Lottery Tax, Cash Value & Odds Methodology

Name: 2026 US State Lottery Tax, Anonymity & Claim Rules Dataset
Creator: AiLottoAnalyzer
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

State data verified October 2026

2026 IRS brackets · official lottery and state sources

Overview

This page explains how every tax, cash-value and odds figure on AiLottoAnalyzer is calculated, and links the official source behind each state rule. The payout calculators, jackpot tax pages and this page all use the same code, so the numbers here are the numbers on the site. The full state dataset is available as a CSV file, free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0).

Figures are estimates for education, not tax advice. Lottery draws are random; nothing on the site changes anyone's odds.

Cite this page

Source: AiLottoAnalyzer state lottery tax dataset (state rates verified October 2026; 2026 IRS brackets), https://www.ailottoanalyzer.com/methodology, accessed 2026-11-01.

2026 federal tax: 24% withheld, up to 37% owed

Federal tax on a jackpot is calculated in two steps. When a prize over $5,000 is claimed, the lottery withholds a flat 24%. The actual liability is set later by the 2026 income tax brackets (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32): almost all of a jackpot falls in the top 37% bracket, so most winners owe the difference when they file. The calculators treat the prize as the winner's only income for the year and apply the standard deduction; the site's figures use the single-filer table.

Rate	Single: taxable income up to	Married Filing Jointly: taxable income up to	Head of Household: taxable income up to
10%	$12,400	$24,800	$17,700
12%	$50,400	$100,800	$67,450
22%	$105,700	$211,400	$105,700
24%	$201,775	$403,550	$201,750
32%	$256,225	$512,450	$256,200
35%	$640,600	$768,700	$640,600
37%	and above	and above	and above
Standard deduction	$16,100	$32,200	$24,150

Example: federal tax on a $500M lump sum.

Filing status	Withheld at claim (24%)	Total federal tax	Still due at filing	Effective rate
Single	$120,000,000	$184,950,000	$64,950,000	36.99%
Married Filing Jointly	$120,000,000	$184,910,251	$64,910,251	36.98%
Head of Household	$120,000,000	$184,945,214	$64,945,214	36.99%

State tax is applied as a flat rate on the prize (the top marginal rate, including millionaire surtaxes where they apply). Each annuity payment is taxed in the year it is paid, using today's brackets.

30-year annuity and the Treasury-linked cash value

Powerball and Mega Millions advertise the annuity: 30 payments, one now and then one a year for 29 years, each 5% larger than the last. The first payment is the jackpot divided by the sum of the growth factors, 1.05⁰ + 1.05¹ + … + 1.05²⁹ = 66.4388.

The cash option is what the lottery would need today to buy the bonds that fund those payments: each payment is discounted at the 30-year U.S. Treasury constant-maturity yield (FRED series DGS30) plus a small calibrated adjustment. Cash ratio = Σ (1.05^k ÷ 66.4388) ÷ (1 + r)^k for k = 0 … 29. When a lottery publishes its official cash value, the site uses that figure instead.

30-year yield

5.31%

October 30, 2026

Cash option today

42.2%

of the advertised jackpot

Backtest median error

0.92%

of the official cash value

Backtest: the model was checked against 47 official Mega Millions jackpots from January 1, 2019 to July 28, 2026, re-calibrating the adjustment from each previous official figure as the site does. Across the 46 predicted values the median error was 0.92% of the official cash value (0.51 percentage points of the jackpot), the mean 1.03% and the worst 3.04%.

2026 US State Lottery Tax, Anonymity & Claim Rules Dataset (52 jurisdictions)

Top lottery tax rate, game availability, winner-privacy rule, claim deadline and official sources for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, verified in October 2026 against state lottery websites, revenue departments and statutes. Where a rule could not be confirmed from an official source it is marked “Not yet verified” rather than guessed.

