Checking your numbers and realising you’re holding a winner is a great feeling. The very next question is usually a practical one: how do you actually get the money?
The answer depends on two things — how much you’ve won, and whether you bought a paper ticket in store or played online through MyLotto.
This guide walks through both, tier by tier, in plain language. None of it is complicated once you know the thresholds.
The same win is handled differently depending on how you bought the ticket.How to claim, by prize size and channel
Prize Paper ticket (in store) MyLotto (online) $1,000
or lessPaid on the spot at any Lotto NZ outlet, in cash or onto your EFTPOS card. Credited automatically to your MyLotto account balance. No action needed. Over
$1,000Claim at any outlet. Fill in a Prize Claim Form with bank details; the retailer couriers it to head office for payment. You’re prompted to complete an online Prize Claim Form. Paid to your NZ bank account in 3–5 business days. First
DivisionThe retailer contacts Lotto NZ in store and puts you through to the Winners’ Team. Handled discreetly. You’re contacted and put in touch with the Winners’ Team, who guide you through the claim.
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Claiming a paper ticket in store
If you’re holding a printed ticket from a dairy, supermarket kiosk or Lotto shop, you claim it in person.
For any prize of $1,000 or less, walk into any Lotto NZ outlet in the country. The operator scans the barcode, the terminal validates it, and you’re paid on the spot — either in cash or as a refund onto your EFTPOS card.
One thing worth knowing: each shop manages its own cash float. A small suburban dairy may not keep much cash on hand and could pay you by EFTPOS instead, or ask you to visit a larger store for a bigger payout. A supermarket service desk usually turns these around fastest. If you need help locating a store, see our guide on finding Lotto near me.
When a paper ticket wins more than $1,000, you don’t get cash over the counter — but you don’t need to travel anywhere special either.
You can claim at any Lotto NZ outlet. The operator helps you complete a Prize Claim Form, which asks for your details, your signature and a New Zealand bank account in your own name. The retailer then couriers your ticket and form to Lotto NZ’s head office, and the prize is paid into your account.
It’s worth arriving prepared. Bring your ticket, a form of New Zealand photo ID such as a driver licence or passport, and a record of your bank account details (a bank statement or deposit slip showing your name and account number). If privacy matters to you, you can ask the retailer to process the claim at a quiet time — before opening or after closing, for example.
Claiming online through MyLotto
If you played on the MyLotto website or app, claiming is mostly automatic, because your entries are tied to your account rather than a piece of paper.
Win a prize of under $1,000 and there’s nothing to do — the amount is credited straight to your MyLotto account balance on draw night. You can leave it there, use it for future tickets, or withdraw it (withdrawals need a balance of at least $10 and take a few working days to reach your bank).
Win $1,000 or more and you’re prompted to complete an online Prize Claim Form. Once that’s done, the money is paid into your nominated New Zealand bank account, usually within three to five business days.
For the full picture of how online play works, see our Lotto online page, and for confirmed digital jackpots, has anyone won Lotto online in NZ.
Why the retailer tears your ticket
A moment that surprises first-time winners: when you collect a small prize, the operator tears and keeps your ticket. This is normal.
Why the operator tears your ticket — the “surrender rule” explained. The operator runs your ticket through the terminal, which validates the numbers against the draw. For wins of $1,000 or less, you’re paid on the spot in cash or onto your EFTPOS card. The retailer tears and retains the ticket. Lotto NZ is required to keep all winning tickets, so it isn’t returned. The terminal prints a validation receipt confirming your payout, which you keep for your own records.What happens to a paper ticket at the counter
Scan
Pay out (small prizes)
Surrender
Receipt
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Lotto NZ is required to keep all winning tickets, so a redeemed ticket isn’t handed back. The terminal prints a separate validation receipt confirming your payout, which you keep. If you’d like a record of the ticket itself, photograph both sides before you hand it over.
First Division and major prizes
If you’ve struck a top-tier Powerball or Lotto First Division prize, the process shifts up a gear — but it’s calmer and more ordinary than the myths suggest.
When a large win is validated at a counter, the retailer contacts Lotto NZ while you’re still in the store and puts you through to the Winners’ Team. Online, you’re contacted and connected the same way. There’s no requirement to travel to Auckland; the Winners’ Team guides you through the claim wherever you are.
Lotto NZ’s customer support line is 0800 695 6886. First Division winners are put in touch with the dedicated Winners’ Team, who can talk you through what happens next.
A few sensible first steps if it happens to you: sign the back of a paper ticket straight away, photograph both sides, and keep it somewhere secure until it’s claimed. Then take your time — you have twelve months, and there’s no benefit to rushing the decisions that follow. Our guide on what happens when you win Lotto covers the sequence in more detail.
Lotto NZ offers major winners a Winner’s Guide and a Winners’ Team to help them get their bearings, and winners have the right to stay anonymous — a right most large New Zealand winners use.
