What is final approval order?

A final approval order is the judge's written ruling, issued after the fairness hearing, formally approving a class action settlement as fair, reasonable, and adequate and entering judgment that binds the class. It typically also rules on the attorneys' fee request and any pending objections, and starts the clock on any appeal period before the settlement can be fully implemented.

Payments to class members almost always come after the final approval order, not before, because a settlement can still be appealed by an objector even after the judge approves it, and administrators generally wait until an appeal period closes — or any appeal resolves — before disbursing funds. This is the most common reason class members wait many months, sometimes over a year, between submitting a claim and receiving payment, even for settlements that were approved relatively quickly.

Last reviewed 2026-08-22.