If you bought a house in the last several years, you probably never wrote a check to your agent. The commission came out of the deal at closing, folded into numbers most of us sign without reading.

But the buyers behind a big antitrust lawsuit argue you paid for it anyway. And now a court settlement means some of that money may come back to you.

The National Association of Realtors and 30 real estate companies have agreed to put $120,334,500 into a fund for home buyers. The catch? You have to file a claim by Oct. 27. Miss it, and you get nothing.

I’ve been writing about money for more than 35 years, and this one is worth 15 minutes of your time. Here’s what you need to know.

Who’s covered and how much money is on the table

The case is Tuccori v. At World Properties, in federal court in Chicago. The buyers who sued say NAR and certain brokerages set up anticompetitive rules that propped up broker commissions, and that home buyers got stuck with inflated prices as a result.

The defendants deny the allegations and say they didn’t break the law. Neither a judge nor a jury has decided who’s right. This is a settlement, not a verdict.

The money comes from 31 named defendants. NAR is the biggest contributor at $52,250,000 — more than 4 of every 10 dollars in the fund. Bloomberg Law reported in April that the trade group had agreed to pay $52.3 million.

Others include HomeServices of America and its affiliates at $30 million, Anywhere Real Estate at $9,602,500, Hanna Holdings at $8,250,000, Compass at $7,331,250, eXp World Holdings at $4,335,000 and Douglas Elliman at $2,041,250.

So who’s in? Broadly, you qualify if you bought a home that appeared on a multiple listing service anywhere in the U.S. and some brokerage collected a commission on the sale during the class period. The listing service doesn’t have to be affiliated with NAR.

Don’t confuse this with the $28.5 million settlement with Keller Williams and RE/MAX covered in “Homebuyers May Qualify for $28.5M Settlement.” That one had an Aug. 25 claim deadline, and it’s come and gone.

This is a different settlement, with its own fund and an Oct. 27 deadline.

Now the part everyone wants to know: How much will you get? Nobody can say yet.

After fees and costs come out, the remaining money gets split pro rata among people who file valid claims, based on things like how many homes they bought and the commissions paid.

The lawyers for the buyers have asked for $37.9 million to cover their fees and expenses, and the judge can award less. Administration costs are estimated at another $6.3 million or so. If the judge approves both in full, that would leave roughly $76 million for claimants.

And don’t expect one lump sum. The defendants pay in installments, so claimants will get multiple payments spread over several years. The judge, Lindsay C. Jenkins, holds a final approval hearing on Nov. 2, and payments won’t start until the deal is approved and final.

1. Check your state’s class period

This is where it gets a little tangled. The class period depends on where the home was and which group of defendants you’re looking at. Every class period ends June 25, 2026.

Here’s the simple version: For the group that includes NAR, purchases since Jan. 25, 2019, are covered everywhere in the country.

Depending on your state, the window reaches back further — to Jan. 25, 2015, in places like New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Ohio, and all the way to Jan. 25, 2006, in Puerto Rico.

A second group of smaller brokerages has its own start dates, from Dec. 8, 2017, to Dec. 8, 2019, by state.

Don’t memorize any of this. Look up your state in the class period tables on the settlement site’s FAQ page. If you closed between Jan. 25, 2019, and June 25, 2026, you’re inside the window for the NAR group, wherever you live.

A few people are left out, including some who already released the same claims in earlier court-approved commission settlements.

2. Find your closing statement

The claim form asks for proof that you bought the home. The settlement site lists examples: a closing statement, a settlement statement, a HUD statement, a settlement letter or other paperwork from the transaction.

Most people stuffed these in a folder after closing and forgot about them. Check your filing cabinet, your email from the title company or your lender’s online portal.

Why bother? Run the numbers on a hypothetical: If a buyer’s agent collected 2.5% on a $400,000 home, that’s $10,000 built into a deal you may have assumed cost you nothing in commissions.

Plenty of class-action payouts aren’t worth the bother. Here’s when a class-action check is worth your time — and when it isn’t. A fund this big and a claim you can file in minutes make this one worth a look.

Quick aside — most internet financial advice comes from people who weren’t alive during the last recession. I’ve been writing about money for more than 35 years. Want rock-solid advice? Sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter. Takes 10 seconds. No fluff. No spam.

3. File by Oct. 27 (mail at least a week early)

You can file online on the official settlement website or by sending a paper form to the claims administrator. Online claims must be in by Oct. 27, and paper claims must be postmarked by that date.

If you’re mailing, the site suggests giving yourself a cushion of seven days or more ahead of the postmark deadline. Given the calendar, I wouldn’t mail anything. File online.

Send copies, not originals. The administrator says documents won’t be returned. If you’re stuck, the administrator’s toll-free line is 1-877-417-7662, and the general email is [email protected].

4. Skip the paid ‘claim helpers’

If anyone offers to file your claim in exchange for a fee or a cut of your payment, don’t bite.

According to the settlement site, there’s no reason to hire an attorney of your own, since the class lawyers already represent you. Their pay comes out of the fund, subject to court approval.

Paying a middleman just shrinks a check that’s likely to be modest to begin with.

The form takes your information and your documents. That’s it. You can do this yourself in less time than it takes to find the paperwork.

The bottom line

If the buyers who sued are right, you paid a buyer’s agent commission whether you noticed it or not. Some money is now sitting in a fund, and the only way to get any of it is to file a claim.

The opt-out and objection deadlines were Sept. 17, and they’ve passed. According to the settlement site, class members who do nothing still give up their right to sue the defendants over this — they just don’t get paid.

Not filing doesn’t protect anything. It only leaves your share on the table.

And if you’re shopping for a house now, read about the one line in your agent’s contract that could cost you $13,000, and steer clear of these eight common homebuying myths.