4
Find out whether your state lets you stay anonymous
This one detail shapes the rest of your life more than the amount does.
Some US states permit anonymity outright. Some permit it above a threshold. Some permit claiming through a trust or LLC, which achieves it indirectly. And some — including several of the biggest lottery states — publish your name, your city and your prize, and there is nothing you can do about it.
Where an entity claim is allowed, it is almost always the right move, and it has to be set up before you claim. That is one more reason the two months matter.
If you are in a state that publishes, plan for it: know where you will be that week, have a line ready for reporters, and consider not being at home.
Worth knowing in advance rather than in the moment: the rule that applies is the one where the ticket was bought, not where you live. People who cross a state line to buy tickets during a big rollover are choosing a disclosure regime at the same time, usually without realising it.