Active Asbestos Trust Funds: Assets, Payment Percentages & Filing Status
Content reviewed & data verified: August 23, 2026
How Much Money Is Left in Asbestos Trust Funds?
Roughly 56%–75% of the money originally placed into asbestos trusts is estimated to remain. Trusts pay a percentage of each claim's scheduled value rather than the full amount, and those percentages are adjusted over time — raised about as often as they are cut. Eligibility and payment amounts vary by trust, by diagnosis, and by where and when the exposure occurred.
Source: AsbestosTrusts.org, 42 active trusts tracked, as of August 3, 2026. Figures are estimates for the full trust system, including modeled trusts, and are not a prediction of any individual claim's value.
Key Findings
- More than $30 billion was originally placed into asbestos bankruptcy trust funds since 1988. An estimated $16.7 billion to $22.5 billion of that remains available as of August 3, 2026, across 42 active trusts. Trusts were established by companies that manufactured, distributed, or used asbestos products.
- Payment percentages vary widely between trusts, ranging from approximately 2% to 100% of the scheduled claim value.
- Mesothelioma claimants typically receive the highest scheduled values among all asbestos-related disease categories.
- Many patients are eligible to file claims with multiple trusts, as exposure often occurred from multiple product sources over the course of a career.
- Trust fund claims are separate from and in addition to lawsuit settlements or verdicts — filing a trust claim does not prevent pursuing other legal remedies.
How Asbestos Trust Funds Work
When companies responsible for asbestos exposure filed for bankruptcy, courts required them to establish trust funds to compensate current and future victims. Each trust operates independently with its own scheduled values (the base amount assigned to each disease category) and payment percentages (the fraction of that value actually paid out).
The payment percentage adjusts over time to ensure the trust can pay all anticipated future claims. A trust with a 25% payment percentage and a $100,000 scheduled value for mesothelioma would pay $25,000 per claim. These percentages are reviewed periodically and may increase or decrease.
Scheduled Values by Disease Category
| Disease Category | Typical Scheduled Value Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mesothelioma | $50,000 – $400,000 | Highest category; malignant mesothelioma (all types) |
| Lung Cancer (with asbestos exposure) | $25,000 – $150,000 | Primary lung cancer with documented asbestos exposure |
| Other Asbestos Cancer | $15,000 – $75,000 | Laryngeal, ovarian, and other cancers linked to asbestos |
| Asbestosis (severe) | $20,000 – $100,000 | Disabling asbestosis with significant impairment |
| Asbestosis (mild) | $5,000 – $25,000 | Asbestosis with minor impairment |
| Pleural Disease | $2,500 – $15,000 | Non-malignant pleural thickening or plaques |
Source: Published Trust Distribution Procedures (TDPs). Ranges represent variation across trusts. Data as of: March 2026.
Major Active Asbestos Trust Funds
The table below lists 19 major asbestos bankruptcy trust funds currently accepting claims. Data is sourced from published Trust Distribution Procedures and KCIC Asbestos Trust Transparency reports.
| Trust Fund | Original Company | Trust Assets | Payment % | Est. Mesothelioma Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halliburton/DII Trust | Halliburton (Dresser Industries) | $4.2 billion+ | 60% | Not published |
| Pittsburgh Corning Trust | Pittsburgh Corning Corporation | $3.5 billion+ | 19% | Not published |
| Owens Corning/Fibreboard Trust | Owens Corning & Fibreboard Corporation | $3.4 billion+ | 4.3% / 3.5% | Not published |
| W.R. Grace Trust | W.R. Grace & Co. | $3.0 billion+ | 30.1% | Not published |
| Johns-Manville Trust | Johns-Manville Corporation | $2.5 billion+ | 5.1% | Not published |
| Armstrong World Industries Trust | Armstrong World Industries | $1.8 billion+ | 10.8% | Not published |
| Federal-Mogul Trust | Federal-Mogul Corporation | $1.8 billion+ | 2.9% / 12.2% | Not published |
| Celotex Trust | The Celotex Corporation | $1.4 billion+ | 7% | Not published |
| Eagle-Picher Trust | Eagle-Picher Industries | $1.3 billion+ | Not published | Not published |
| Combustion Engineering Trust | Combustion Engineering (ABB) | $1.25 billion+ | 15.3% | Not published |
| Babcock & Wilcox Trust | Babcock & Wilcox Company | $1.2 billion+ | 4.3% | Not published |
| Pfizer/Quigley Trust | Quigley Company (Pfizer subsidiary) | $965 million+ | 13.3% | Not published |
| USG Trust (United States Gypsum) | USG Corporation | $900 million+ | 10% | Not published |
| NARCO Trust (North American Refractories) | North American Refractories Co. | $620 million+ | 100% | Not published |
| Flintkote/Genstar Trust | The Flintkote Company | $575 million+ | 15% | Not published |
| Thorpe Insulation Trust | Thorpe Insulation Company | $575 million+ | 58.6% | Not published |
| Garlock Sealing Trust | Garlock Sealing Technologies | $480 million+ | Not published | Not published |
| Kaiser Aluminum Trust | Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. | $415 million+ | 10.6% | Not published |
| Western Asbestos Settlement Trust | Western Asbestos Company | Not published | 51.1% | Not published |
| Estimated payouts reflect the combined effect of scheduled value × current payment percentage. Figures sourced from published TDPs and KCIC reports. Subject to periodic adjustment. | ||||
Source: Published TDPs; KCIC Asbestos Trust Transparency Reports; trust annual financial statements. Data as of: March 2026. Payment percentages subject to periodic adjustment.
