Lottery tickets expire between 90 days and one year after the drawing or the game’s end date, depending on the game and the state where you bought it. Miss that window and the ticket is worthless, no matter how big the prize. So the short answer to when do lottery tickets expire is: sooner than most people think, and on two different clocks depending on what you’re holding.
Draw Games and Scratch-Offs Run on Different Clocks
For draw games like Powerball and Mega Millions, the countdown starts on the date of the drawing itself. Powerball’s official FAQ says claim deadlines “typically vary from 90 days to one year depending on the selling jurisdiction,” and the expiration date is often printed on the back of the ticket.1Powerball. FAQs A ticket bought in one state can expire months before an identical ticket purchased across the border. The most common window is 180 days; some jurisdictions give a full year.
Scratch-offs work differently. Their deadline is tied to the game’s official end date, not the day you bought the ticket or scratched it. A game ends when all top prizes have been claimed, when sales fall, or when the lottery commission rotates in new games. Once a game ends, you typically have 90 to 180 days to turn in a winner.
Here’s the catch: scratch-off end dates aren’t printed on the ticket when it’s manufactured, because the lottery commission doesn’t know in advance when a game will close. That makes an old scratch-off sitting in a drawer more dangerous than an old draw ticket. There’s no date on the back to warn you.
How to Check Whether Your Ticket Is Still Valid
For a draw game ticket, look at the ticket first. Most draw tickets print the drawing date and sometimes the claim deadline on the front or back. If no expiration is listed, count forward from the drawing date by the number of days your state allows. Your state lottery’s website will spell out that window.
For scratch-offs, go straight to your state lottery’s website. Most sites maintain a running list of active, closing, and recently ended games with final claim dates for each. Many state lottery apps also include a ticket-scanning feature that tells you instantly whether a ticket is still valid and, if it is a winner, how much it’s worth. You can also call the lottery’s customer service line or ask an authorized retailer to scan the ticket for you.
A simple habit helps: set a recurring reminder on your phone to check old tickets. This matters especially for scratch-offs, where a game can close without any announcement you’d normally see.
Claiming a Winner Before the Deadline
Sign the back of the ticket the moment you buy it. Lottery tickets are bearer instruments, meaning whoever holds the ticket can claim the prize unless it’s already signed. A signature establishes ownership. Without one, a lost or stolen ticket is free money for whoever finds it.
Small Prizes
Most states let you redeem lower-tier prizes at any authorized lottery retailer. The exact cutoff varies by state but commonly sits around $600. Retailers may also have their own cash-on-hand limits, so a store might send you to another location or to the lottery office even if your prize technically qualifies for retail redemption. In most cases you hand over the signed ticket and receive your winnings on the spot.
Larger Prizes
Prizes above the retail threshold require a trip to a regional lottery claim center or the state lottery headquarters. Bring the signed winning ticket, a completed claim form (available on the lottery’s website or at the claim center), and valid photo identification. Most states also require your Social Security number for tax reporting. Processing can take days or weeks for large prizes, so don’t wait until the last minute.
Claims by Mail
Nearly every state lottery accepts claims by mail, which can be convenient for mid-range prizes or if you live far from a claim center. Before mailing, make a photocopy of both sides of the ticket and the completed claim form. Send everything by certified mail with a return receipt so you have proof of mailing. Some lotteries explicitly warn they aren’t responsible for tickets lost, damaged, or delayed in transit. Where the postmark date determines whether a claim is timely, certified mail also creates a clear record of when you sent it. Don’t gamble on regular mail for a winning ticket.
If You Lost the Ticket
Losing a winning ticket is a bad situation with no guaranteed fix. Without the physical ticket, most lotteries will not pay a prize. Some states allow a “ticket reconstruction” process, but it requires you to prove you bought the ticket and that it was a winner. That typically means knowing where you purchased it, the date and time of purchase, which game it was for, and ideally having a photo of the ticket.
Your best protection is preventive. Sign every ticket immediately after buying it, and take a clear photo of both sides. The signature keeps someone else from claiming your prize if the ticket is lost or stolen, and the photo gives you evidence for a reconstruction request. Even with both, investigations can take months, and there’s no guarantee the lottery will side with you.
What Happens When the Deadline Passes
The amounts left on the table are staggering. A $77 million Powerball ticket sold in Georgia in 2011 expired after 180 days. A $68 million Mega Millions ticket from New York in 2002 was never claimed. In 2016, a $63 million SuperLotto Plus ticket in California passed its deadline. Every state lottery reports significant unclaimed prize money each year.
Expired money doesn’t vanish. State law determines where it goes, and the destination varies. Many states route unclaimed winnings into public education budgets or scholarship funds. Others send the money to the state’s general fund, where it supports services like infrastructure, health care, and public safety. Some states return a portion to future lottery prize pools, effectively recycling the money back to players. A few split unclaimed funds across multiple purposes.
Once the claim deadline passes, the money belongs to the state. No amount of proof that you held the winning ticket will get it back.