Lifestyle

The FTC Is Mailing $2.7 Million in Refund Checks to 63,000 Gig Workers Cheated by Handy

By Mike Harper · July 8, 2026

If you ever picked up cleaning, handyman, or home repair jobs through the Handy app — which now operates as Angi Services — a check may already be in your mailbox.

The Federal Trade Commission announced Monday that it is mailing more than $2.7 million in refund checks to 62,893 workers who were charged deceptive fees and fines by Handy Technologies. The checks are going out now. No claim form is required. If you’re getting one, the FTC already identified you.

The case centered on how Handy recruited and paid its gig workers. The FTC and the New York Attorney General alleged that Handy ran tens of thousands of ads promising workers high hourly rates — but the actual pay was nearly 50% less than advertised for some services. The company also failed to clearly disclose fees and fines that were deducted directly from workers’ earnings. Workers were fined for “incomplete” jobs when customers canceled — even when the cancellation was entirely the customer’s fault.

One internal email from Handy’s Operations Manager to its Customer Experience Manager acknowledged the impact: “Many pros are on public assistance/housing.”

What you need to know if you get a check:

Cash it within 90 days. The expiration date is printed on the check. After 90 days, it’s void. The check will come from Simpluris Inc. — the FTC’s refund administrator for this case — not from Handy or Angi directly.

If you think you should have received a check but didn’t:

Contact Simpluris Inc. at 833-647-9063 or visit the FTC’s refund page at ftc.gov/enforcement/refunds for frequently asked questions.

Scam warning:

The FTC never charges a fee. No one should call you asking for payment, your Social Security number, or bank information to “process” your refund. Any contact demanding payment is fraudulent.