Powerball · Mega Millions · all 50 states and D.C.
Lottery tax calculator: Powerball and Mega Millions after taxes in every state
Pick a game and your state to see what the current jackpot actually pays — lump sum or annuity — after the 37% federal rate and your state’s tax. Right now the best case, in a state with no lottery tax, is $121.2 million from Powerball and $87.9 million from Mega Millions.
Jackpot estimate as of October 4, 2026. These figures refresh automatically when a new jackpot is announced.
Lottery payout calculator
The jackpot and cash value start at the current figures for the game you pick. Change the jackpot and the cash value follows at today’s ratio.
| Your win | Lump sum | Annuity (30 payments) |
|---|---|---|
| Before taxes | $192,400,000 | $467,000,000 |
| Federal tax (37%) | −$71,188,000 | −$172,790,000 |
| State tax (0%) | $0 | $0 |
| You keep | $121,212,000 | $294,210,000 |
Powerball and Mega Millions after taxes, state by state
Lump-sum cash value after the 37% federal rate and each state’s top rate on the current jackpots. Tap a figure for that state’s full breakdown, annuity schedule and calculator.
† Doesn’t sell Powerball or Mega Millions; the rate is what a resident owes on a prize won on a ticket bought elsewhere.
How lottery winnings are taxed
A jackpot is taxed as ordinary income. At the federal level that means the top 37% rate on almost all of it: the lottery withholds 24% when you claim any prize over $5,000, and the remaining 13% or so is due when you file. Your state then takes its own cut — nothing in eight states, up to 10.9% in New York, before New York City’s own tax.
Lump sum or annuity?
The advertised jackpot is the annuity: 30 payments over 29 years, each 5% larger than the last. The lump sum is the cash value — the money actually in the prize pool, recently around 40–45% of the headline number. Both are taxed the same way; the annuity just spreads the bill over 30 years. Because the annuity’s growth roughly matches what long-term Treasury bonds pay, the choice comes down to whether you’d rather manage the money yourself or have it paid out on a schedule.
States that don’t tax lottery winnings
California, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming don’t tax lottery prizes. All of them except California also have no tax on wages; California exempts only California Lottery prizes and taxes the investment income your winnings earn afterward at up to 13.3%.
States that don’t sell Powerball or Mega Millions
Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah don’t sell either game. Residents can still win on a ticket bought in another state — and their home state can still tax the prize: Alabama at up to 5%, Hawaii up to 11% and Utah at 4.5%, while Alaska and Nevada have no income tax.
Bought your ticket in another state?
Lottery prizes can be taxed where the ticket was sold and where you live. If both states tax it, your home state generally gives you a credit for tax paid to the other one, so you end up paying roughly the higher of the two rates. This calculator uses your home state’s rate — the right figure when you buy in your own state.
City and county taxes
A few places add a local income tax on top. The big one is New York City, whose top rate of 3.876% pushes a city resident’s combined state and city tax to about 14.8%, the highest in the country. Every Maryland county levies its own income tax as well; the Maryland figure here includes a typical 3.2% county rate. Indiana counties, Yonkers and the Portland, Oregon, area also have local income taxes that aren’t included here.
Payout calculators by state
Powerball after taxes
Mega Millions after taxes
Lottery tax questions
How are lottery winnings taxed?
As ordinary income. A jackpot puts nearly all of it in the top 37% federal bracket: the lottery withholds 24% when you claim any prize over $5,000, and the rest is due when you file. Your state then takes anywhere from nothing to 10.9%, plus city tax in a few places such as New York City.
Which states don’t tax lottery winnings?
California, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming don’t tax lottery prizes. California exempts only California Lottery prizes and taxes the investment income your winnings earn afterward.
Which states don’t sell Powerball or Mega Millions?
Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah. Residents can still win on a ticket bought in another state, and their home state can tax the prize if it has an income tax.
What if I buy a ticket in another state?
Both states can tax the prize: the one that sold the ticket and the one you live in. Your home state generally gives you a credit for tax paid to the other, so you end up paying roughly the higher of the two rates.
Is the lump sum or the annuity better after taxes?
Both are taxed at the same rates; the annuity just spreads the bill over 30 years. The lump sum pays the cash value — recently around 40–45% of the advertised jackpot — now, and the annuity pays the full jackpot in 30 payments that grow 5% a year. Take the cash if you’d invest it at least as well as long-term Treasury bonds pay.
Why is the cash value so much lower than the jackpot?
The advertised jackpot is the total of 30 annuity payments. The cash value is the money actually in the prize pool today — what it would cost to buy that annuity — so it moves with interest rates: when long-term rates rise, the cash value shrinks as a share of the jackpot.
Play it out
See how long a jackpot really takes with the official odds, then plan every dollar of the after-tax money — with a 30-year projection that shows whether it lasts.