How long does lottery take to pay out online

If you’d like to confirm that your ticket is a winner, you can visit us in-store to use a ticket checker or ask the retailer to check the ticket for you.

Table of Contents Show

How long do you have to claim a Powerball ticket?
How long do you have to claim a Mega Millions ticket?
If you win the lottery, how do you get the money?
How does the lottery payout work?
How to Claim Lottery Winnings
How to Claim Powerball and Mega Millions Winnings
How long does UK lottery take to pay online?
How long do lottery payouts take UK?

Collecting a prize up to and including $500
If you have a Lotto or Scratch’n’Win ticket you have purchased in-store, prizes up to and including $500 can be collected from any Lotterywest store. For online or app purchases, your winnings will be paid directly into your e-wallet or nominated financial account.

Collecting a prize over $500
For prize claims over $500, winnings can be claimed at Lotterywest Head Office during office hours, or by submitting your original ticket with a prize claim form by post. If you attend Lotterywest Head Office, Lotterywest can pay up to $10,000 via EFTPOS. Alternatively, prizes can be paid directly into your bank account when you provide your BSB and account number. We are unable to pay prizes in cash. For online or app purchases (excluding Division 1), your winnings will be paid directly into your e-wallet or nominated financial account, unless claimed within 35 days.

All Scratch’n’Win prizes of $5,000 or more are subject to a 14 day validation period and can only be claimed at Lotterywest Head Office during office hours.

Collecting a Division 1 prize
Division 1 prizes must be claimed at Lotterywest Head Office during office hours. All Division 1 prizes are subject to a 14 day validation period. Generally, to claim a Division 1 prize, you must present at Lotterywest Head Office within 12 months from the date of the draw (subject to the extended COVID-19 prize claim period referred to below). Bring with you the winning ticket, together with information which will confirm your identity and place of residence.

Can’t get to Lotterywest to collect your prize?
If you're unable to visit a Lotterywest store or Lotterywest Head Office to collect a prize (excluding Division 1), please print and complete the claim form and post it with the original ticket/s to: Lotterywest Head Office, Locked Bag 66, SUBIACO WA 6904. We recommend you keep a scanned copy or photograph of your ticket, along with a copy of your prize claim form, until your claim has been processed. For collecting a Division 1 prize, please refer to the information above.

What happens to unclaimed prizes?
Unclaimed prizes are returned to the WA community through Lotterywest grants.

Ensure you don't miss out on winnings
The benefit of being a Lotterywest member is that when you purchase a Lotto ticket in-store, prizes are automatically paid into your nominated bank account after 35 days. For Lotterywest members who purchase tickets online or app, winnings are automatically paid into your e-wallet or nominated financial account.

Prize Claim Period
Subject to the extended prize claim period below in relation to COVID-19, you will have 12 months from the date of the draw to claim your prize. Prize claim periods for Scratch’n’Win games are available on our website here.

Extended prize claim period
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we made some temporary changes to our prize claim period for some ticket purchases, to give you more time and options to claim your prize. Tickets for Monday and Wednesday Lotto, OZ Lotto, Powerball, Saturday Lotto, Cash 3 and Set For Life where the draw took place between 15 March 2020 and 15 March 2021, have an extended prize claim period of 24 months from the date of the draw. To claim your prize, please visit a Lotterywest retailer or submit a prize claim form with your original ticket to Lotterywest within 24 months of the date of draw.

Lotto tickets are issued subject to the Lotteries Commissions (Authorised Lotteries) Rules 2016.

Scratch’n’Win tickets are issued subject to the Lotteries Commissions (Instant Lotteries) Rules 1996.

Even if you say you don’t care, somewhere deep inside, there is always the hope that you will be the lucky one.

How Long Does It Take for Lottery to Pay into Account? is a feature post – always only gamble what you can afford to lose

Processing times as well as prize thresholds vary with each state, but generally speaking, the larger the prize, the longer it will take to collect your winnings.

No cause for alarm, however. You'll get your money within a reasonable amount of time no matter what. Once you have come forward with the winning ticket, you can expect the typical scenarios:

Small prizes up to $600: Paid out immediately.
Mid-range prizes: Paid out on the same day or the next banking day.
Jackpot prizes: Paid out in 5 to 10 banking days.

