Bits & Odds

Massachusetts Lottery Taxes

Massachusetts withholds 5% from lottery prizes (prizes of $600 or more), on top of the federal 24% on prizes over $5,000. A Powerball jackpot winner taking the cash here keeps about $178 million of $307.2 million.

Source for Massachusetts's rate: M.G.L. c. 62B, s. 2 (malegislature.gov), checked October 18, 2026.

What a prize is worth in Massachusetts

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 Massachusetts is worked out on its own return at its own income-tax rates, so the state line here is the withholding.

$1,000 prize
$830
kept after the federal return
Federal withheld
$0
Massachusetts withheld
$50
Cheque
$950
Federal tax on it
$120
$10,000 prize
$8,300
kept after the federal return
Federal withheld
$2,400
Massachusetts withheld
$500
Cheque
$7,100
Federal tax on it
$1,200
$1,000,000 prize
$615,320
kept after the federal return
Federal withheld
$240,000
Massachusetts withheld
$50,000
Cheque
$710,000
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. Massachusetts starts withholding on prizes of $600 or more. 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts:

Cheque
$218.1 million
after 24% federal and 5% state withheld
Kept after filing
$178.2 million
top federal rate 37%
Annuity, first year
$6.3 million
after tax, 30 payments rising 5% a year
Rank
30 of 46
lotteries, by what a winner keeps

What the same jackpot leaves a winner in every state · Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts's rate already in it. Claiming a prize, and the tax that comes with it covers claim deadlines and what to do first.

Massachusetts lottery tax questions

How much tax does Massachusetts take from lottery winnings?
Massachusetts withholds 5% (prizes of $600 or more). 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts?
The cheque is $7,100: $2,400 withheld federally and $500 for Massachusetts. After the federal return, a single filer earning $50,000 keeps about $8,300.
How much would a Powerball jackpot winner keep in Massachusetts?
On the $716 million jackpot for the October 28, 2026 drawing, a single winner taking the $307.2 million cash option keeps about $178 million after federal tax at filing and Massachusetts's 5%. That ranks 30 of 46 lotteries. Every state, side by side.
Where do I claim a big prize in Massachusetts?
At Massachusetts State Lottery, which must pay a prize on a ticket it sold; a ticket bought in Massachusetts is claimed there whatever state you live in. masslottery.com lists its claim centres and deadlines.