What Lotto NZ does not do is act as your financial or legal adviser. It can encourage you to seek independent professional advice, but the choice of accountant, lawyer or financial adviser is yours. Treat any claim that Lotto NZ arranges your investments or wealth planning with scepticism.
Getting paid: banking requirements
Prizes over $1,000 are paid by bank transfer, and the rules around that are strict — partly to protect you, partly to meet New Zealand’s anti-money-laundering requirements.
The money can only go to a valid, operating New Zealand bank account held in your own legal name. Lotto NZ won’t pay winnings onto a credit card, into an offshore account, or into an unverified payment platform, and the account name must match your legal name. Only one bank account can be linked to a MyLotto account.
Tax on your winnings
Here’s the good news: prizes from official Lotto NZ games are not taxed. A lottery win isn’t treated as income by Inland Revenue, so if you win $10 million, the full $10 million reaches your account.
The claim deadline, and how tax works on a New Zealand prize. From the draw date on the ticket (or the game close date for Instant Kiwi). After that, the prize returns to the pool. Lotto prizes aren’t income, so the full amount reaches your account. Interest you later earn on it is taxed normally (RWT).Two numbers every winner should know
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The tax picture changes only after the money lands. Any interest, dividends or investment returns you earn on it are taxed in the normal way, through resident withholding tax. And if you receive an income-tested benefit, the interest your winnings earn — and large cash balances — can affect your entitlements, so it’s worth checking with Work and Income and an accountant. This is general information, not tax advice.
The 12-month deadline
Whatever the size of the prize, you must claim within 12 months of the draw date printed on the ticket. For Instant Kiwi, the clock runs from the close of that specific game rather than a draw date.
Miss the window and the terminal will simply reject the barcode. The funds are treated as expired and returned to the prize pool. That’s the strongest argument for a simple habit: check your tickets promptly rather than leaving them in a jacket pocket.
Looking after an unsigned ticket
A lottery ticket is a bearer document. Whoever physically holds it is generally treated as the owner, which is why an unsigned ticket is a genuine risk — if it’s lost and someone else scans it for a small cash payout, recovering the money is very difficult.
Signing the back the moment you buy takes two seconds and removes most of that risk.
Note on age
You must be 18 or over to buy or claim any lottery product in New Zealand. For years this applied only to Instant Kiwi, but a law passed in 2026 extended the 18+ restriction to all lottery products, including the standard Lotto draw. Expect to be asked for ID if you look under 25.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information only. It does not encourage anyone to gamble, buy lottery tickets, or spend money on any product, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. Lottery games are games of chance with a negative expected return. Prize thresholds, claim procedures, banking rules and legal requirements change — always confirm the current details with Lotto New Zealand at mylotto.co.nz before acting on anything here.
You must be 18 or over to buy or claim lottery products in New Zealand. If gambling is causing harm to you or someone you know, free 24/7 support is available from the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655 or by texting 8006, from Safer Gambling Aotearoa, and from PGF Services on 0800 664 262. Gambling in New Zealand is regulated by the Department of Internal Affairs.
Sources used to research and fact-check this article. Last checked 13 August 2026.Reference sources
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FAQ
Where can I claim a paper Lotto prize under $1,000?
At any authorised Lotto NZ outlet in the country — a dairy, supermarket service counter or Lotto shop. The operator scans your ticket and pays you on the spot, in cash or onto your EFTPOS card, subject to the store’s cash float.
How do I claim if I played online through MyLotto?
Prizes under $1,000 are credited automatically to your MyLotto account balance — no action needed. For $1,000 or more, you’re prompted to complete an online Prize Claim Form, and the money is paid to your nominated New Zealand bank account, usually within three to five business days.
Why did the operator tear up my winning ticket?
That’s standard procedure. When you claim a prize in store, you surrender the ticket, and the retailer tears and keeps it. Lotto NZ is required to keep all winning tickets, and the tear prevents the same ticket being claimed twice. You get a validation receipt confirming the payout.
Do I have to travel to Auckland to claim a First Division jackpot?
No. Over-$1,000 paper prizes are claimed at any Lotto NZ outlet, and the retailer couriers the paperwork to head office. First Division winners are put in touch with Lotto NZ’s Winners’ Team, who guide the claim wherever you are. Visiting head office is an option, not a requirement.
Can winnings be paid onto a credit card or an overseas account?
No. Prizes over $1,000 are paid only into a valid New Zealand bank account held in your own legal name. Lotto NZ won’t pay onto a credit card, into an offshore account, or into an unverified payment platform.
Do I pay tax on a Lotto prize?
No. Prizes from official Lotto NZ games aren’t treated as income, so the amount you win is the amount paid out. Interest you later earn on that money is subject to resident withholding tax in the normal way. This is general information, not tax advice.
How long do I have to claim?
Twelve months from the draw date on the ticket, or from the game close date for Instant Kiwi. After that the prize expires and returns to the pool.
