its agreements as 90-day payoff programs without disclosing that customers were automatically placed into the maximum 12-month term. Over 12 months, a customer could pay roughly two times the cash price advertised by the retailer.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield put it this way: "People walked into a store thinking they'd found an affordable way to pay over a few months, and instead they ended up paying close to twice the price." Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said, "In this case, Acima misled consumers with hidden markups and fees in their rent-to-own lease agreements."

The states also allege that Acima:

Used the word "credit" in its advertising, which led customers to think they were getting traditional financing rather than a rental-purchase lease
Obscured the terms during its electronic signing process, so customers clicked through without seeing what they were agreeing to
Made it hard for customers to end an agreement without penalty by returning the merchandise, even though the agreements allowed it
Charged a cash price higher than what its retail partners charged

Pennsylvania's Sunday said that "in many cases, we found Acima caused more financial strain and stress for lessees." Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell's office added that the states also alleged deceptive practices in how Acima serviced the agreements, collected on them, and reported them to credit bureaus.

Who gets money from the Acima settlement, and how?

Nobody has to file anything yet. Pennsylvania's announcement is explicit: "Impacted consumers do not need to take any action to be considered for restitution or lease forgiveness." The states and Acima will use their records to find eligible customers and contact them.

The contact depends on which kind of relief applies:

Refunds: a settlement administrator contacts eligible consumers. Massachusetts says eligible consumers "will be contacted by the settlement administrator to file a claim," so you may need to reply to the notice.
Canceled balances: Acima contacts eligible consumers directly and clears what they owe.

No claims website or administrator hotline has been announced, and no deadline is set. The Pennsylvania filing still needs court approval, and the practical details usually get sorted out in the weeks after that.

The states that have published their shares give a sense of the scale. Pennsylvania expects more than $1.6 million in restitution and $3.6 million in lease forgiveness for almost 9,000 Pennsylvanians. Massachusetts expects $830,000 in restitution and $10.7 million in forgiveness of lease-to-own accounts. Colorado expects $1.36 million in lease forgiveness for 1,229 consumers and $450,000 in restitution for 1,631 consumers. In every state that has reported, forgiveness is the bigger number, which means most of the relief goes to people who still owe Acima money.

A real settlement administrator never asks you to pay a fee, buy a gift card, or hand over your bank login to release a refund. Scammers follow the news too. "Congratulations, you qualify for a rent-to-own refund" is a predictable pitch.

What changes for rent-to-own customers going forward?

The settlement also sets rules for Acima's future business. The Pennsylvania release lists the terms, which address the practices the states alleged:

Train retail partners so their staff can explain what a rental-purchase agreement costs
Drop certain advertising claims unless the missing material information is clearly and conspicuously disclosed
Stop obscuring the material terms during the electronic signature process
Stop charging a cash price higher than what the retail partner charges
Stop blocking customers who try to end their agreement by returning the merchandise
Stop reporting rental-purchase agreements to the three major credit bureaus for five years
Deal properly with late deliveries, merchandise damaged on arrival, and repairs needed during the lease

The credit reporting term matters for your file. For five years, Acima has agreed not to report rental-purchase agreements to the three major credit reporting agencies. The term is forward-looking; it does not by itself erase an entry that is already on your report. If an old Acima entry is there and it is wrong, you dispute it the same way you would dispute any collection account.

FTC guidance on rent-to-own arrangements warns about the cost in general, noting that renting an item "can mean that you pay for it two to three times over." The FTC also reminds shoppers that "You also have the choice to stop making payments at any time" and return the item, which is the right the states say Acima made hard to use. The states allege Acima's 12-month terms fit the FTC's warning, costing about twice the advertised cash price.

If you sign a new Acima lease after the settlement takes effect, the key terms should be visible before you sign, the cash price should match the store's, and returning the item should end the lease without a fight. Watch for all three.

How does this fit with the CFPB case and the DC settlement?

The 43-state deal is not the only enforcement action Acima has faced.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued Acima Holdings, Acima Digital, and founder and former CEO Aaron Allred on July 26, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah (No. 2:24-cv-00525). The CFPB alleged that Acima's leases were credit and claimed violations of the Consumer Financial Protection Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Truth in Lending Act, and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. On March 6, 2025, the bureau filed a notice voluntarily dismissing the case with prejudice against all defendants. The federal case ended with no money for consumers.

