How to Claim a Mega Millions Prize
Claiming a Mega Millions prize depends on two things- where you bought your ticket and how much you have won. Different states and jurisdictions have their own set of rules for where you can request your prize depending on the amount and how long you have to claim your payout. We have listed the different steps for you below in a guide to help make collecting your Mega Millions prize as easy as possible.
The main point you need to remember is that you must claim your prize from the same state/jurisdiction that you bought your ticket in. So you can’t buy your ticket in New York and then try to claim the prize in New Jersey, as it will be denied when you try to claim it, even though it’s a winning ticket. Take it back to the state you bought it in, although not necessarily the same retailer, and you will be able to declare you have won a payout.
Tonight's MegaMillions Jackpot
$178 Million
Cash Lump Sum: $79.6 Million
Time left to Enter
Prizes Under $600
Prizes up to $600 can usually be claimed from any ticket retailer, so your first point of call would be to try your local retailer or the same shop you bought the ticket from. This won't always be the case as some shops will limit the cash available to staff - or that can be allocated to lottery winners - so do not panic if they deline to payout your ticket. Just make sure you are given the same ticket back and that it has not been marked as paid out. If it has been marked as paid out, then they must give you your money.
Winnings can also be claimed by mail. To do this you will need to download or collect a lottery claim form from your state lottery and follow the steps on that form. It's advised to use postage that has tracking so that you know what's going on with your ticket and can tell where it is.
Over $600
Prizes over $600 must be requested from a local district office, claim center or headquarters of the state lottery you have played in. Many of these centers allow walk-ins, but it's best to check ahead of time as many will require you to make an appointment.
Many states also allow these prizes to be collected by mail, however this varies from state to state so it's best to check the limits on mail-in claims before doing so.
Jackpot Winners
You must contact the lottery headquarters for your state if you are a jackpot winner. You will then be invited to make an appointment at the headquarters to settle the claim and go through the steps necessary to collect your winnings.
It's not uncommon for members of the press to gather at lottery headquarters after a large jackpot is won, hoping to get a glimpse of the jackpot winner. It's worth bearing this in mind if you are making a jackpot claim and wish to stay anonymous.
Claim Periods
Each state has its own period for when players can claim their prizes, and these apply to all levels of prizes whether it's $2 or the jackpot. You can find all the states and jurisdictions in the table below, along with the claim period for tickets and the limits on what prizes can be claimed by mail:
Select a state to filter the tables below:
| State/Jurisdiction | Claim Period | Mail-in Claims |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 180 days | Any prize |
| Arkansas | 180 days | Any prize |
| California | 1 year for the jackpot prize, 180 days for all other prizes | Any prize |
| Colorado | 180 days | Any prize |
| Connecticut | 180 days | Less than $50,000 |
| Delaware | 1 year | Up to $599 |
| Florida | 180 days | Up to $250,000 |
| Georgia | 180 days | Any prize |
| Idaho | 180 days | Any prize |
| Illinois | 1 year | Less than $1 million |
| Indiana | 180 days | Any prize |
| Iowa | 180 days | Up to $250,000 |
| Kansas | 1 year | Any prize |
| Kentucky | 180 days | Under $50,000 |
| Louisiana | 180 days | Up to $510,000 |
| Maine | 1 year | Any prize |
| Maryland | 182 days | Any prize |
| Massachusetts | 1 year | Undisclosed |
| Michigan | 1 year | Any prize |
| Minnesota | 1 year | Up to $50,000 |
| Mississippi | 180 days | Any prize |
| Missouri | 180 days | Any prize |
| Montana | 180 days | Any prize |
| Nebraska | 180 days | Any prize |
| New Hampshire | 1 year | Any prize |
| New Jersey | 1 year | Any prize |
| New Mexico | 90 days | Less than $100,000 |
| New York | 1 year | Any prize |
| North Carolina | 180 days | Less than $100,000 |
| North Dakota | 180 days | Any prize |
| Ohio | 180 days | Undisclosed |
| Oklahoma | 180 days | Any prize |
| Oregon | 1 year | Any prize |
| Pennsylvania | 1 year | Any prize |
| Puerto Rico | 180 days | Undisclosed |
| Rhode Island | 1 year | Undisclosed |
| South Carolina | 180 days | Over $500 |
| South Dakota | 180 days | Any prize |
| Tennessee | 180 days | Less than $200,000 |
| Texas | 180 days | Up to $2.5 million |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 6 months | Any prize |
| Vermont | 1 year | Any prize |
| Virginia | 180 days | Any prize |
| Washington State | 180 days | Any prize |
| Washington D.C. | 180 days | Any prize |
| West Virginia | 180 days | Any prize |
| Wisconsin | 180 days | Up to $500,999 |
| Wyoming | 180 days | Any prize |
Where to claim your Prize
Find your state or jurisdiction in the table below to find out where you can claim a prize depending on the value of the payout.
