Bits & Odds

Maine Lottery Taxes

Maine withholds 7.15% from lottery prizes (prizes over $5,000), on top of the federal 24% on prizes over $5,000. A Powerball jackpot winner taking the cash here keeps about $172 million of $307.2 million.

Source for Maine's rate: Maine Lottery, prizes (mainelottery.com), checked October 18, 2026.

What a prize is worth in Maine

Three prizes, as the cheque is written and after the federal return. The return is a single filer earning $50,000 besides the prize, with the 2026 brackets and standard deduction; other income changes the bill, which is what the calculator is for. What you finally owe Maine is worked out on its own return at its own income-tax rates, so the state line here is the withholding.

$1,000 prize
$880
kept after the federal return
Federal withheld
$0
Maine withheld
$0
Cheque
$1,000
Federal tax on it
$120
$10,000 prize
$8,085
kept after the federal return
Federal withheld
$2,400
Maine withheld
$715
Cheque
$6,885
Federal tax on it
$1,200
$1,000,000 prize
$593,820
kept after the federal return
Federal withheld
$240,000
Maine withheld
$71,500
Cheque
$688,500
Federal tax on it
$334,680

A $1,000 prize has nothing withheld federally and is under the $2,000 at which the lottery reports it on Form W-2G, but it is still taxable income. Maine starts withholding on prizes over $5,000. The withholding is a deposit against the federal bill, not the bill: on $1,000,000 the 24% falls $94,680 short, and on $1,000, with nothing withheld, about $120 is still owed.

The Powerball jackpot after Maine tax

The advertised Powerball jackpot for the October 28, 2026 drawing is $716 million, or $307.2 million as a lump sum. A single winner taking the cash in Maine:

Cheque
$211.5 million
after 24% federal and 7.15% state withheld
Kept after filing
$171.6 million
top federal rate 37%
Annuity, first year
$6.1 million
after tax, 30 payments rising 5% a year
Rank
39 of 46
lotteries, by what a winner keeps

What the same jackpot leaves a winner in every state · Maine Powerball: add-ons and what a ticket is worth here

The federal rules, the same in every state

Source: IRS, Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754 (2026).

Work out your own number

The lottery tax calculator takes any prize, lump sum or annuity, filing status and state, with Maine's rate already in it. Claiming a prize, and the tax that comes with it covers claim deadlines and what to do first.

Maine lottery tax questions

How much tax does Maine take from lottery winnings?
Maine withholds 7.15% (prizes over $5,000). That is withholding, paid on your behalf before the cheque is written; what you finally owe the state is settled on your return.
Do I pay federal tax on a Maine lottery prize?
Yes. The lottery withholds 24% for the IRS when the prize, less the ticket, is over $5,000, and reports prizes of $2,000 or more on Form W-2G. A large prize is taxed at up to 37% at filing, so the 24% is rarely the end of it: on a $1,000,000 prize a single filer earning $50,000 owes about $334,680 more federally, $94,680 more than was withheld.
How much of a $10,000 lottery prize do you keep in Maine?
The cheque is $6,885: $2,400 withheld federally and $715 for Maine. After the federal return, a single filer earning $50,000 keeps about $8,085.
How much would a Powerball jackpot winner keep in Maine?
On the $716 million jackpot for the October 28, 2026 drawing, a single winner taking the $307.2 million cash option keeps about $172 million after federal tax at filing and Maine's 7.15%. That ranks 39 of 46 lotteries. Every state, side by side.
Where do I claim a big prize in Maine?
At Maine State Lottery, which must pay a prize on a ticket it sold; a ticket bought in Maine is claimed there whatever state you live in. mainelottery.com lists its claim centres and deadlines.