If you were affected by the 2017 Equifax data breach, you can now file a claim for a piece of the settlement. The credit-reporting company has agreed to pay between $575 million and $700 million to settle state and federal investigations related to a massive security incident that exposed the personal information of more than 147 million Americans two years ago.

The settlement, which was announced Monday and is considered the largest ever for a data breach, has preliminary court approval.

Each individual is eligible to receive up to $20,000 as part of the settlement; $125 is just the amount you can receive without having to do any extra work or claim any extra losses. The settlement also includes provisions to reimburse you for your lost time at a rate of $25 per hour.  If you spent hours on the phone trying to clear up suspicious credit activity or figure out whether you had been affected, go ahead and submit that as well.

To confirm you're eligible to file a claim, enter your last name and the last six digits of your Social Security number on the site or call the Settlement Administrator at 1-833-759-2982.  The official settlement website, www.equifaxbreachsettlement.com, has been posted and is accepting claims.  The deadline to file a claim is Jan. 22, 2020.