How to Get a Structured Settlement Quote

A real quote is written, not verbal, and it spells out three things: the specific payments you are selling (amounts and dates), the purchase price you will receive, and the discount rate used to calculate that price. If any of the three is missing, you do not have a quote - you have a sales pitch.

Our funding partner, Genex Capital, discloses the discount rate in every written quote. That is unusual in this industry, and it matters: the rate is the honest measure of what the deal costs you, and it is the only fair way to compare one offer against another.

Have three documents handy: your settlement agreement (or annuity contract), a recent benefits letter showing your remaining payment schedule, and any prior court orders if you have sold payments before. The benefits letter is the key document because it proves exactly what remains to be sold.

If you cannot find your benefits letter, the insurance company that issues your payments can reissue one, and a buyer can request it with your written authorization. Our guide on getting your benefits letter walks through the steps issuer by issuer.

Every quote is a present value calculation: future payments are worth less than cash today, and the discount rate sets how much less. A lower rate means more money for you; a higher rate means more margin for the buyer.

Effective rates in this market generally run from roughly 9% to 18% or more, depending on how soon your payments arrive, how large they are, and market conditions at the time. Payments arriving decades from now are discounted much more heavily than payments arriving next year, which is why selling near-term payments usually returns more per dollar.

You can see this math in action with our settlement calculator, which brackets a realistic range before you ever talk to anyone.

With your payment details in hand, a quote can typically be prepared quickly - often the same day you provide your schedule. The quote stage is the fast part of the process; the court approval that follows is what sets the overall 45 to 90 day timeline.

Be cautious of anyone who quotes you a precise figure in the first sixty seconds of a phone call without seeing your schedule. A number produced before your documents are reviewed is a hook, not a quote, and it commonly shrinks once the paperwork appears.

Compare three numbers, always in writing: the net amount you receive after every cost, the discount rate, and the payments being sold. Two quotes can only be compared if they price the same payments - a higher dollar figure that quietly takes two extra years of your checks is not a better offer.

Watch for cash advances presented as generosity. An advance is your own money paid early and netted out of your final amount, so treat it as part of the total economics rather than a bonus. Our questions-to-ask guide gives you a full comparison checklist.

Walk away from verbal-only numbers, pressure deadlines designed to stop you from comparing, quotes that will not state the discount rate, and any suggestion that court approval can be skipped or rushed around. Court approval is a legal requirement in every state, and the buyers who treat it casually are telling you how they treat everything else.

Also be wary of quotes that change materially after you sign preliminary paperwork. Legitimate adjustments happen when documents reveal something new, but a pattern of shrinking numbers late in the process is the industry's oldest trick. Our guide to scams and red flags covers the full list.

Request a quote here and you get a free, written figure with the discount rate disclosed, no obligation attached, prepared by our funding partner, Genex Capital. If another company puts a legitimate higher written offer in front of you at any point before closing, it will be matched under our Guaranty.

That combination - transparent rate plus price match - means comparing quotes can only work in your favor. Start with the form on this page or call (877) 622-7503.