
The Powerball jackpot climbed to $1.4 billion—the fifth largest in U.S. history—after no tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Wednesday night, although the winner will end up with a much smaller amount after paying their tax bill.
According to Forbes Magazine, If a winner emerges in the next draw, they can choose between a $1.4 billion payout spread over 30 annual installments or a lump sum amount of $643.7 million—usually the more popular choice. The lump sum payout will drop to $489.2 million after a mandatory federal tax withholding of 24%. Depending on their taxable income for the year, the winner could face a federal marginal rate of up to 37%, further slashing the amount to $405.5 million.
Under the installment route, the winner’s annual payments of around $46.66 million could drop to $29.4 million, if the 37% federal marginal rate is applied.
The eventual winner of the Powerball jackpot will have to overcome pretty abysmal odds of 1-in-292.2 million. However, that is not as bad as the Mega Millions jackpot’s 1-in-302.6 million odds. The $1.4 billion jackpot is the second biggest so far this year and the third biggest in Powerball’s history.
Good luck tonight, if you play!








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