What is the difference between pre-settlement and post-settlement funding?

Pre-settlement funding is an advance while your case is still open and the outcome is unknown; post-settlement funding is an advance after your case has resolved but before the money has been disbursed. Post-settlement costs less — 15% per six-month period against 25% — because the risk is lower.

How long can my lawyer hold my settlement check?

Your attorney must disburse your share within a reasonable time after the settlement funds clear, and must hold them in a trust account until then. In practice a few weeks is normal; several months without explanation is not.

How are settlement funds disbursed?

Settlement money goes first into your attorney's trust account. From there the firm pays the attorney fee and case costs, then medical liens and any funding liens, and the remaining balance is disbursed to you — usually within a few weeks of the funds clearing.

What is a medical lien?

A medical lien is a claim on your settlement held by a healthcare provider, health insurer or government program that paid for your treatment. It is repaid out of the settlement before you receive your share.

How fast do I get the money?

Most people are funded the same day they sign. Once you are approved and have signed the agreement, we send your funds by direct deposit. With many larger banks the money shows up right away; with others it can take a business day or two.

Do I pay anything out of pocket?

No. You pay nothing out of pocket at any stage — not to apply, not to receive the money, and not while the case runs. Everything owed is repaid directly from your settlement, and if there is no settlement there is nothing to repay.

Case already settled

Settled, but still waiting on the check?

Post-settlement advances cost 15% per six-month period — and half are repaid within 66 days. It’s non-recourse either way.

Apply in two minutes Call 813-798-5528

On a $2,500 advance

$375

in charges if returned inside the first period, plus a one-time $200 in fees — $3,075 repaid in total.

The number to know

Half are repaid within 66 days

Every funder advertises how fast it pays out. None of them publish how fast they get repaid. Half of our post-settlement advances are returned within 66 days on a censor-adjusted basis, which tells you which column of the table below actually applies to you.

It costs less than a pre-settlement advance because the risk is lower. The recovery is no longer uncertain; the only question is how long the disbursement takes. At 15% per period the cap is not reached until after month 36.

A median is not a promise, though — so the full schedule is below, and it runs to the cap.

66 days

Half of post-settlement advances are repaid within this window.

How this is measured

15%

Per six-month period, on the original advance. Never compounded.

2×

Hard cap, reached after month 36 at this rate.

Post-settlement payoff schedule
Advance	Fees	By 6 mo	By 12 mo	By 18 mo	By 24 mo	By 30 mo	By 36 mo	42 mo +
$500	$200	$775	$850	$925	$1,000	$1,075	$1,150	$1,200
$1,000	$200	$1,350	$1,500	$1,650	$1,800	$1,950	$2,100	$2,200
$2,500	$200	$3,075	$3,450	$3,825	$4,200	$4,575	$4,950	$5,200
$5,000	$200	$5,950	$6,700	$7,450	$8,200	$8,950	$9,700	$10,200
$10,000	$200	$11,700	$13,200	$14,700	$16,200	$17,700	$19,200	$20,200

Every figure is the total repaid at settlement — the advance, plus 15% of the advance for each six-month period, plus fees. Charges are simple: each period is calculated on the original advance, never on a growing balance. Assumes a first advance ($100 application fee plus $100 processing fee). Fees never grow and are never paid out of pocket. The final column is the 2× cap: at 42 months the amount repaid on the advance stops and never moves again, however long the case runs.

Why the wait happens

Agreeing on a number is not the same as getting paid

The check has to clear

Insurer processing and bank clearing on a settlement draft routinely take weeks before the money is usable at all.

Liens have to be settled

Providers, health insurers and government programs all have to be identified and negotiated. It is slow — but it is also where your attorney adds thousands to your net recovery.

Trust account rules apply

Your attorney must hold the funds in trust and account for every deduction before disbursing your share. How that works.

A few weeks is normal. Several months with no explanation is not — you are entitled to a written settlement statement and a status update at any point.

Bridge the wait.

No credit check, nothing out of pocket, and non-recourse even after settlement — if the recovery does not arrive, you owe nothing. Call 813-798-5528.

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Questions about settlement and disbursement

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