North Carolina Lottery

NCLottery MEGA Millions Jackpot Analysis

The MEGA Millions jackpot for the draw on Tue Feb 17, 2026 is estimated to be $395 Million, with a cash option of 183.3 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 Powerball jackpot prizes and taxes below is based on FEDERAL INCOME TAX BRACKETS FOR 2023.

North Carolina MEGA Millions Jackpot/Cash Option for Tue Feb 17, 2026

Draw Date	Jackpot	Cash Option
Tue Feb 17, 2026	$395,000,000	$183,300,000

Lumpsum Option Taxes and Payment

Category	Amount
Cash Gross Payment	$183,300,000
Federal Tax(24%)	$43,992,000
Additional Federal Tax	$23,789,330
State Tax(4.75%)	$8,706,750
Net Lumpsum Payment	$106,811,920

Annuity Payment in 30 Installations

Year	Gross Payment	Fed/State Tax	Net Payment
1	$5,945,145	-$2,160,034 -$282,394	$3,502,717
2	$6,242,580	-$2,270,085 -$296,523	$3,675,972
3	$6,554,630	-$2,385,543 -$311,345	$3,857,742
4	$6,882,480	-$2,506,848 -$326,918	$4,048,714
5	$7,226,525	-$2,634,145 -$343,260	$4,249,120
6	$7,587,950	-$2,767,872 -$360,428	$4,459,650
7	$7,967,150	-$2,908,176 -$378,440	$4,680,534
8	$8,365,705	-$3,055,641 -$397,371	$4,912,693
9	$8,784,010	-$3,210,414 -$417,240	$5,156,356
10	$9,223,250	-$3,372,933 -$438,104	$5,412,213
11	$9,684,215	-$3,543,490 -$460,000	$5,680,725
12	$10,168,485	-$3,722,670 -$483,003	$5,962,812
13	$10,676,850	-$3,910,765 -$507,150	$6,258,935
14	$11,210,890	-$4,108,360 -$532,517	$6,570,013
15	$11,771,395	-$4,315,747 -$559,141	$6,896,507
16	$12,359,945	-$4,533,510 -$587,097	$7,239,338
17	$12,977,725	-$4,762,089 -$616,442	$7,599,194
18	$13,626,710	-$5,002,213 -$647,269	$7,977,228
19	$14,308,085	-$5,254,322 -$679,634	$8,374,129
20	$15,023,430	-$5,518,999 -$713,613	$8,790,818
21	$15,774,720	-$5,796,977 -$749,299	$9,228,444
22	$16,563,535	-$6,088,838 -$786,768	$9,687,929
23	$17,391,455	-$6,395,169 -$826,094	$10,170,192
24	$18,261,245	-$6,716,991 -$867,409	$10,676,845
25	$19,174,090	-$7,054,744 -$910,769	$11,208,577
26	$20,133,150	-$7,409,596 -$956,325	$11,767,229
27	$21,139,610	-$7,781,986 -$1,004,131	$12,353,493
28	$22,196,630	-$8,173,083 -$1,054,340	$12,969,207
29	$23,306,580	-$8,583,765 -$1,107,063	$13,615,752
30	$24,471,830	-$9,014,907 -$1,162,412	$14,294,511