Congratulations,
you’ve won the
Lottery!
This guide will provide you with the information you need to
start the claim process and help you manage your winnings.
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WINNER’S CHECKLIST
FOR SECURING AND CLAIMING YOUR PRIZE
Here’s a helpful list of recommended tasks in the immediate
aftermath of confirming you’ve won.
√ Sign the back of your ticket.
√ Know how much your winning ticket is worth.
√ Take a picture of the front and back of the ticket.
√ Store your ticket in a safe place.
√ Know where to claim your prize.
√ Under $600: visit any licensed Lottery retailer for a
cash payout.
√ $600 and above: the Division of Lottery will process
your claim.
√ If you’re claiming through the Division of Lottery, visit
our website for a claim form and watch a video on
“How to fill out a claim”.
√ Claim your prize within the required time.
√ Live Drawing Games = 1 year from draw date
√ Scratch-Os = 1 year after announced end of game
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Congratulations on winning with the New Jersey Lottery! Whether you
won $500, $1,000 or millions, we want you to play responsibly and
be sensible with your winnings. If you won less than $600 and want
to be paid immediately, please go to any of our retailers and they will
process and pay out your winnings in cash. Retailers earn a commission
when they cash winning tickets, and most are happy to do so if they
have enough cash on hand. If you won between $600 and $100,000,
we recommend you complete a claim form and mail the form and
winning ticket to the Lottery. You are also welcome to drop o your
completed Claim Form and Ticket at our headquarters. The claim form
can be found at any Lottery retailer and our website, www.NJLottery.com.
Follow the instructions for completing the form (or watch the how-to
video on our website) and return your completed, signed form and
your signed winning ticket to:
Be sure to sign the back of your ticket and keep a copy of everything
you send us for your own files. Please allow 4-6 weeks for your claim
to be created, your ticket validated, and the payment to be issued.
If the information required on the claim form is missing, incorrect,
or illegible, the Validations Team will reach out to get the correct
information. This will increase the time it will take to issue your
payment. If you have questions about the claim form, please contact
the Lottery’s Customer Service Center at either 800-222-0996 or
customerservice@lottery.nj.gov.
MAILING
OR
SECURE DROP BOX
New Jersey Lottery New Jersey Lottery
Attn: Validations 1333 Brunswick Ave Cir
PO Box 041 Lawrence Twp., NJ 08648
Trenton, NJ 08625-0041
How to Claim Your Prize
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If you have won $100,000 or more, please call the Lottery at (800) 222-0996
to make an appointment to submit your claim in person. In fiscal year 2022, the
New Jersey Lottery had 254 players who won a single prize of $100,000 or more.
Appointments are held at the New Jersey Lottery Headquarters at:
New Jersey Lottery
1333 Brunswick Avenue Circle
Lawrence Twp., NJ 08648
When you arrive for your appointment, you will be greeted by a member of the
Lottery’s sta to begin the process of validating your claim. Once your claim form
is completed and your ticket has been validated, you will meet with someone
from the Public Information Oce. Please use this time at the Lottery to ask any
questions you might have about any aspect of this exciting and life-changing
process. You may also meet members of the Lottery’s Security team and Finance
Department, depending on the size of your win.
How to Claim Your Prize (continued)
$ $
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You now know how to claim your prize. Let’s move on to the many questions
you may have about your life after claiming your prize. A common question
we receive here at the Lottery is, “How can I stay anonymous about my life-
changing win? I don’t want anyone to know.” The answer is simple. Your identity
will not be made available to the public unless you agree in writing to allow
us to do so. Under New Jersey law, winners of New Jersey Lottery games will
remain anonymous unless they waive this right. We do not release your name
to the press, or share it with curious neighbors. However, we are required to
share information about your claim with other government entities, such as the
Internal Revenue Service and the New Jersey Division of Taxation.
When you file a claim, proper identification must be presented for processing
your claim and for reporting to the Internal Revenue Service and NJ Division
of Taxation.
While winners are anonymous unless they
waive anonymity, the New Jersey Lottery will
disclose to the public and the media that
winning tickets were sold or claimed. We
will also disclose the name of the game, the
amount of the prize, the name of the retailer
who sold the winning ticket, and the town
where the winning ticket was sold. The New
Jersey Lottery does disclose to the public
the names of winners of Second Chance
Drawings such as Million Dollar Replay.
Anonymity
Lottery Winner Tip:
If you want to stay anonymous after
winning a large lottery prize, be sure
to keep your circle small by informing
only those you trust the most.
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Another common question we receive from winners is, “What should I do with my
winnings?” You may have impressive experience managing your previous income,
but if a New Jersey Lottery prize makes your net worth soar to new levels, a new
approach to financial management might be appropriate. The average price of
a single-family home in New Jersey in 2023 was $660,000. If you have always
dreamed of a Shore house, keep in mind that the average for-sale listing price of
a home in Long Beach, New Jersey in 2023 was $2.2 million. Even if you made a
$1 million down payment on a $2.2 million house, your mortgage will still be more
than $5,000 a month, and that’s before property taxes and insurance. So even
though you may have won a lot of money, you can spend it pretty quickly.
For this reason and many others, the New Jersey Lottery strongly advises that
if you have won a large lottery prize you should enlist a team of professionals to
help protect and grow your money, and to eectively plan for the future. If you
have won more than $100,000, you should strongly consider engaging a tax
accountant and even a lawyer and a financial advisor. While this advice pertains
mainly to people who have won jackpots, it is important to understand that most
people can benefit by having professional financial advice.
Professional Financial Guidance
$ $
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When looking for advisors, be sure to talk to several people before hiring anyone.