See which of these trust funds may apply to your specific work history and exposure. Our free tool matches your occupation and exposure details to potentially eligible trusts.
Use the Trust Fund Checker →Filing a Trust Fund Claim: Process & Timeline
Trust fund claims follow a structured process. Most trusts offer two review options:
Expedited Review vs. Individual Review
| Review Type | Processing Time | Payout | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expedited Review | 3–9 months | Fixed scheduled value × payment % | Claimants seeking faster resolution |
| Individual Review | 9–18 months | May exceed scheduled value | Cases with strong evidence of higher damages |
Source: GAO-11-819 (2011); Published Trust Distribution Procedures. Data as of: March 2026.
Methodology & Sources
Trust fund data on this page is compiled from:
- Published Trust Distribution Procedures (TDPs) — The legal documents governing each trust's operations, scheduled values, and payment percentages.
- Trust Annual Reports & Financial Statements — Published financial data including assets under management and claims paid.
- AsbestosTrusts.org — Primary source for the payment percentages on this page. Tracks 42 active trusts and classifies every figure as filed court document, secondary source, or estimate. We cite their figures; the underlying filings are linked on their site.
- KCIC Asbestos Trust Transparency Reports — Annual reports tracking trust fund payment activity, claim volumes, and payment percentage changes across all active trusts.
- U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO-11-819) — Congressional report on asbestos trust fund operations and oversight (2011).
- RAND Corporation — "Asbestos Litigation" by Stephen Carroll et al. Analysis of asbestos litigation and trust fund economics.
Payment percentages are subject to periodic adjustment by trust administrators, and they are raised about as often as they are cut. Each figure below carries its own effective date because a percentage without one cannot be checked for staleness. Actual payments may differ.
Payment percentages verified against AsbestosTrusts.org on August 23, 2026 (their data current as of August 23, 2026). Figures we could not verify against a primary source are labelled unverified rather than published as fact.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money is available in asbestos trust funds?
An estimated $16.7 billion to $22.5 billion is still available in asbestos trust funds as of August 3, 2026, across 42 active trusts. That is what remains of the more than $30 billion originally placed into these trusts since 1988. The widely cited $30 billion figure is cumulative funding, not the balance left today.
How much money is left in the asbestos trust funds?
Roughly 56% to 75% of the original funding remains — an estimated $16.7 billion to $22.5 billion across 42 active trusts as of August 3, 2026. Trusts pay a set percentage of each claim's scheduled value rather than the full amount, and those percentages are adjusted over time. They are raised about as often as they are cut.
What is a trust fund payment percentage?
A payment percentage is the fraction of the scheduled claim value that a trust currently pays out. For example, if a trust's scheduled value for mesothelioma is $100,000 and the current payment percentage is 25%, the actual payout would be $25,000. Payment percentages are adjusted periodically to ensure trusts can pay all current and future claimants.
Can I file claims with multiple asbestos trust funds?
Yes. Many mesothelioma patients were exposed to asbestos from multiple sources throughout their career. If those sources are connected to different trust funds, patients can file separate claims with each eligible trust. An experienced mesothelioma attorney can identify all applicable trusts for your case.
How long does it take to receive trust fund payment?
Most asbestos trust fund claims are processed within 6–18 months, depending on the specific trust, the completeness of documentation, and whether the claim is filed via expedited or individual review. Expedited review is faster but typically results in a lower payment.
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