Jackpot Calculator is an independent site that works out what lottery winners keep after federal, state and local taxes. Reporters and editors are welcome to use the figures on this page and across the site in news coverage. Every number is recalculated each day from the official jackpot estimate, and every tax rate links to the government source it comes from.
Current jackpot figures
Single winner, cash option, 2026 federal tax rates. Jackpot estimates are published by the lotteries and change as tickets sell; these figures use the estimate published October 5, 2026.
| Game | Jackpot | Next drawing | Federal tax (cash) | Take-home, no state tax | Lowest take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powerball | $485 million$199.8 million cash | Wednesday, October 7 | $73,876,000 | $125,924,000 | $96,616,963New York City |
| Mega Millions | $345 million$139.6 million cash | Tuesday, October 6 | $51,602,000 | $87,998,000 | $67,586,115New York City |
Every state, plus New York City, is listed in the Powerball payout by state and Mega Millions payout by state tables, which you can sort by take-home amount.
Figures you can quote
Powerball: $485 million
- A single winner who takes the $199.8 million cash option would keep about $125.9 million after federal income tax in a state that does not tax lottery prizes.
- The lottery withholds 24% ($48 million) when the prize is claimed, but the federal tax comes to about $73.9 million at the 37% top rate, so about $25.9 million more is due at tax time.
- Where the winner lives changes the cash take-home by about $29.3 million: from $125.9 million in 8 states with no tax on lottery prizes to $96.6 million in New York City.
- Taking the annuity instead pays about $307 million after federal tax, spread over 30 payments across 29 years.
Mega Millions: $345 million
- A single winner who takes the $139.6 million cash option would keep about $88 million after federal income tax in a state that does not tax lottery prizes.
- The lottery withholds 24% ($33.5 million) when the prize is claimed, but the federal tax comes to about $51.6 million at the 37% top rate, so about $18.1 million more is due at tax time.
- Where the winner lives changes the cash take-home by about $20.4 million: from $88 million in 8 states with no tax on lottery prizes to $67.6 million in New York City.
- Taking the annuity instead pays about $218.8 million after federal tax, spread over 30 payments across 29 years.
How the numbers are calculated
Unless a page says otherwise, figures assume a single filer who lives in the state where the ticket was bought, has no other income and takes the standard deduction. Federal tax uses the 2026 brackets; state tax uses each state's 2026 rates, New York City's income tax is shown separately, and Maryland includes an average county tax. Withholding at claim (24% federal, plus the state's own rate) is shown apart from the tax finally owed, because the two are not the same. Our results match 11 take-home amounts that state lotteries have published, to within a dollar. Every formula, source and known limitation is in the methodology.
Using our figures
- You may quote any figure on this site without asking. Please credit “Jackpot Calculator” and, online, link to the page the figure comes from.
- The Copy button after each figure above copies it with a source link that stays a link when pasted into most editors. The payout-by-state tables have a “Cite this table” box with the link, a ready-made citation and a CSV download.
- Figures change when the jackpot changes. If you publish later, check the page again or give the date of the estimate you used.
- We can run other scenarios on request: a married couple, a particular state or city, a shared ticket or an office pool. Give us the details and your deadline.
Media contact
Email Jacky Jian at hello@jackpotcalculator.com and put your deadline in the subject line. We can confirm a calculation and explain how the taxes work. We cannot speak for any lottery or give tax advice to a winner. More about who runs the site and how it is funded is on the about page.
Jackpot Calculator is not affiliated with Powerball, Mega Millions, the Multi-State Lottery Association or any state lottery.