Check your tickets. Here’s what you need to know about Friday’s Mega Millions drawing

Will you be the lucky winner in Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing?

The jackpot stands at $1.28 billion. If someone wins, it would be the second largest prize in the 20-year history of Mega Millions. Tickets must be purchased by 10 p.m. for Friday’s 11 p.m. drawing.

If you end up as the lucky winner, there are a few things you’ll have to do first before you can party all the way to the bank.

Here’s what to expect:

How do you claim the Mega Millions prize? What type of documents do you need?

If you get the jackpot and you bought your ticket in Florida, you have a few options to claim your prize:

• To claim in person, you can walk into Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee or any district office during business hours. Winning tickets valued at $1 million or more can also be forwarded to a district office from the lottery headquarters.

• To claim by drop-off, you can place the winning ticket and documentation needed in an envelope and drop it off at the lottery headquarters or a district office. Tickets are processed in about 10 to 14 days.

• To claim by mail, you can mail the winning ticket and documentation needed to the lottery headquarters or a district office. Tickets are processed in about 30 to 45 days. Winning tickets valued at $1 million or more can also be forwarded to a district office from the lottery headquarters.

To claim a prize of $600 or more, you must complete the Florida Lottery winner claim form. You must also present a form of identification with a serial or ID number that was issued within the past five years, such as a state-issued ID, driver’s license or passport.

If you are claiming by mail or drop box, you must provide a clear scanned copy of your identification.

In case you get lucky, but not jackpot lucky, here’s the breakdown:

▪ Prizes up to $599 may be claimed at any authorized Florida Lottery retailer, such as Publix or a gas station.

▪ Prizes $600 to less than $1 million may be claimed at any Florida Lottery district office.

▪ Prizes $1 million or more must be claimed at Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.

TAKE OUR POLL: If you win the $1.28 billion Mega Millions jackpot, what would you do?

What if you bought your winning ticket in another state while on vacation?

You’ll have to make a trip back. Mega Millions prizes must be claimed in the state where the ticket was purchased within 180 days of the drawing date.

How long do you have to claim your Mega Millions prize?

“Jackpot prizes must be claimed within 60 days of the winning jackpot draw to receive the cash option. Winners have 180 days from the applicable drawing to claim their prize,” according to the Florida Lottery.

Will everyone know you won? Can Florida Lottery winners stay anonymous?

Under state law, lottery winners can stay anonymous in Florida for 90 days.

After that, your name, the city you live in, the winning game, the winning date and how much you won will be available to anyone who requests it, according to the Florida Lottery website. Your address and telephone number will stay confidential.

This should give you some time to make a game plan before your family, friends and old flames start blowing up your phone.

Can you get the jackpot in cash? What are your options?

If you’re a Mega Millions jackpot winner, there are two ways to claim your prize: cash option or annual payout.

If you go for the cash option, you’ll get a one-time, lump sum payment of $747.2 million, according to the Mega Millions website.

Opting for the annual payment option means you’ll get an “initial annual payment followed by 29 annual payments. Each payment is 5 percent larger than the previous one,” according to the Mega Millions website.

Keep in mind that regardless of whether you pick cash or the annual payments, you’ll have to pay Uncle Sam.

Lisa Greene-Lewis, a certified public accountant and tax expert with TurboTax, told the Sacramento Bee that anytime you have a lottery winning that’s more than $5,000, you’ll get a federal tax of 24%.

If you take the annual payout route, you’ll receive $26.9 million per year after taxes, according to U.S. Mega. And at the end of the 30 years, you’ll have $807.5 million.

The good news is that Florida doesn’t have a lottery tax, according to Fortune. Plus, you’ll still be swimming in money post-taxes.