NORTH CAROLINA LOTTERY TAX · TAX YEAR 2026
North Carolina lottery tax calculator
North Carolina taxes lottery winnings as income, at its flat 3.99% rate. On a $1,000,000 prize with $75,000 of wages, a single filer owes $39,900 of North Carolina tax and $340,080 of federal income tax, $379,980 in all, and keeps $620,020.
Tax on your prize
- Total tax on the prize
- $379,980.25
- Federal income tax
- $340,080.25
- North Carolina tax
- $39,900.00
- After-tax prize
- $620,019.75
- Effective rate
- 38.00%
- Federal withholding at 24%
- $240,000.00
- North Carolina withholding at 3.99% (2026)
- $39,900.00
- Still owed at tax time
- $100,080.25
North Carolina tax by size of prize
What a single filer with $75,000 of wages owes on a prize, and what North Carolina withholds from it.
| Prize | Federal tax | State tax | State withholding |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $2,200 | $399 | $399 |
| $100,000 | $23,064 | $3,990 | $3,990 |
| $1 million | $340,080 | $39,900 | $39,900 |
| $10 million | $3,670,080 | $399,000 | $399,000 |
North Carolina lottery tax questions
Does North Carolina tax lottery winnings?
Yes. North Carolina taxes lottery winnings as income, at its flat 3.99% rate.
How much tax is due on a $1,000,000 lottery prize in North Carolina?
A single filer with $75,000 of wages owes $340,080 of federal income tax and $39,900 of North Carolina tax on a $1,000,000 prize, $379,980 in all, and keeps $620,020. On a $100,000 prize, North Carolina tax is $3,990 and federal tax $23,064.
How much is withheld from a North Carolina lottery prize?
North Carolina withholds 3.99% of a prize of $600 or more for state tax, and federal withholding is 24% of a prize over $5,000. On a $1,000,000 prize, $279,900 is withheld against $379,980 of tax, leaving $100,080 to pay at tax time.
What the calculator leaves out
Federal tax stacks the prize on wages after the 2026 standard deduction and taxes it at the ordinary brackets. Withholding treats the whole prize as winnings, though the IRS tests winnings minus the wager. The calculator takes the cash received this year: a lump sum is taxed in full the year it is paid, and annuity payments are taxed each year as they are received. Gambling losses are left out; only filers who itemize can deduct them, and from 2026 only up to 90% of losses. Tax another state may charge on a ticket bought there is left out.