(NEXSTAR) — Another large Powerball jackpot is brewing, just in time for the holidays. But as large as it is, a winner would, at best, take home only about two-thirds of the advertised prize.
For the fourth time this year, the Powerball jackpot has surpassed $500 million, reaching $543 million ahead of Monday night’s drawing. There were no grand prize winners in that drawing, but two tickets — one each in North Carolina and New York — matched five numbers to win $1 million prizes.
The winning numbers drawn Monday were 5, 8, 19, 34, 39, and red Powerball 26. The Power Play was 3X.
Powerball officials now estimate the jackpot to be $572 million with a cash value of $286.7 million ahead of Wednesday night’s drawing.
As frequent lottery players already know, a winner would take home far less than the above totals: The game’s structure and taxes will shrink your payout by as much as $273 million.
There are two payout options a Powerball jackpot winner chooses from: the cash lump sum payment (the most common, but the one you may want to think twice about) and the annuitized option.
The cash payout is worth about $286.7 million in this drawing — it’s the amount of money Powerball officials believe they’ll have in the prize pool at the time of the drawing, which would be enough to fund the annuity option. The annuitized amount is the $572 million you’ll see advertised most. If you select the annuity option, you’ll receive a one-time payment, followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year.
With either payout, you’d see a large chunk automatically withheld for taxes. Though some states do not have a state lottery tax withholding, they all must withhold 24% in federal tax on prizes as large as this jackpot. With additional taxes, you’ll see roughly 37% of your prize money withheld, should you win.
At best, a winner for the current Powerball jackpot would take home $180.7 million with the cash option or $361.5 million overall with the annuitized payments, according to calculations by USA Mega. This is true for the nine states that do not have a local lottery tax.
Outside of those states, a winner (with a federal filing status of single) in Arizona would pocket the most money at $173.5 million for the cash option or $347.2 million with annuitized payments, USA Mega reports. A winner in New York would lose the most to taxes, seeing a cash payout of roughly $149.4 million or $299.1 million with the annuitized payments.
Aside from the nine states without a local lottery tax, here’s where a single-filing winner would take home the most if they hit the Powerball jackpot on Wednesday:
| State | Est. Cash Payout | Est. Total Annuitized Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $173.5 million | $347.2 million |
| North Dakota | $172.3 million | $344.9 million |
| Pennsylvania | $171.9 million | $343.9 million |
| Indiana | $171.6 million | $343.5 million |
| Ohio | $169.9 million | $340 million |
And here is where that same winner would take home the least:
| State | Est. Cash Payout | Est. Total Annuitized Payout |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $149.4 million | $299.1 million |
| New Jersey and the District of Columbia | $149.8 million | $300 million |
| Oregon | $152.3 million | $304.8 million |
| Minnesota | $152.4 million | $305.1 million |
| Massachusetts | $154.9 million | $310 million |
The above estimates are also reflective of the best-case scenario. You could end up splitting your Powerball jackpot with another winner — or two, or even more. Even though the odds of winning the jackpot are drastic — 1 in 292.2 million — 18 of the more than 200 Powerball jackpots won since 2003 have been split by at least two tickets.
If you’re lucky enough to win the jackpot, even if you aren’t the sole winner, experts recommend moving quickly to assemble a team that includes an attorney, a tax advisor and a financial advisor. They also encourage protecting your ticket and keeping your victory a secret for as long as possible.
That may be easier in some states than others — only a select few let winners of a jackpot this large remain anonymous.
Should the jackpot be won this month, it would be the largest-ever December prize in Powerball history, according to game records. That title is currently held by a $298.3 million jackpot won by a New York ticket on December 26, 2018.
There could also be a winner on Christmas Day, since December 25 falls on a Monday this year. There have already been two Christmas Day Powerball jackpot winners: a $48.4 million prize won by a New York ticket in 2010 and a $71.5 million prize won by a Missouri ticket in 2013.
Ready to try your luck? The next drawing will be held Wednesday at 10:59 p.m. ET.
Powerball tickets are $2 each and sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition to Wednesdays, drawings are held every Monday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. Players have a 1 in 24.9 chance of winning any Powerball prize.
