North Carolina Lottery

NCLottery Powerball Jackpot Analysis

The Powerball jackpot for the draw on Wed Feb 25, 2026 is estimated to be $218 Million, with a cash option of 101.6 Million. If you win the Powerball 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 Powerball jackpot prizes and taxes below is based on FEDERAL INCOME TAX BRACKETS FOR 2023.

North Carolina Powerball Jackpot/Cash Option for Wed Feb 25, 2026

Draw Date	Jackpot	Cash Option
Wed Feb 25, 2026	$218,000,000	$101,600,000

Lumpsum Option Taxes and Payment

Category	Amount
Cash Gross Payment	$101,600,000
Federal Tax(24%)	$24,384,000
Additional Federal Tax	$13,168,330
State Tax(4.75%)	$4,826,000
Net Lumpsum Payment	$59,221,670

Annuity Payment in 30 Installations

Year	Gross Payment	Fed/State Tax	Net Payment
1	$3,281,118	-$1,174,344 -$155,853	$1,950,921
2	$3,445,272	-$1,235,081 -$163,650	$2,046,541
3	$3,617,492	-$1,298,802 -$171,831	$2,146,859
4	$3,798,432	-$1,365,750 -$180,426	$2,252,256
5	$3,988,310	-$1,436,005 -$189,445	$2,362,860
6	$4,187,780	-$1,509,809 -$198,920	$2,479,051
7	$4,397,060	-$1,587,243 -$208,860	$2,600,957
8	$4,617,022	-$1,668,629 -$219,309	$2,729,084
9	$4,847,884	-$1,754,047 -$230,274	$2,863,563
10	$5,090,300	-$1,843,741 -$241,789	$3,004,770
11	$5,344,706	-$1,937,872 -$253,874	$3,152,960
12	$5,611,974	-$2,036,761 -$266,569	$3,308,644
13	$5,892,540	-$2,140,570 -$279,896	$3,472,074
14	$6,187,276	-$2,249,623 -$293,896	$3,643,757
15	$6,496,618	-$2,364,079 -$308,589	$3,823,950
16	$6,821,438	-$2,484,262 -$324,018	$4,013,158
17	$7,162,390	-$2,610,415 -$340,214	$4,211,761
18	$7,520,564	-$2,742,939 -$357,227	$4,420,398
19	$7,896,614	-$2,882,078 -$375,089	$4,639,447
20	$8,291,412	-$3,028,153 -$393,842	$4,869,417
21	$8,706,048	-$3,181,568 -$413,537	$5,110,943
22	$9,141,394	-$3,342,646 -$434,216	$5,364,532
23	$9,598,322	-$3,511,710 -$455,920	$5,630,692
24	$10,078,358	-$3,689,323 -$478,722	$5,910,313
25	$10,582,156	-$3,875,728 -$502,652	$6,203,776
26	$11,111,460	-$4,071,571 -$527,794	$6,512,095
27	$11,666,924	-$4,277,092 -$554,179	$6,835,653
28	$12,250,292	-$4,492,938 -$581,889	$7,175,465
29	$12,862,872	-$4,719,593 -$610,986	$7,532,293
30	$13,505,972	-$4,957,540 -$641,534	$7,906,898