Is it better to win the jackpot with the remainder of 2026 or wait till January 2027

Reply #13

Tone43 — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 21:52:46 GMT

I agree that the winner probably will claim it after January

Reply #12

Tone43 — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 19:01:20 GMT

I think that whoever is that person in New Jersey will claim their prize after January 2027

Reply #11

Tone43 — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 16:54:38 GMT

Somebody just won the jackpot last night

The question is

will they claim it before 2026 or wait until after January 2027

if the person who hit the jackpot reads this post. What would you recommend they do

claim it now within 2026 or claim it later after Jan 2027

what are the advantages or disadvantages of claiming it before 2026 ends or in January 2027

Reply #10

Elizabeth03 — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 18:33:18 GMT

Hope you win the amount that you want to win

Reply #9

Tone43 — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 17:48:19 GMT

People have posted a lot of good information here

only goes to show that people who post on the lottery post are good and smart people

Reply #8

Tone43 — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 01:04:54 GMT

January: Historically recorded a high frequency of jackpot wins for Mega Millions (with wins occurring in the majority of Januaries over past decades), largely driven by high participation and massive roll-over jackpots carrying over from the holiday

Reply #7

CDanaT — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 00:40:40 GMT

Honestly, where it is this late in the year of 2026 and only 8 weeks and change left ?? I do have to lean towards after Jan 1, 2027.

Definitely have your legal supporting team pretty much squared away and be ready to go by Jan 4th, 2027.

Good luck to everyone participating tonight for the MM or tomorrow for the PB.

Reply #6

they say — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 13:59:10 GMT

IDK the rules on charitable deductions but you might want a second accountant's opinion before making any. Or a tax attorney.

Reply #5

KY Floyd — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 07:45:56 GMT

If you don't pay estimated tax when due, IRS will charge penalties.

Being self-employed I've never been sure exactly what my annual income will be until the year ends so I've done what my accountant has told me to do, which is make estimated payments that are at least as much as the previous year's tax bill. I've never been hit with penalty, but I've never had my income go up by millions of dollars the next year, either. It seems like a major loophole to have a windfall early in the year an... [ More ]

Reply #4

they say — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:15:59 GMT

Right. If you don't pay estimated tax when due, IRS will charge penalties. AI can explain it.

Reply #3

CDanaT — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:03:33 GMT

It is my understanding that if you win that your estimated owed taxes are paid at the end of the remaining quarters of that calender year.

Jan - Mar, taxes due April 1-15th

April - Jun, taxes due July 1-15th

Jul - Sep, taxes due Oct 1-15th

Oct - Dec, taxes due Jan 1-15th

Using the $100M figure, collecting in Nov/Dec of 2026 and no state income tax, minus the 24% ($24 Million initially taken) the remaining $76M still has an estimated tax due by Jan 1-15th of 2027. I don't... [ More ]

Reply #2

KY Floyd — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 06:52:53 GMT

I'm not sure what that last line means, but in general the IRS only counts days for figuring how much a penalty is or how long you have to do something unusual.

As an individual your tax year is the calendar year. To keep it simple let's say the cash value is an even $100 million and you collect $76 million and have no state tax to worry about. If you invest that by early December at 6% you'll earn $1.14 million before paying the final tax bill on 4/15. That bill will be for the $13 million... [ More ]

Reply #1

grwurston — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 06:46:59 GMT

I would assume the taxes would be due the April 15 the year after you claimed the winnings as income.

If you claim your win in 2026 they would be due 4/15/27. If you claim your win in 2027, they would be due 4/15/28.

If you get lucky and hit the jackpot you can ask your tax lawyer, financial adviser, accountant, etc before you decide what to do.

https://youtu.be/4GqStjz2PDw?si=PI9D21onyRm-EJcY

Is it better to win the jackpot with the remainder of 2026 or wait till January 2027

Tone43 — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 18:21:01 GMT

This question is more relevant towards paying taxes or when to pay taxes

If a person wins in January, does that mean, they have the whole year to pay due taxes on their winnings

as opposed to winning in November or December of this year

or does the IRS count the days when you owe based on when you claim your ticket