We all dream of winning the lottery, no matter how big or small the amount is.

If you have recently become a lucky winner via the National Lottery, you're probably already planning how you’re going to spend your money, whether it’s to put towards some DIY jobs around the house, a holiday or a new car.

But before you do, you might be wondering how you can receive your winnings.

Ahead of claiming your prize, there are a few important rules you need to know, as explained below by the National Lottery:

  • All draw game prizes must be claimed within 180 days after the draw (unless you follow the procedure which allows you to claim within seven days after the end of the claim period
  • Instant Win Game prizes must be claimed within 180 days after the day you bought the Instant Win Game.
  • Scratchcard prizes must be claimed within 180 days from the closure date

Additionally, if a retailer is unable to pay a winning ticket of value £100.01-£500, the National Lottery recommends visiting another National Lottery store to claim your prize.

To claim your lottery winnings, sometimes you don’t have to do anything and they will be automatically deposited into your bank account, depending on the amount.

Or, you can often go to the retailer where you bought your ticket or another National Lottery retailer to claim your prize.

Where can I claim my National Lottery winnings?

However, you may not know that how you played your winning game, whether it’s via the National Lottery website, app or in-store will affect how you can claim your prize.

This also includes the type of game you played, such as a draw game or an instant win.

As well as all the above, how much you have won will depend on how you can claim your prize.

For example, if you win a draw game online with a prize from £30,000.01 up to and including £50,000, you will need to ring the National Lottery during normal opening hours – your prize will then be paid by cheque.

Follow the instructions here to see how to claim your National Lottery prize.

How long does the National Lottery take to pay out?

The National Lottery shared: “Prizes above a certain threshold will need confirmation before withdrawal/payment or to be claimed in person, otherwise, all prizes should appear within 3-5 working days of being won or withdrawn from your National Lottery account, depending on your bank.”

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What happens to unclaimed lottery winnings?

Any unclaimed National Lottery prizes six months past the draw date will be automatically removed.

Instead, the prize and any interest earned on it will go to benefit National Lottery Projects across the UK.