How to Claim Powerball Prizes
There are different methods for claiming your Powerball winnings depending on how much your prize is worth. The rules for collecting winnings apply to the amount you have won and often apply to many lotteries at once, including state specific lotteries, although in the case of Powerball the set prize tiers mean that how to claim your winnings depends entirely on the number of balls you have matched.
What to do with a Winning Ticket
If you played at a retailer then you should sign the back of your ticket to confirm that it is yours should it be lost or stolen. Keep the ticket in a safe place until you are ready to claim your prize. All Powerball prizes must be claimed in the same state that the ticket was bought in, so it’s best not to take the ticket with you should you go on holiday in the meantime.
Find out all the details of how to collect prizes below, including how to claim a Powerball jackpot.
Claiming Your Winnings
Time until draw:
Claims Period
Winning tickets do not last forever, and each state has a specific claims period for you to collect your prizes. Check your state in the table below to find out how long you have to claim your winnings:
State | Claim Period |
---|---|
New Mexico | 90 days |
Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico*, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington State, Washington D.C, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming | 180 days |
Maryland | 182 days |
U.S. Virgin Islands | 6 months |
California**, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont | 1 year |
- *Jackpot claims in Puerto Rico must be made within 60 days if you wish to take the cash lump sum option. Jackpot winners claiming after 60 days can only accept the annuity prize.
- **California players have 1 year to collect a jackpot prize, but only 180 days to claim a non-jackpot prize.