You cannot claim lottery winnings anonymously in Pennsylvania in the strict sense: the Pennsylvania Lottery states that winners cannot remain anonymous, and certain details about you are releasable under the state’s Right-to-Know Law. What you can do is claim the prize through a trust, so the trust’s name appears in public records instead of yours. Estate planning attorneys commonly recommend this route, and it has real limits worth understanding before you sign the back of the ticket.
What Pennsylvania Releases About Winners
Under Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law, information about lottery prize winners is public. The Pennsylvania Lottery releases a winner’s first name, last initial, municipality of residence, and the prize amount. That information can appear in press releases, on the lottery’s website, and in responses to public records requests.
The lottery does not advertise a trust-claim process on its website, and its official position remains that winners cannot stay anonymous. A trust does not change that policy. What it does is put a layer between your legal name and the public record, so the “winner” identified in press materials is an entity rather than a person.
How a Trust Shields Your Identity
The concept is straightforward. You create a trust, the trust becomes the entity that claims the prize, and the trust’s name is what appears in public records. If you give the trust a generic name, connecting the prize to you requires someone to obtain the trust document itself.
A revocable living trust is the structure estate planning attorneys most often recommend for a sole winner. You serve as grantor, trustee, and beneficiary, meaning you can change the terms, manage the money, and dissolve the trust when you want. For tax purposes, the IRS treats a revocable trust as if it does not exist separately from you, so income flows through to your personal return at your individual rate.
An irrevocable trust fits better when a group of co-workers or friends wins together. Once funded, it cannot be changed or revoked, which prevents any one person from walking off with everyone’s share. The trade-off is that you give up direct control over the assets. For a solo winner who wants flexibility, a revocable trust is almost always the better choice.
Setting Up the Trust Before You Claim
The trust has to exist as a legal entity before you file the claim. If you sign the back of the ticket in your own name first, you may not be able to transfer that claim to a trust afterward. Secure the ticket somewhere safe while you get the legal structure in place.
Name the Trust Something Untraceable
Pick a name that cannot be tied back to you. Avoid your initials, your family name, your street, or anything a curious neighbor could connect to you with a quick search. Generic and forgettable is the goal.
Choose a Trustee
You can appoint yourself as trustee of a revocable trust, which gives you direct control over the funds. The downside is that your name then appears on trust paperwork, including the claim form submitted to the lottery. Appointing a trusted attorney or financial professional as trustee adds another layer of separation between you and the public record. A professional trustee also brings experience managing large sums, handling tax obligations, and making investment decisions without the emotional pressure that comes with a sudden windfall. Professional trustees typically charge a percentage of trust assets or a fixed annual fee.
A middle option is naming a professional trustee alongside a trusted family member as co-trustees. The professional handles the financial and legal side while the family member provides personal context about your needs. Whoever you pick, the trustee carries a legal duty to manage the assets in your best interest, so choose someone you trust completely.
Get an EIN for the Trust
The trust needs its own Employer Identification Number from the IRS. That is a nine-digit number that functions like a Social Security number for the trust entity. You can apply online through the IRS website for free and receive the EIN immediately.
Signing and Filing the Claim
Once the trust exists and has an EIN, the trustee signs the back of the winning ticket. The signature should include the trust’s legal name, the trustee’s name, and the trustee’s title. For example: “Keystone Investment Trust, Jane Smith, Trustee.” That signature legally assigns ownership of the ticket to the trust.
The trustee then fills out the Pennsylvania Lottery claim form, which is required for any prize of $600.01 or more. The form asks for the claimant’s name and Social Security number. When a trust is the claimant, estate planning attorneys advise listing the trust’s name and EIN in those fields. The lottery’s standard form is designed for individual claimants, so working with an attorney who has handled lottery trust claims in Pennsylvania matters here for getting the paperwork right.
Where the Claim Goes
Where you file depends on the prize:
- Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots, Cash4Life and Millionaire for Life top prizes, and Scratch-Off annuity prizes must be claimed in person at Pennsylvania Lottery headquarters in Middletown.
- Other prizes above $2,500 can be filed by mail to the Claims Department in Harrisburg or in person at any of the seven lottery area offices across the state.
For anything mailed, photocopy the front and back of the signed ticket before sending it.
Claim Deadlines
Pennsylvania gives you one year to claim, but the clock starts at different points depending on the game:
- Draw games such as Powerball and Mega Millions: one year from the drawing date.
- Scratch-Off games: one year from the game’s official end-sale date, not the date you bought or scratched the ticket.
- Fast Play games: one year from the ticket’s purchase date.
A year sounds generous. Setting up a trust, hiring an attorney, getting an EIN, and organizing the claim paperwork takes real time, so do not wait until month eleven to start.
Pending Legislation That Could Change the Rules
Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced bills that would give winners a legal right to confidentiality. Senate Bill 73, introduced in the 2025–2026 session, would keep names, addresses, and other personally identifying information confidential for prizes of $100,000 or more, unless the winner voluntarily waives that protection. The lottery would still release the winner’s county, municipality, and prize amount. A separate House bill, HB 1635, would offer similar protections for prizes of $1 million or more.
As of late 2025, SB 73 had passed the Pennsylvania Senate and been referred to the House Finance Committee, but neither bill had been signed into law. Until one of them is enacted, the trust approach remains the primary privacy tool available to Pennsylvania winners.
One More Thing About Cost
Hiring an estate planning attorney to build the trust is a cost most large-prize winners will absorb. Attorney fees for creating a revocable living trust vary widely but commonly fall in the range of a few thousand dollars, with more complex arrangements costing more. Measured against a multimillion-dollar prize, that is trivial. Measured against the consequences of botching the claim by signing the ticket in your own name first, it is a bargain.