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Your Jackpot
Let's start with the number.
Which jackpot are you dreaming of?
ⓘWhy do most winners take the lump sum?▾
The advertised jackpot is paid as an annuity — 30 annual payments over 29 years. The lump sum is a one-time payment worth less than the headline number, typically around 60% of it.
For Powerball and Mega Millions, this tool uses the official cash value published by the lottery — not an estimate. Custom amounts fall back to a ~60% approximation.
Most winners choose the lump sum because they can invest it immediately, and the long-term returns on a well-managed portfolio typically exceed the annuity's implicit rate of return.
This tool focuses on the lump sum path.