There are professional organizations that can provide you with the names of
advisors, including accountants, attorneys, and investment counselors. The New
Jersey Lottery does not endorse any advisors or advisory group, but lists of
advisors can be obtained from the following reliable sources:
• The New Jersey State Bar Association or your local County
Bar Association, njsba.com
• New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, njcpa.org/findacpa
• National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, www.napfa.org
Questions to consider when interviewing for your team of professionals.
• How will you be paid? Commission, flat-fee, hourly, or combination?
• How much will you make in dollars if I choose you and implement your plan?
• What services will I get for my money?
• May I see a sample plan?
• Will anyone else be working with me or will I always deal with you?
• How will I terminate this relationship if I am not satisfied?
• What is your basic approach to financial planning?
• What is your educational background and what professional designations
do you hold?
Remember you are hiring help and not giving away control. You should always be
involved in all key decisions.
Lottery Winner Tip:
When looking for advisors be sure
to talk to several people before
hiring anyone.
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Who do I contact if I have questions about the claim process?
For general questions about the claim process, please contact the
New Jersey Lottery’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-222-0996 or
customerservice@lottery.nj.gov.
When do I receive my money?
• Prizes up to $599.99 can be redeemed immediately at any retailer.
• Prizes of $600 or more will normally take four to six weeks from when you
mail in your claim or deliver it to our oces to validate the claim and issue
the prize payment.
What does a winner owe in taxes?
The Division of Lottery is required to report all gambling winnings of $600 or
more to the IRS and NJ Division of Taxation. The ultimate amount owed for
Federal and State taxes depends on a variety of factors, including how much
you won and your regular income. This will be determined by you or your tax
professional when your tax filing is created.
Federal Income Tax Withholding Requirements
Federal law requires the New Jersey Lottery to withhold 24 percent of any
prize in excess of $5,000. A higher federal withholding rate of 30 percent
applies to any prize of $600 or more paid to a winner who does not furnish
taxpayer identification (a Social Security or Tax Identification Number) or who
is not a U.S. citizen.
New Jersey Gross Income Tax Withholding Requirements
State law requires the New Jersey Lottery to withhold State tax at the rate of 5
percent from any prize in excess of $10,000 and up to $500,000 or 8 percent
from any prize in excess of $500,000. The higher State withholding rate of 8
percent also applies to any prize in excess of $10,000 paid to a winner who
does not furnish a Social Security or Tax Identification Number.
What do I need for tax filing?
After the end of the tax year, each winner will receive a Form W2-G for each prize
claimed over $600 showing the amount in Lottery prize payments to be reported
as income and the amounts of Federal and State taxes withheld (to be reported
as credits on the winner’s tax returns). W2-G’s are issued in January.
Be sure to immediately notify the Lottery in writing, or by email to
finance@lottery.nj.gov, of any changes to your name, address, or telephone number
to ensure timely delivery of your annual annuity payment and IRS W2-G Form.
General Questions
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Can group winners split a prize?
Absolutely. New Jersey Lottery jackpot winners have included oce pools and
families. For information on filing a group claim, please contact our Customer
Service Center.
Can a lien be filed against my winnings?
Under New Jersey law, judgment liens, tax levies, unpaid child support, and other
osets may be filed against your prize winnings by creditors or government
agencies for payment of your debts. The osets will be deducted from the next
payment and the remainder, if any, will be distributed to you. If a lien or set-o
for debt collection is made, you will be contacted with all the details.
Annuities
Annuities are financial products that pay out a certain amount of money to a
person over a regular period of time.In their simplest form, if you won $1 million,
payable as a 20-year annuity, the Lottery would pay you $50,000 each year for
20 years. A lump-sum payment of the cash value of a prize provides a smaller
immediate payout, while an annuity spreads payments over several years for a
larger overall amount.
Annuity payments are made to winners annually on or about the anniversary date
of the claim, with the exception of the first payment, which will be made as soon
as possible after you file your claim.
Choosing between cash value and an annuity should factor in certain things like
your age, your current financial conditions, and your future plans.
Term Annuity
A Term Annuity is an annual payment for a specific span of time.
The jackpots for Powerball, Mega Millions, and Pick-6 are all calculated as term
annuities.The amount of the estimated advertised Jackpot for those games
is based on the cost of funding a 30 year graduated term annuity. Some
Scratch-O games also oer jackpots that are term annuities. If you win any
of those games, you can choose between getting the cash value of your prize
immediately or receiving annuity payments for 30 years.
If you choose the cash option you will receive the post-tax amount of the total
cash prize.
Life Annuity
Life annuities are just that, “for your life.” But there are some rules that the
Lottery applies to life annuities. All “for life” prizes have a cash value that
players can elect to receive instead of receiving an annuity for life. The cash
value is also guaranteed to winners. If you die before receiving the full cash
value of your prize, your heirs will receive the remaining cash value.
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Promoting responsible play is a part of our everyday practice at
the New Jersey Lottery. The messages ‘Must be 18 or older to buy
a lottery ticket. Please play responsibly’ and ‘If you or someone
you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER®,’ are
printed on the back of every Lottery ticket. Understanding
that problem gambling is an addiction and is not as easily
recognizable as other addictions, New Jersey Lottery has forged
strong partnerships with multiple organizations to provide
information, help, and support. These services can be accessed
through the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline advertised on all tickets
and marketing material. The New Jersey Lottery proudly partners
with treatment providers and other groups to prevent excessive
and under-age play, as well as provide assistance to individuals
with gambling-related problems and their families.
For more information on how the New Jersey Lottery promotes
responsible play, please visit: www.NJLottery.com
Must be 18 or older to buy a lottery ticket. Please play responsibly.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER
®
.