| State/Jurisdiction | Up to $600 | Over $600 | Jackpot Winners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Lottery Retailer | Phoenix office, 4740 E. University Dr., Phoenix, AZ 85034
Tucson office, 2900 E. Broadway Blvd., Ste 190, Tucson, AZ 85716 |
Phoenix or Tuscon office |
| Arkansas | Lottery Retailer ($500 or less) | Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Claim Center, 1st Floor, Union Plaza Building, 124 West Capitol Ave. Little Rock, AR 72201 | Arkansas Scholarship Claim Center |
| California | Lottery Retailer | Lottery District Office (nine locations - San Francisco, Sacramento, East Bay, Central Valley, Van Nuys, Inland Empire, Santa Fe Springs, Santa Ana, San Diego) | Lottery District Office |
| Colorado | Lottery Retailer | Pueblo Claims Center HQ, 25 N Main Street, Pueblo, CO 81003 | Denver Claim Center, 720 S Colorado Blvd, Suite 110A, Denver, CO 80246 |
| Connecticut | Lottery Retailer | Prizes up to $5,000 can be redeemed at any high-tier claim center (five locations) Prizes greater than $5,000 must be redeemed at the Rocky Hill Headquarters, located on 777 Brook St, Rocky Hill, CT 06067 |
Headquarters in Rocky Hill |
| Delaware | Lottery Retailer | $600 - $5,000 can be claimed at any of the Redemption Centers (three locations). | Delaware Lottery Office, 1575 McKee Road, Suite 102 Dover, DE 19904 |
| Florida | Lottery Retailer, District Office or Lottery Headquarters | $600 to $250,000 can be claimed at any Florida Lottery District Office (Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers, West Palm Beach, Miami, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Pensacola) or at Headquarters in Tallahassee | Lottery Headquarters, 250 Marriott Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32301 |
| Georgia | Lottery Retailer | Headquarters in Atlanta or Lottery District Office (nine locations) | Headquarters in Atlanta, 250 Williams Street, Suite 3000, Atlanta, GA 30303 |
| Idaho | Lottery Retailer | Lottery Headquarters, 1199 Shoreline Lane, Suite 100, Boise, ID 83702 | Lottery Headquarters in Boise |
| Illinois | Lottery Retailer or Claim Center | Claim Center (Chicago, Des Plaines, Rockford, Fairview Heights, Springfield) | Illinois Lottery Claims Department, Department of Revenue, Willard Ice Building, 101 West Jefferson Street Springfield, IL 62702 |
| Indiana | Lottery Retailer or Prize Payment Center | $600 - $49,999 can be claimed at the Prize Payment Center in Evansville or Mishawaka or Indianapolis headquarters | Lottery Headquarters, Downtown Indianapolis, 1302 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46202 |
| Iowa | Lottery Retailer | Iowa Lottery Office (five locations – Cedar Rapids, Mason City, Storm Lake, Council Bluffs, Clive) | Prizes more than $250,000 must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, located on 13001 University Ave, Clive IA |
| Kansas | Lottery Retailer | Lottery Headquarters, 128 N Kansas Avenue Topeka, KS 66603 | Lottery Headquarters in Topeka |
| Kentucky | Lottery Retailer | $600 – $5,000 can be claimed at an authorized Cashing Agents, the Lexington Regional Office or Headquarters in Louisville. More than $5,000 and up to $49,999 can be claimed at the Regional Office, Fortune Business Center, 961 Beasley Street, Suite 110, Lexington KY 40509 or Lottery Headquarters, 1011 West Main Street, Louisville, KY 40202 |
Headquarters in Louisville ($50,000 and over) |
| Louisiana | Lottery Retailer or Lottery Office | Lottery Office (six locations - Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette, Alexandria, Monroe, Shreveport) | $510,000 and over, can be claimed at the Lottery Headquarters, located on 555 Laurel St. Baton Rouge, LA 70801 |