How long do you have to claim a Powerball ticket?

Depending on where you purchased your Powerball ticket, you have between 90 days to one year after the drawing to claim your winnings. Beyond that, your ticket expires and you forfeit your prize. You can also look at the back of your ticket for its expiration date.

Or check out the table below of Powerball claim periods for all territories the game is available in:

Claim PeriodJurisdiction90 DaysNew Mexico180 DaysArizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming182 DaysMaryland1 YearDelaware, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont

In California, the claim period is 1 year for the jackpot, and 180 days for other prizes.
In Puerto Rico, the claim period is 180 days.
In the US Virgin Islands, the claim period is 6 months.

Remember that you must claim your winnings in the jurisdiction where you purchased your lottery ticket.

Free Lottery Tips Video

How long do you have to claim a Mega Millions ticket?

For Mega Millions, claim periods for each state and jurisdiction are the same as Powerball's. The only difference is that Puerto Rico is not on the list, since the game is not available in that country.

Find out how long you have to claim your Mega Millions ticket based on your state in the table below:

In California, the claim period is 1 year for the jackpot, and 180 days for other prizes.
In the US Virgin Islands, the claim period is 6 months.

Which METHOD did a 7 time lottery winner use to win 7 times?

Pop Quiz

If you win the lottery, how do you get the money?

How does the lottery payout work?

For most lotteries, the grand prize or jackpot is paid out to winners in a single lump sum (cash option) or over 20+ graduated payments (annuity option).

The cash option for Powerball and Mega Millions is typically equivalent to ~61% of the advertised jackpot. This is the percentage of the prize pool that is allocated to funding the jackpot.

The annuity option is equivalent to 100% of the advertised jackpot, and is based on the funds in the prize pool, expected ticket sales, and current market interest rates. Annuity payments are usually paid out over 29 years, although different lotteries and jurisdictions may have varying rules.

In the event of multiple jackpot winners, the prize is divided equally between them.

Secondary prizes are usually fixed amounts, and are paid out in cash.

As for taxes, it depends on the lottery and its local laws. Generally speaking however, all lottery winnings you earn in a year can be taxed. If you want to get a more detailed look at all the math involved, or just want to perform your own calculations, please feel free to check out our lottery calculators page for specific numbers and formulas.

How to Claim Lottery Winnings

The first thing you should do is make sure you've signed the back of your ticket.

Next, bring your ticket to the relevant lottery authority to claim your winnings. For most US lotteries, winnings up to $600 can be claimed directly from any authorized retailer. Larger prizes including the jackpot can be claimed from claim centers, district offices, or the lottery headquarters, depending on the amount. This will also require the winner to complete a claim form and provide valid forms of identification.

In many states, secondary prizes can also be claimed by mail. Check with your local lottery operator to see what your options are.

If you purchased your ticket online, chances are your prize is already in your player account. If you won a significant sum, you have to contact the lottery operator to claim your winnings.

And please remember to redeem your ticket within the time period allowed. Check the table above for Powerball and Mega Millions claim periods.

How to Claim Powerball and Mega Millions Winnings

Same steps as mentioned above, but take note of the following when claiming Powerball and Mega Millions winnings:

Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot prizes can be paid out in a single lump sum, or 30 graduated payments over 29 years.
In most jurisdictions, winners have 60 days after redeeming their ticket to choose between the lump sum or annuity option. There are some exceptions, however. In Texas for example, players must choose between the cash or annuity before paying for their lottery ticket.
Federal and applicable state income taxes will automatically be deducted from your winnings.

Finally, take a look at our guide on What to Do After Winning the Lottery where we'll give you our recommendations on how to handle big lottery wins.

Also check out the following tools for calculating your winnings to help you plan ahead:

And if you haven't purchased your lottery ticket yet, check out our article on the best lottery software to help you pick the winning numbers.

How long does UK lottery take to pay online?

If you win the Age UK Weekly Lottery, a cheque will be sent in the post within 14 days and you have up to six months to cash it at your bank, or you'll receive a direct transfer into your bank account.

How long do lottery payouts take UK?

If you pay by Direct Debit or if you signed up by other payment methods but have already registered your bank account details with us, your prize money will be transferred to your bank account within 28 days.