Mega Millions Jackpot Hits $800 Million—Here’s What The Winner Could Take Home - Forbes

What the report says

Forbes reported that the Mega Millions jackpot has climbed to an estimated $800 million after Friday night’s drawing produced no jackpot winner and no second-prize winner. The next drawing is scheduled for Tuesday night, with the latest winning numbers listed as 2, 5, 42, 44, 60 and the gold Mega Ball 1.

According to Forbes, a winner in the next drawing would be able to choose between taking the advertised prize as 30 yearly payments or accepting a cash option estimated at $344.2 million. The immediate federal withholding would reduce the cash payout to about $261.6 million, and Forbes noted that the winner could ultimately owe at a federal marginal rate of up to 37%, bringing the cash amount to roughly $216.9 million before any state taxes.

Forbes also reported that annual installments would be about $26.6 million before taxes and approximately $16.8 million after the federal tax rates cited in the article. State tax treatment could significantly change the final amount, with Forbes pointing to New York as a high-tax state for lottery winnings and Texas, Florida and California as states that do not tax such prizes.

The article said the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 290.4 million. Forbes described the current jackpot as the largest lottery prize of 2026 so far, ahead of a $533 million Mega Millions prize won in Illinois in March, while noting that the year’s total remains below a $983 million Mega Millions jackpot won in Georgia in 2025.