| Maine | Lottery Retailer | Lottery Headquarters, 10 Water St, Hallowell, ME 04347 | Lottery Headquarters in Hallowell |
| Maryland | Lottery Retailer | $5,000 or less can be claimed at any Maryland Lottery XCAP (Expanded Cashing Authority Program) location Prizes more than $5,000 must be claimed at a Lottery Claim Center in Baltimore or Lanham |
Over $25,000 can be redeemed at the Maryland Lottery Headquarters, Montgomery Park Business Center, 1800 Washington Boulevard, Suite 330, Baltimore, MD 21230 |
| Massachusetts | Lottery Agent or Lottery Office | $601 - $49,999 Lottery Office (Braintree, New Bedford, Springfield, Woburn, Worcester, Boston) | Lottery Headquarters, 60 Columbian Street, Braintree, MA 02184 |
| Michigan | Lottery Retailer | Up to $50,0000 can be claimed at any Lottery Regional Office (Lansing, Livonia, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Sterling Heights) | Lottery Headquarters, 101 E. Hillsdale in Lansing |
| Minnesota | Lottery Retailer or any of the Lottery Offices | Lottery Retailer or any of the Lottery Offices (Owatonna, Detroit, Virginia, Marshall, Roseville) | Lottery Headquarters, 2645 Long Lake Road, Roseville, MN 55113 |
| Mississippi | Lottery Retailer | Prizes from $600 to $99,999 must be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters in Flowood or by mail | Lottery Headquarters - Mississippi Lottery Corporation, 1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100, Flowood, MS 39232 |
| Missouri | Lottery Retailer or any of the Lottery Offices | Prizes from $600.01 to $35,000 can be claimed at any of the Lottery Offices (Jefferson, Kansas, Springfield, St. Louis) | Lottery Headquarters, 1823 Southridge Drive, Jefferson City, MO |
| Montana | Lottery Retailer | Lottery Headquarters, 525 North Montana Avenue, Helena | Headquarters in Helena |
| Nebraska | Lottery Retailer | $501 to $19,999, can be redeemed at any of the Claim Centers (Grand Island, Norfolk, North Platte, Omaha, Scottsbluff) | $20,000 or more, Lottery Office, located on Lincoln, 137 NW 17th Street |
| New Hampshire | Lottery Retailer | Lottery Headquarters, 14 Integra Drive, Concord, NH 03301 | Headquarters in Concord |
| New Jersey | Lottery Retailer | Lottery Headquarters, Lawrence Park Complex, 1333 Brunswick Avenue Circle, Trenton, NJ 08648 | Headquarters in Trenton |
| New Mexico | Lottery Retailer | $601 - $99,999, Lottery Headquarters, 4511 Osuna Rd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109 | $100,000 and over, Headquarters in Albuquerque |
| New York | Lottery Retailer | Claim Center (sixteen locations – Buffalo, Fishkill, Long Island, New York City, Schenectady, Syracuse, Jamaica, Yonkers, Saratoga, Farmington, Monticello, Hamburg, Nichols, Vernon, Batavia, North Islandia) | Claim Center |
| North Carolina | Lottery Retailer or Regional Office | $600 to $99,999, Lottery Headquarters, 2728 Capital Blvd, Suite 144 Raleigh, NC 27604 or any of the Regional Offices | $100,000 or more, Headquarters in Raleigh |
| North Dakota | Lottery Retailer | Lottery Office, 1050 E Interstate Ave, Suite 200, Bismarck, ND | Lottery Office in Bismarck |
| Ohio | Lottery Retailer | $600 - $5,000, you must go to your Lottery Retailer, where you will receive a ‘Pay to Bearer’ ticket. Your retailer will also give you a list of bank-cashing locations where you can receive payment for your prize | $5,000 and over, Regional Lottery Office (Cleveland, Athens, Toledo, Dayton, Akron, Youngstown, Cincinnati, Lorain, Columbus) |
| Oklahoma | Lottery Retailer | $601 - $5,000, Lottery Office in Oklahoma City or any of the Claim Centers (Ardmore, Yukon, Woodward, Sand Springs, Bartlesville, Elk City, Guymon, Lawton, Muskogee, Norman, Pauls Valley, Perry) | Lottery Headquarters, 3817 N. Santa Fe, Suite 175, 73118 |
