Set For Life FAQs

Draws take place every Monday and Thursday evening, at approximately 8:00pm.

You must purchase your tickets by 7:30pm on the night of a draw, whether you play online or through a retailer.

It costs £1.50 for each line of numbers you play on Set For Life.

Yes, you can enter up to four weeks in advance. Select whether you want to play on Monday, Thursday or both draws, then choose how many weeks you wish to play.

The Life Ball is a number drawn from a separate set of 10 balls. There is a separate section on your playslip to choose your Life Ball, and it is possible for the same number to appear as both a main number and the Life Ball.

You win prizes by matching the numbers you selected to the winning numbers drawn. You must match at least two of the main numbers to win a prize, and the value of awards increases as you match more numbers. To win the jackpot, you must match all five main numbers and the Life Ball.

The overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 12.4. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 15,339,390.

The method for claiming prizes depends on how you play the game and how much you win. If you win the top prize, you must contact the National Lottery to set up an appointment with Allwyn. A broker will also attend this meeting to set up your annuity policy and future payments. Visit the Claiming Prizes page for more information about the claims process.

No. The top prize is £10,000 a month for 30 years in every draw. The jackpot does not roll over if there are no winners. If there is more than one winner in a draw, they will all receive £10,000 a month for 30 years.

In Super Chance draws, you win the top prize of £10,000 a month for 30 years if you are in either of the top two tiers. Even if you match all five main numbers without the Life Ball, you receive the jackpot. If there are no tickets in either of the top two categories, another Super Chance draw takes place in the following draw. Go to the page on Super Chance draws to learn more about how they work and when they take place.

An annuity is a fixed sum of money paid to someone on a regular basis. Set For Life is an annuity lottery, which awards winners in the top two tiers a series of guaranteed monthly payments for a period of time rather than one-off prizes.

You can only claim the top prize as a cash lump sum in limited circumstances. If you are not a resident of the UK when you claim your prize, you will not be entitled to an annuity policy and will be provided with a cash alternative.

If there are more winners of the jackpot than expected and the prize has to be capped, you will be given an option between a one-off payment or a 30-year annuity with monthly payments that are less than £10,000.

No. All prizes are tax-free. If you win the top prize, you will receive £10,000 a month regardless of your tax bracket.

If a winner dies before receiving all of the annuity payments, the remaining money will be paid to their estate as a lump sum.

Around 54 percent of the money raised from Set For Life ticket sales is paid out in prizes in an average draw. The exact payout percentage will vary from draw to draw, depending on the number of winners.