North Carolina Lottery

NCLottery MEGA Millions Jackpot Analysis

The MEGA Millions jackpot for the draw on Fri Oct 16, 2026 is estimated to be $403 Million, with a cash option of 162.1 Million. If you win the MEGA Millions jackpot, the IRS will withhold 24% of your prize money upfront, and you may owe up to an additional 13% in federal taxes when the tax is due. Additionally, if you are a resident of North Carolina, your state will take 4.75% of your lottery winnings.

Please note that the calculation of the MEGA Millions jackpot prizes and taxes below is based on FEDERAL INCOME TAX BRACKETS FOR 2023.

North Carolina MEGA Millions Jackpot/Cash Option for Fri Oct 16, 2026

Draw Date	Jackpot	Cash Option
Fri Oct 16, 2026	$403,000,000	$162,100,000

Lumpsum Option Taxes and Payment

Category	Amount
Cash Gross Payment	$162,100,000
Federal Tax(24%)	$38,904,000
Additional Federal Tax	$21,033,330
State Tax(4.75%)	$7,699,750
Net Lumpsum Payment	$94,462,920

Annuity Payment in 30 Installations

Year	Gross Payment	Fed/State Tax	Net Payment
1	$6,065,553	-$2,204,585 -$288,114	$3,572,854
2	$6,369,012	-$2,316,865 -$302,528	$3,749,619
3	$6,687,382	-$2,434,662 -$317,651	$3,935,069
4	$7,021,872	-$2,558,423 -$333,539	$4,129,910
5	$7,372,885	-$2,688,298 -$350,212	$4,334,375
6	$7,741,630	-$2,824,733 -$367,727	$4,549,170
7	$8,128,510	-$2,967,879 -$386,104	$4,774,527
8	$8,535,137	-$3,118,331 -$405,419	$5,011,387
9	$8,961,914	-$3,276,239 -$425,691	$5,259,984
10	$9,410,050	-$3,442,049 -$446,977	$5,521,024
11	$9,880,351	-$3,616,060 -$469,317	$5,794,974
12	$10,374,429	-$3,798,869 -$492,785	$6,082,775
13	$10,893,090	-$3,990,774 -$517,422	$6,384,894
14	$11,437,946	-$4,192,370 -$543,302	$6,702,274
15	$12,009,803	-$4,403,957 -$570,466	$7,035,380
16	$12,610,273	-$4,626,131 -$598,988	$7,385,154
17	$13,240,565	-$4,859,339 -$628,927	$7,752,299
18	$13,902,694	-$5,104,327 -$660,378	$8,137,989
19	$14,597,869	-$5,361,542 -$693,399	$8,542,928
20	$15,327,702	-$5,631,580 -$728,066	$8,968,056
21	$16,094,208	-$5,915,187 -$764,475	$9,414,546
22	$16,898,999	-$6,212,960 -$802,702	$9,883,337
23	$17,743,687	-$6,525,495 -$842,825	$10,375,367
24	$18,631,093	-$6,853,835 -$884,977	$10,892,281
25	$19,562,426	-$7,198,428 -$929,215	$11,434,783
26	$20,540,910	-$7,560,467 -$975,693	$12,004,750
27	$21,567,754	-$7,940,399 -$1,024,468	$12,602,887
28	$22,646,182	-$8,339,418 -$1,075,694	$13,231,070
29	$23,778,612	-$8,758,417 -$1,129,484	$13,890,711
30	$24,967,462	-$9,198,291 -$1,185,954	$14,583,217