If you hit the jackpot and win the lottery, you may be offered two options to receive your winnings: the lump sum or annuity. Because lotto winners are notorious for going broke within a few years of winning, some people opt for the annuity option, where they receive their lottery winnings in instalments.
But, there is another lottery that does not offer the lump sum option and pays out in monthly instalments or annuity, called Set For Life. Set For Life gives its jackpot winners monthly £10,000 payments for 30 years or one full year, depending on if you match the Life Ball or not.
So, what happens if you die before the 30 years are over? Will your family members still get the remainder and be taken care of? Continue reading our Wizard Slots blog post to find the answers.
Can You Get a Lump Sum If You Win Set For Life?
The answer to this question is both yes and no. You cannot get a lump sum if you win Set For Life. The Set For Life jackpot does not have a lump sum option. If you win the Set for Life lottery in the UK, you receive £10,000 each month for 30 years or for one full year if you match five numbers but do not match the Life Ball.
However, should anything happen to you, your estate can receive a lump sum of the remainder of the Set for Life, and then the estate distributes it to your family or dependents according to your will or the law if you do not have one.
What Happens if You Win Set For Life And Then Die
As mentioned above, if you win the Set For Life lottery and you die, there are specific steps the National Lottery can take to mitigate what happens to your winnings. If you win the Set For Life lottery and then die, the rest of your winnings are deposited in a lump sum to your estate.
Even if you won the Set For Life jackpot and then died before you received any payments, the amount plus the initial £10,000 will still be paid to your estate.
It is best to ensure you draw up a will and elect a beneficiary. Suppose you have a beneficiary and a will, the estate deposits the money to the beneficiary. Otherwise, the payments may be distributed according to the law if no beneficiary is elected.
Can Set For Life Be Passed On Or Inherited?
Yes, Set for Life can be inherited by the winner’s estate or passed on to their beneficiaries if they die before the payments are completed. However, if you are still alive and want someone else to take over, that cannot happen.
Unless you transfer the funds from your bank to the person, your winnings cannot be passed over to someone else directly from the National Lottery while you are still alive.
So, if you have dependents and loved ones you take care of and want to ensure they are looked after if you pass on, it is best to draw up a well-thought-out will and elect a beneficiary to receive the payment after you are gone.
The money may go to the National Lottery’s charities and agencies if you do not have a beneficiary or living relative or no one claims it for the stipulated amount of time (typically 180 days).
Summary
In summary, the Set For Life lottery can be bequeathed to those in the winner’s will should they die before completing the annuity policy. However, if there is no one it is left to, it can end up going to the various charities the National Lottery donates unclaimed prizes to. So, it is best to plan ahead for these events, no matter how unlikely they may seem.
Should the unexpected but inevitable happen, the National Lottery can deposit the lump sum of the Set For Life money to your estate or beneficiary if you die before the 30 years is up.
*All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins, etc.) mentioned in relation to this game are subject to change at any time.