California lottery rules
You have 180 days to claim in California, and 365 for the jackpot, the state withholds nothing and winners are named.
What we can confirm
- Time to claim
- 180 days from the drawing. The jackpot is different: 365 days. source, checked 16 Sep 2026
- State tax withheld
- Nothing. Federal withholding still applies, and a state taking nothing up front isn't the same as owing nothing. source, checked 16 Sep 2026
- Whether you are named
- Name is released. source, checked 16 Sep 2026
- What a retailer can pay you
- Up to $599 in cash at a retailer. Above that means a lottery office or a claim by mail. source, checked 16 Sep 2026
- Minimum age
- 18 to buy a ticket or claim a prize. source, checked 16 Sep 2026
When sales stop in California
- Mega Millions
- 7:45 PM on a drawing night, Pacific time. No sales or validations between 7:45pm and 7:50pm. Buying after that puts you in the next drawing instead. source, checked 17 Sep 2026
- Powerball
- 7:00 PM on a drawing night, Pacific time. California states this as when draw entry closes. Buying after that puts you in the next drawing instead. source, checked 17 Sep 2026
Retailers often stop earlier than the state deadline, and a machine that has closed for the night has closed whatever the published time says. Leave yourself more than the last minute.
The published prize tables don't apply here
State law requires every lottery prize to be pari-mutuel.
Every other checker will show you the national figure for a California ticket. We don't, because it isn't what you'd actually be paid. The amount depends on ticket sales for that drawing and how many other people matched the same tier. Nobody knows either number until after the draw.
What we could not confirm
This page shows 6 things about California, and only what we found stated on a page we could open and cite. Where California State Lottery does not publish a figure, it is missing here rather than estimated. A claim deadline or a tax rate invented to fill a gap is how somebody loses money they had already won.
Questions about the California lottery
- How long do I have to claim a lottery prize in California?
- 180 days from the drawing, and a year for the jackpot. After that the ticket is worth nothing, no matter what it matched.
- Does California tax lottery winnings?
- California withholds no state tax on lottery prizes. Federal tax still applies.
- Can you stay anonymous after winning the lottery in California?
- No. California releases the winner's name.
- How old do you have to be to buy a lottery ticket in California?
- 18. The age is set by the state, not the game, so it can change the moment you cross a state line.
- Where do you claim a big lottery prize in California?
- A retailer can pay you up to $599 in cash. Anything more goes to a lottery office or by mail, with ID and a claim form.
- What time do lottery ticket sales stop in California?
- In California, Mega Millions at 7:45pm and Powerball at 7:00pm. Each game sets its own cutoff, so two drawings held minutes apart can stop selling nearly an hour apart. Buy well before the earlier one.
Check a California ticket
Where you bought a ticket changes what it's worth, so tell us the state when you save one.
Claiming, from the people who pay
We are not a lottery operator and we cannot pay a prize. California State Lottery can: https://www.calottery.com
Everything above was last checked on 16 September 2026. State rules change, and the lottery's own page is the one that counts.