Tax and claiming
Claim windows vary by a factor of eighteen between jurisdictions, and they are enforced absolutely.
Every lottery prize expires. The windows vary enormously, they are enforced without discretion, and the largest unclaimed prize in the world exists because of one.
| Country | Claim window |
|---|---|
| France | 60 days from the draw |
| Ireland | 90 days |
| Spain | Generally 3 months |
| United Kingdom | 180 days |
| Canada | Typically 12 months for national games |
| United States | Varies by state and game — commonly 90 days to 1 year |
| Germany | Generally to the end of the third year after the draw |
| Australia | Varies by state; registered tickets are traced to the player |
France's 60 days and Germany's three-plus years are the extremes — a factor of about eighteen between two European neighbours running comparable games.
Because these are set per operator and occasionally revised, the operator's own claim page is the authority; each game page on this site links to it.
Two documented cases show these are not theoretical:
About £64 million, United Kingdom. A EuroMillions ticket bought in the Stevenage and Hitchin area expired on 5 December 2012 after passing the 180-day limit, despite an extensive public appeal including a billboard campaign. It remains the largest unclaimed lottery prize in the world.
US$77 million, Georgia. A Powerball ticket for the 29 June 2011 draw, sold at a truck stop in Tallapoosa, expired in December 2011 — the state's largest unclaimed prize since its lottery began in 1993.
More in the biggest unclaimed prizes in history; where the money goes afterwards is in what happens to unclaimed jackpots by country.
The documented cases suggest ordinary explanations rather than exotic ones:
Note that the aggregate unclaimed money is dominated not by jackpots but by the long tail of small prizes nobody checks for. Public appeals only ever address the headline cases.
Here is a genuine conflict worth planning around.
Every serious guide says: do not rush to claim. Take advice first, decide the anonymity question, settle lump sum versus annuity, consider whether a trust can claim in your jurisdiction — because several of those options close the moment you sign the ticket (the first 72 hours, claiming anonymously: the structures used).
And the deadline is running the whole time.
In France's 60-day window that is a real squeeze. In Germany's multi-year window it is not. The resolution is straightforward but has to be deliberate: note the exact deadline first, then work backwards. Deliberate delay is fine; drift is not.
Use a registered player account where the operator offers one. It converts a bearer instrument into a recorded entitlement — the win is attached to you whether or not you remember to check. Australia's registered-play model largely eliminates this failure mode, which is why Australian expiry cases are rare compared with the UK and US.
Check every ticket, including old ones, while they are still within the window. The most likely unclaimed prize you will ever hold is a small one.
Photograph tickets when you buy them, particularly for a syndicate — this also settles the ownership question that produces most lottery litigation (syndicate agreements).
Last verified: 2026-08-29