		Games		$1B annuity, net	Winner anonymity	Claim deadline	Sources
Alabama AL	5%	No state lottery	$290,050,000	$581,499,993	No lottery	—	Tax——
Alaska AK	0%	No state lottery	$315,050,000	$631,499,993	No lottery	—	Tax——
Arizona AZ	2.5%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$302,550,000	$606,499,993	Confidential on request for prizes of $100,000+	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Arkansas AR	3.7%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$296,550,000	$594,499,993	Confidential on request over $500,000, for 3 years	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
California CA	0%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$315,050,000	$631,499,993	Public record (winner's name is released)	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
Colorado CO	4.4%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$293,050,000	$587,499,993	Public (first name, last initial and hometown are released)	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Connecticut CT	6.99%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$280,100,000	$561,599,993	Partial: names are not published without consent, but may be released under FOI	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Delaware DE	6.6%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$282,050,000	$565,499,993	Anonymous (any prize)	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
District of Columbia DC	10.75%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$261,300,000	$523,999,993	Public record	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Florida FL	0%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$315,050,000	$631,499,993	Temporary: name confidential for 90 days on prizes of $250,000+	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Georgia GA	4.99%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$290,100,000	$581,599,993	Confidential on request for prizes of $250,000+	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Hawaii HI	11%	No state lottery	$260,050,000	$521,499,993	No lottery	—	Tax——
Idaho ID	5.3%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$288,550,000	$578,499,992	Public record	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Illinois IL	4.95%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$290,300,000	$581,999,992	Confidential on request for $250,000+ (may not stop FOIA release)	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
Indiana IN	2.95%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$300,300,000	$601,999,993	Public record	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Iowa IA	3.8%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$296,050,000	$593,499,993	Public record (no anonymous claims)	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Kansas KS	5.58%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$287,150,000	$575,699,993	Anonymous (any prize, unless you authorize release)	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
Kentucky KY	3.5%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$297,550,000	$596,499,992	Public record (no anonymity law; names can be released under the Open Records Act)	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Louisiana LA	3%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$300,050,000	$601,499,993	Public record	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Maine ME	9.15%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$269,300,000	$539,999,993	Confidential for prizes of $100,000+	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
Maryland MD	6.5%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$282,550,000	$566,499,993	Anonymous (any prize)	182 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Massachusetts MA	9%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$270,050,000	$541,499,993	Public record	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
Michigan MI	4.25%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$293,800,000	$588,999,993	Public for Powerball and Mega Millions (other prizes over $10,000 are confidential)	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
Minnesota MN	9.85%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$265,800,000	$532,999,992	Confidential over $10,000 (unless you opt in)	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
Mississippi MS	4%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$295,050,000	$591,499,993	Anonymous (any prize, unless you authorize release)	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Missouri MO	4.7%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$291,550,000	$584,499,993	Anonymous (name released only with consent)	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Montana MT	5.65%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$286,800,000	$574,999,992	Anonymous (name not released without permission)	6 months	Tax Privacy Claim
Nebraska NE	4.55%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$292,300,000	$585,999,992	Confidential for prizes of $250,000+	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Nevada NV	0%	No state lottery	$315,050,000	$631,499,993	No lottery	—	Tax——
New Hampshire NH	0%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$315,050,000	$631,499,993	Public (privacy only with a court or protective order)	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
New Jersey NJ	10.75%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$261,300,000	$523,999,993	Anonymous (any prize)	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
New Mexico NM	5.9%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$285,550,000	$572,499,993	Public record	90 days	Tax Privacy Claim
New York NY	10.9%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$260,550,000	$522,499,993	Public (name and city may be released)	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
North Carolina NC	3.99%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$295,100,000	$591,599,993	Temporary: confidential for 90 days on prizes of $50M+	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
North Dakota ND	2.5%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$302,550,000	$606,499,993	Anonymous (unless you authorize release)	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Ohio OH	2.75%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$301,300,000	$603,999,993	Trust-only: names are public unless you claim through a trust	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Oklahoma OK	4.5%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$292,550,000	$586,499,993	Partial: first name, city and amount are public (full privacy via a trust)	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Oregon OR	9.9%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$265,550,000	$532,499,993	Anonymous by default (since September 2025)	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
Pennsylvania PA	3.07%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$299,700,000	$600,799,993	Public (limited information is released)	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
Puerto Rico PR	20%	Powerball only	$215,050,000	$431,499,993	Not yet verified	180 days	Tax—Claim
Rhode Island RI	5.99%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$285,100,000	$571,599,993	Public record (name and city released on request)	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
South Carolina SC	5.21%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$289,000,000	$579,399,993	Anonymous (any prize)	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
South Dakota SD	0%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$315,050,000	$631,499,993	Partial: publicity is optional, but names are released on records requests	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Tennessee TN	0%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$315,050,000	$631,499,993	Not yet verified	180 days	Tax—Claim
Texas TX	0%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$315,050,000	$631,499,993	Anonymous for prizes of $1M+ (annuity winners may be named after 30 days)	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Utah UT	4.45%	No state lottery	$292,800,000	$586,999,993	No lottery	—	Tax——
Vermont VT	8.75%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$271,300,000	$543,999,993	Public record	1 year	Tax Privacy Claim
Virginia VA	5.75%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$286,300,000	$573,999,993	Anonymous (any prize, since July 2026)	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Washington WA	0%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$315,050,000	$631,499,993	Public record (including trust claims)	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
West Virginia WV	4.58%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$292,150,000	$585,699,993	Anonymous on request for prizes of $1M+	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Wisconsin WI	7.65%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$276,800,000	$554,999,993	Public (name and city released on request)	180 days	Tax Privacy Claim
Wyoming WY	0%	Powerball & Mega Millions	$315,050,000	$631,499,993	Anonymous (on request)	180 days	—Privacy Claim

Showing 52 of 52. Benchmark: $1B advertised jackpot, 50% cash option ($500M), single filer, 2026 federal brackets plus the state rate. Annuity: total of 30 after-tax payments. States without a lottery are included because residents who win elsewhere are taxed at home.

Exact odds and statistical independence

Jackpot odds are exact counts of every possible ticket: the number of ways to choose the main numbers multiplied by the ways to choose the special ball(s).

Game	Matrix	Possible tickets (jackpot odds 1 in …)
Mega Millions (since April 8, 2025)	5/70 + 1/24	290,472,336
Mega Millions (Oct 2017 – April 2025)	5/70 + 1/25	302,575,350
Powerball	5/69 + 1/26	292,201,338
EuroMillions	5/50 + 2/12	139,838,160

Quick Pick's pool counter counts exactly how many tickets satisfy the active filters (odd/even, sum range, zones, decades, consecutive numbers and more) by enumerating every combination, then multiplies by the valid special-ball choices. Filters change which tickets you see, not the chance of any ticket: every combination is equally likely.

Every drawing is an independent random event. Historical frequencies, “hot” and “cold” numbers and the AiLA engine describe past results only; they do not change the odds of any future draw.

Corrections and reuse

Rules change: state rates are re-verified at least once a year and whenever a state changes its law. To report an error, use the contact page and include the official source. Reuse of the dataset is welcome under CC BY 4.0 with a link to https://www.ailottoanalyzer.com/methodology.