true Show Top Updated for Tax Year 2022 • October 18, 2022 09:25 AM OVERVIEW If you find yourself holding a lottery ticket that doesn’t bear the winning numbers of an epic Powerball drawing, take heart. Although the odds of winning a Powerball grand prize are only 1 in 292 million, they improve to 1 in less than 12 million for the smaller $1 million prize. Here's an idea of what you’ll owe the IRS in taxes if you should win. Choosing the lump sum payout vs the annuity optionIf you choose to take the lump sum payout, a $1.5 billion jackpot is really worth about $930 million. That’s because $930 million is the actual jackpot and the $1.5 billion is the calculated worth if you choose the annuity payment plan. The annuity option are annual payments typically stretched out over 29 years. When you choose this, you end up with more money over the long haul because the base amount—$930 million—accrues interest earned over an additional 29 years after the year in which you win. The money you haven't taken yet is invested for you. You must pay federal income tax if you winYou'll fall into the highest tax bracket in the year you win if you take the jackpot in a lump sum. As of 2022, this means you'll likely owe the IRS at least 37% in taxes. If the bounty is spread out over 30 years, you may not be in the highest tax bracket each year, depending on the size of your prize and your other income. All winnings over $5,000 are subject to tax withholding by lottery agencies at the rate of 24%. This potentially leaves a gap between the mandatory amount of withholding and the total tax you'll ultimately owe, depending on your tax bracket. It works out something like this if you take the lump sum for the $930 million jackpot:
Gift and estate taxesAs of 2022, the Internal Revenue Code allows you to give away—by gift and from your estate when you die—a total of $12.06 million over the course of your lifetime. You'll typically owe 40% in gift tax for any cash or property transfers you make over $12.06 million, as well as a 40% estate tax on the value of your remaining estate. Be careful with pool winningsIf you join a pool with others to buy a stockpile of tickets, your prize will be smaller because you're sharing it. But you're still subject to the income tax rate for the bracket your portion of the winnings places you into. If you personally claim the prize on behalf of everyone in your pool, protect yourself by documenting that the entire windfall isn’t yours. If you collect the total winnings, then allot everyone else their share, the IRS may assume that you're giving the money away, which can result in the gift tax. You might also be responsible for income tax withholding on the entire winnings. Have everyone enter into the pool with a written contract defining his or her shares, which you can then provide to the IRS if necessary. Remember, with TurboTax, we'll ask you simple questions about your life and help you fill out all the right tax forms. With TurboTax you can be confident your taxes are done right, from simple to complex tax returns, no matter what your situation. All you need to know is yourselfAnswer simple questions about your life and TurboTax Free Edition will take care of the rest. For simple tax returns
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The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public; it does not give personalized tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional advice. Before taking any action, you should always seek the assistance of a professional who knows your particular situation for advice on taxes, your investments, the law, or any other business and professional matters that affect you and/or your business. |