The District of Columbia investigated separately. On July 9, 2026, DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced a $4 million agreement. It includes $3.7 million in refunds, debt forgiveness, and account vouchers for more than 10,000 DC residents, plus $300,000 in civil penalties. DC's complaint focused on "90 day same as cash" advertising and markups of up to $100 above retail. It also said that Acima's agreements often cost more than 200% of the retail price and that Acima markets to consumers with poor or no credit.

New York sued Acima on its own in August 2024, and Acima said at the time that it "will vigorously defend itself against these allegations." New York is not among the 43 states in the multistate settlement, and neither is DC. If you leased in DC, the July 2026 agreement covers you; the DC office says eligible residents will be notified by email and mail, and people who think they qualify but hear nothing can contact [email protected]. If you leased in New York, contact the New York attorney general's consumer protection office to ask where its case stands.

What should you do if you have an Acima lease now?

Until the court approves the deal and letters go out, get your own records in order.

Pull your account history and payoff amount. Log in or call Acima and request the current balance, the original cash price, and everything you have paid. Any refund or forgiveness calculation will start from these numbers.
Keep every notice. Letters and emails from Acima or a settlement administrator are your proof of eligibility. Do not discard them, even the ones that look like routine account mail.
If you are still paying, ask two questions in writing: what the early purchase option costs, and how to end the agreement by returning the merchandise. The states allege Acima obstructed this right, so keep a record of the request.
Check all three credit reports for Acima entries. If a lease shows up incorrectly, dispute it with the bureau. The five-year reporting ban in the settlement only helps if the old entries get cleaned up too.
If a debt collector calls about an old balance, request validation in writing before you pay anything. A debt validation letter forces the collector to show what it says you owe, and if the balance is one Acima is about to forgive, a payment you make now may not be refunded. Check the statute of limitations on the debt too, because an old rent-to-own balance may be past the point where anyone can sue on it.
If you hear nothing and think you qualify, contact your state attorney general's consumer protection office. Those offices negotiated the deal and can tell you how eligibility is being handled in your state.

If a letter about an Acima refund or a canceled balance arrives, read it before you throw it out. For once, the fine print is on your side.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to file a claim?

Not right now. Pennsylvania says impacted consumers do not need to take any action to be considered for restitution or lease forgiveness, and Acima will contact eligible consumers directly about canceled balances. In some states, such as Massachusetts, eligible consumers will be asked by the settlement administrator to file a claim, so watch your mail and respond if asked. No deadline has been announced.

Will Acima still report my lease to the credit bureaus?

Under the settlement, Acima agreed not to report rental-purchase agreements to the three major credit reporting agencies for five years. That term applies going forward once the deal takes effect. If an Acima entry already appears on your reports and it is wrong, dispute it with the bureau in question and keep a copy of the dispute letter.

Is Acima the same as Rent-A-Center?

No, but they share an owner. Acima is a wholly owned subsidiary of Upbound Group, Inc., the Plano, Texas company that also owns the Rent-A-Center brand; Rent-A-Center bought Acima in February 2021. According to the DC attorney general, Acima partners with over 15,000 retailers and has also done business under names including Acima Credit, Simple Finance, Simple RTO and Simple Leasing, so check your paperwork for any of those.

Which states are not included?

Seven states are not in the November 2026 settlement: Alabama, California, Montana, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina and South Dakota. The District of Columbia is not included either; it resolved its claims separately in July 2026 with its own $4 million agreement, and New York filed its own lawsuit in August 2024. If you leased in one of those places, contact your attorney general's consumer protection office to ask about options for your lease.

Sources

This article is general legal information about a consumer protection settlement, not legal advice. Eligibility, payment amounts and timing are set by the settlement terms and your state attorney general, and rent-to-own, credit reporting and collection rules can depend on your state and your situation. For advice on your situation, contact a consumer attorney or legal aid office licensed in your state.

Featured image: photo by Sabhyata Sahu on Unsplash.