How to Claim Lottery Winnings in California: Deadlines and Taxes

To claim lottery winnings in California, sign the back of your ticket first, then take prizes up to $599 to any California Lottery retailer for immediate cash. For anything $600 or more, you file a Winner’s Claim Form with the California Lottery either at a district office or by mail, and you have 180 days from the draw date to do it for most games.¹

Where to Go Based on What You Won

The claim channel depends on the prize amount:

Up to $599: cash the ticket at any participating California Lottery retailer.²
$600 to $1,000: go to any California Lottery district office for same-day check processing (until 4:30 p.m., with a valid unexpired government-issued photo ID), or file by mail.³
Over $1,000: file at a district office or by mail. These claims are processed at Lottery headquarters and are not eligible for same-day checks.³

District offices operate in nine California cities, including Sacramento, San Diego, Fresno, and Milpitas.⁴

How Long You Have to Claim

You get 180 days from the draw date for draw games, or from the announced end-of-game date for Scratchers. Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots are the one exception: those give you a full year from the draw date.¹ Miss the deadline and the prize is gone; unclaimed money goes to California public schools.⁵

What You Need to File a Claim

Sign the ticket before you do anything else. An unsigned ticket works like cash, and anyone holding it can claim the prize. Then put together three things:

The original signed winning ticket.
A completed Winner’s Claim Form (CSL 1242), which you can download from the California Lottery website or pick up at any lottery retailer. It asks for your full legal name, mailing address, Social Security number, the game name, the draw date, and the numbers played.⁶
A valid government-issued photo ID, such as a California driver’s license, U.S. passport, or military ID.

If you remember where you bought the ticket, add that to the form. It helps the Lottery match your ticket against its sales records.

Two boundaries worth knowing. California law prohibits paying a prize to anyone under 18, so if a minor holds a winning ticket, an adult has to handle the claim.⁷ You do not need to be a U.S. citizen to claim, but non-resident aliens have 30% withheld federally instead of the usual 24%.⁸

Submitting the Claim

For prizes of $600 or more, mail your documents or bring them to a district office. To mail, send the signed original ticket, the completed CSL 1242, and a copy of your photo ID to:

California State Lottery
730 North 10th Street
Sacramento, CA 95811³

Use a tracked mailing service. You are sending an original winning ticket that cannot be replaced.

The current processing time for error-free claims is four to six weeks.³ The Lottery validates the ticket and checks whether you owe unpaid taxes, child support, or other qualifying debts. Once approved, the state issues a warrant (a government check) to the address on your claim form.

Taxes on Your Winnings

Any prize over $5,000 (after subtracting the cost of the ticket) is subject to a mandatory 24% federal income tax withholding, which the Lottery deducts before you get your check.⁹ If you don’t provide a Social Security number, the same 24% comes off as backup withholding. Non-resident aliens have 30% withheld.¹⁰

California does not withhold state or local tax on lottery prizes. The winnings still count as income on your annual return, though, so you may owe additional California income tax depending on the rest of your year.⁸

Lump Sum or Annuity for Jackpots

If you win a Powerball, Mega Millions, or SuperLotto Plus jackpot, you choose between a single lump-sum cash payment and the full advertised jackpot paid out in 30 graduated annual installments. You have 60 days from the date the Lottery validates your claim to decide. Don’t return a completed election form in that window and the Lottery pays the prize as an annuity by default. The choice is irrevocable.¹¹

Grand-prize Scratchers winners also get paid in installments, but the schedule varies by game rather than following the 30-year structure.⁸

Claiming as a Group

When two or more people share a ticket, the group files IRS Form 5754 listing every member and each person’s share, so the Lottery can issue separate W-2G tax forms and individual checks instead of putting the whole tax burden on one person.¹² The group names one primary contact, who returns Form 5754 to the Lottery. Each member also submits their own claim form.¹³

For a jackpot, every group member has to agree on the same payout option (lump sum or annuity) within 60 days. If the group cannot agree, everyone gets the annuity by default.¹¹ A written pool agreement isn’t required, but having one signed before the drawing is the cleanest way to prevent disputes about who is in and how the money splits.

Winners Cannot Stay Anonymous

California does not allow anonymous winners. Under Government Code Section 8880.24, these details are public record:¹⁴

Your full legal name
The name and location of the retailer that sold the winning ticket
The date the ticket was purchased or drawn
The total gross amount of the prize

Your home address and phone number stay private.

A trust will not hide your identity. Only an individual can submit a claim, so your name still enters the public record. A revocable trust linked to your Social Security number can receive future installment payments after you have personally claimed the prize, which may help with financial planning, but not with anonymity.¹⁵

1
California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8880.321
2
California State Lottery. FAQs
3
California State Lottery. How to Claim Your Prize
4
California State Lottery. District Offices
5
California Lottery. Two $2 Million CA Lottery Tickets Set to Expire Soon
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California Lottery. CSL 1242 Claim Form
7
California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8880.52
8
California Lottery. Winner’s Handbook
9
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754
10
IRS.gov. Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754 (Rev. January 2026)
11
California Lottery. CSL 1329 Powerball Jackpot Payment Election
12
Internal Revenue Service. Form 5754 (Rev. November 2024)
13
Internal Revenue Service. About Form 5754, Statement by Person(s) Receiving Gambling Winnings
14
California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8880-24
15
California Lottery. Winner’s Handbook