Claiming Prizes
The Iowa Lottery offers a variety of prize-claim options to its players.
Prize-claim appointments are available at our offices. Players also can mail or ship tickets to us in most instances, or can use the secure dropbox at lottery headquarters.
Scheduling An Appointment
To make a prize-claim appointment, please call the lottery office where you want to claim your prize to
schedule a time and receive other details, including the documentation you will need to have with you. (Remember that all prizes of more than $250,000 must
be claimed at lottery headquarters in Clive.)
Here are our telephone numbers:
Clive: 515-725-7900
Cedar Rapids: 319-395-9313
Mason City: 641-424-6011
Storm Lake: 712-732-6662
Where to Claim a Prize
Iowa Lottery prizes up to $600 in lotto, InstaPlay and instant-scratch games may be redeemed at any lottery retailer location
in the state if sufficient funds are available. Pull-tab prizes of up to $600, however, must be redeemed at the same location
where the ticket was purchased.
Prizes more than $250,000 as well as some special merchandise prizes must be claimed in person at the Iowa Lottery headquarters office in Clive. For information on how to
redeem this type of prize, please contact us via email or telephone
How to Claim a Prize by Mail
Lottery prizes (except those noted above, which must be claimed in person) may be claimed by mail. On the back of your ticket, complete the name and
address information and sign the signature line. A parent or guardian must also sign the ticket for any claimant who is a minor.
For prizes of $100 or more, a completed copy of our Winner Claim Form plus either Federal Form W-9
(for U.S. citizens) or Federal Form W-8BEN (for non-U.S. citizens) are required.
For prizes of more than $600, those two documents are required along with a legible, valid copy of the winner's government-issued photo identification.
(Acceptable examples include: driver's license, state I.D. card, military I.D. card, passport, or permanent resident card.) If you are NOT a U.S. citizen,
but are a Permanent Resident, you must provide us with your current Permanent Resident card and/or Social Security card or additional taxes may be withheld.
Mail the ticket with your completed Winner Claim Form, Form W-9 and copy of photo I.D. (if applicable) to the official mailing address at:
Iowa Lottery
13001 University Ave
Clive IA 50325-8225
Group Play
Prizes can be paid to players who play as a group. A check can be written to an entity such
as a trust or to a single individual. If an individual claims the prize on behalf of a group, they must
indicate this on the Winner Claim Form. In addition, they must submit a Federal Form 5754, listing all the
winners of the prize with their address and tax identification information, when
claiming the prize. This ensures that the prize and tax withheld is correctly allocated to each group
member. The lottery suggests that the back of the ticket should not be signed until the group
has determined how the ticket will be submitted on the winner claim form.
Check out these reminders to keep your group
play fun and hassle free.
Deadlines To Claim Prizes
Scratch and Pull-tab prizes must be claimed within 90 days of the
official game end date of the specific game.
See our Scratch Games Ending and
Pull-tab Games Ending
pages for more information.
InstaPlay prizes must be claimed within 90 days of the date of purchase.
Iowa's Pick 3 and Pick 4 prizes must be claimed within 90 days of the drawing for
which they were eligible.
Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto America and Lucky for Life prizes must
be claimed within 365 days of the drawing for which they were eligible.
See our Unclaimed Prizes page for
lotto and InstaPlay game prizes of $600 and greater that are currently unclaimed.
Ticket Accuracy
Players are responsible for checking the accuracy of their ticket before leaving the
store and for determining if the ticket is a winner. If you believe you have won and the
terminal rejects or the retailer disputes the validity of your prize claim, you may
submit your claim directly to the Iowa Lottery for review. All risks of redeeming
the ticket remain with the player.
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