| Oregon | Lottery Retailer | Less than $50,000, prizes can be claimed at the Salem or Wilsonville office | $50,000 or more, Oregon Lottery, 500 Airport Rd SE, Salem, OR 97301 |
| Pennsylvania | Lottery Retailer | Up to $2,500, Lottery Retailer. Over $2,500, Headquarters in Middletown or any Lottery Office (Philadelphia, Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg, Clearfield, Pittsburgh, Erie, Lehigh Valley) | Lottery Headquarters, 1200 Fulling Mill Road, Suite 1, Middletown, PA 17057 |
| Puerto Rico | $800 or less, Lottery Retailer | Prizes up to $25,000, can be claimed at the Treasury Department or Lottery Centers (Hato Rey, Ponce, Caguas, Mayagüez, Humacao and Arecibo) | More than $25,000, Lottery headquarters, Angel Ramos Foundation Building Suite 110, 383 Ave. Roosevelt, Hato Rey |
| Rhode Island | Lottery Retailer | Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920 | Lottery Headquarters in Cranston |
| South Carolina | Up to $500, Lottery Retailer | Columbia Claims Center, 1309 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29201 | Columbia Claims Center |
| South Dakota | $100 or less, Lottery Retailer. $101 or more, Lottery Office | Any of the Lottery Offices (Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Pierre) | Lottery Headquarters, 711 E. Wells Ave, Pierre, SD 57501 |
| Tennessee | Lottery Retailer or Lottery District Office | $600 to $199,999, any of the lottery district offices (Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville, Memphis) | $200,000 or more, Lottery Headquarters, One Century Place, 26 Century Blvd., Nashville, 37214 |
| Texas | Lottery Retailer, Claim Center (sixteen locations) or Lottery Commission in Austin | $600 to $2.5 million, Claim Center or Lottery Commission in Austin | Texas Lottery Commission, 611 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Office in Sunny Isle or Frederiksted on St. Croix, and at St. Thomas, 75 Corner, 5800 Krondprindsens Gade | $1,200 or over, Lottery Office in St. Thomas or Sunny Isle Shopping Center Lottery Office or Frederiksted Ticket Sales Office | Office in St. Thomas or Frederiksted |
| Vermont | $500 or less, Lottery Headquarters in Berlin, Vermont or any authorized Lottery Agent in Vermont | $500 to $5,000 can be claimed at People's United Bank with a Claim Form or Headquarters in Berlin, Vermont | $5,000 or over, Lottery Headquarters, 1311 US Route 302, Berlin, VT |
| Virginia | Lottery Retailer or Customer Service Center | Customer Service Center (Richmond, Harrisonburg, Hampton, Farmville, Roanoke, Abingdon, Woodbridge) | Lottery Headquarters, 600 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219 |
| Washington State | Lottery Office | Lottery Office (Everett, Federal Way, Spokane Valley, Vancouver, Yakima) | $100,000 or more, Lottery Headquarters, 814 4th Avenue East Olympia, WA 98506 |
| Washington D.C. | Lottery Agent or Prize Center | $601 - $5,000 Prize Center | Above $5,000, Office of Lottery and Charitable Games Prize Center, Lobby Level, 2235 Shannon Place, S.E. Washington, D. C. 20020 |
| West Virginia | Lottery Retailer | Lottery Headquarters in Charleston, 900 Pennsylvania Ave, Charleston, WV 25302 or at the Regional Office in Weirton, 100 Municipal Plaza, Suite 500, Weirton, WV 26062 | Lottery Headquarters in Charleston |
| Wisconsin | Lottery Retailer or Lottery Office in Madison or Milwaukee | $600 - $500,000, Madison Office, Department of Revenue, 2135 Rimrock Road Madison, WI 53713 or Milwaukee Lottery Office, State Office Building 819 N. 6th Street, 4th Floor Service Counter, Milwaukee, WI 53203 | Prizes over 501,000, Madison Lottery Office |
| Wyoming | Lottery Retailer or Office | Lottery Headquarters, 1620 Central Avenue, Suite 100, Cheyenne, WY | Headquarters in Cheyenne |