South Carolina State Tax on Lottery Winnings
Free South Carolina lottery tax calculator for Powerball and Mega Millions. South Carolina taxes lottery winnings at 5.21% (top marginal rate).
Current Powerball $516M jackpot, single filer
$122.91M
Actual take-home: 23.8% of what they advertise
Note: Top rate cut to 5.21% for 2026 (H.4216), down from 6%
What You'd Actually Take Home.
Lottery Tax Calculator for Powerball, Mega Millions, and Every State.
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Standard deduction: $16,100. All lottery income is taxed at your individual rate. This is the most common filing status for winners.
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What to Know Before Claiming a Jackpot in South Carolina
South Carolina cut its top income tax rate to 5.21% for 2026, down from 6%, under a law that also sets up automatic future cuts, so a jackpot winner here keeps a little more than a year ago. On privacy, South Carolina is one of the friendlier states. It has no anonymity statute, but the Lottery does not publish winners' names, and in a 2021 case a court held that releasing a winner's identifying information would be an unreasonable invasion of privacy under the state Freedom of Information Act. You elect to stay private when you claim. You have 180 days to claim, and a jackpot is claimed in person in Columbia.
- State tax rate (2026)
- 5.21% top rate, reduced from 6% under H.4216, with automatic further cuts tied to revenue growth
- Deadline to claim
- 180 days from the draw date
- Anonymity
- Allowed in practice. No anonymity statute, but the Lottery does not release winners' names, and a 2021 court ruling held that disclosure would be an unreasonable invasion of privacy under the state Freedom of Information Act
- Where jackpots are claimed
- In person at the Columbia Claims Center, 1303 Assembly Street, for prizes over $100,000
- What proceeds fund
- Education. The SC Education Lottery has transferred more than $9.5 billion since 2002, mostly to college scholarships and grants such as LIFE, HOPE, and Palmetto Fellows, plus K-12 programs and school buses
Sources: South Carolina Dept. of Revenue: Individual Income Tax · South Carolina Dept. of Revenue: Information about H. 4216 · South Carolina Lottery Commission v. Glassmeyer (S.C. 2021) · South Carolina Education Lottery: Media Kit
South Carolina Lottery Winnings Tax Overview
The South Carolina state tax on lottery winnings is 5.21%, a moderate rate near the middle of the 41 states that tax lottery payouts. South Carolina ranks number 20 in that group. If you win a Powerball or Mega Millions prize in South Carolina, the federal lottery tax of up to 37% applies on top of the state rate, and both reduce your lump sum cash option before the money ever reaches you. The South Carolina lottery tax calculator above runs the full math for the current jackpot.
How the South Carolina Lottery Payout Calculator Works
In South Carolina, the lottery payout calculation begins with the lump sum cash option, which equals roughly 45% of the advertised jackpot. The IRS withholds 24% federal lottery tax at the moment of payout, but a Powerball or Mega Millions prize pushes the winner into the 37% top federal bracket, so additional federal tax comes due at filing. On top of that, South Carolina taxes lottery winnings at 5.21% of the full lump sum. The lottery payout calculator above runs all of this math for you, using IRS 2026 brackets and the top marginal South Carolina lottery tax rate. One South Carolina specific detail to factor in: Top rate cut to 5.21% for 2026 (H.4216), down from 6%.
How South Carolina Compares to Other Lottery Tax States
South Carolina's 5.21% lottery tax rate ranks number 20 out of 41 taxed states. States with a higher lottery tax rate than South Carolina include Kansas and Idaho. States with a lower rate include Alabama and Georgia. For context, 10 states collect no lottery tax at all, which means a Powerball or Mega Millions winner in one of those states keeps an extra 5.21% of their lump sum compared to a winner in South Carolina.
South Carolina Lottery Tax FAQs
What is the South Carolina state tax on lottery winnings?
South Carolina taxes lottery winnings at a top marginal rate of 5.21%. This rate applies to the lump sum cash option from any Powerball or Mega Millions prize, and it is paid in addition to the federal lottery tax of up to 37% at the highest bracket. The lottery tax calculator above shows the exact dollar amount for any current jackpot.
Should I take the lump sum or annuity in South Carolina?
Most Powerball and Mega Millions winners choose the lump sum cash option. In South Carolina, both options face the same 5.21% state lottery tax rate, but the annuity spreads the tax across 30 years while the lump sum delivers the full cash value now. The lottery payout calculator above shows the lump sum after taxes; the annuity choice is a separate financial decision based on personal goals and investment return assumptions.
Does South Carolina withhold tax on a lottery payout before payment?
The IRS withholds 24% federal lottery tax on any lottery prize above $5,000 before the winner ever sees the check. South Carolina also withholds state tax at or near the 5.21% top rate at the moment of payout. The remaining federal balance, up to the 37% top bracket, then comes due in April when the winner files a federal return.
Can you stay anonymous if you win the lottery in South Carolina?
In practice, yes. South Carolina has no law that specifically grants lottery winner anonymity, but the South Carolina Education Lottery does not publish winners' names, and in South Carolina Lottery Commission v. Glassmeyer a court held that releasing a winner's personal identifying information would be an unreasonable invasion of privacy under the state Freedom of Information Act. A winner asks to stay private when filing the claim.