Heartland Payment Systems, a company that provides payment processing services for a variety of businesses including schools, has agreed to pay a hefty $18.25 million to settle a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit stems from claims that Heartland unlawfully charged "program fees" each time a user of the MySchoolBucks platform, a service enabling parents to upload money to their children’s school lunch accounts, added money to their account. The plaintiffs have argued that they were misled into overpaying, not fully aware of the real costs of using the MySchoolBucks service. The settlement benefits consumers who used a credit or debit card to transact on MySchoolBucks between June 18, 2013, and July 31, 2019, and whose last transaction was made on or after January 1, 2015. As part of the agreement, Heartland does not admit to any wrongdoing. Funds will be distributed to class members depending on the number of program fees they paid during the aforementioned period, with individuals who paid more fees receiving a larger portion of the settlement.