Immediately after the results are in, you can check your Powerball ticket to see if you are a lottery winner. Powerball features 9 prize categories in total, but the most famous is, of course, the jackpot. It starts at $20 million and with each rollover, it can grow to impressing amounts.
What Are the Powerball Prizes?
There are 9 US Powerball prize categories, including the jackpot. The jackpot always starts at $20 million, and it grows with every draw where there is no first prize winner. Luckily, it does not have a limit up to which it can grow, which means it can reach some mouth-watering amounts. In fact, the US Powerball jackpot currently holds the world record for the biggest lottery jackpot with the $2.04 billion prize of November 7, 2022.
You will win the jackpot if you guess all the 5 main numbers and the additional Powerball. If you only match some of the winning Powerball numbers, you can still get some amazing prizes from the secondary divisions. Check out the table below to discover the full list of US Powerball prizes.
| Prize Division | Match | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | Jackpot |
| 2nd Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪ | $1,000,000 |
| 3rd Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | $50,000 |
| 4th Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪ | $100 |
| 5th Prize | ⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | $100 |
| 6th Prize | ⚪⚪⚪ | $7 |
| 7th Prize | ⚪⚪ + 🔴 | $7 |
| 8th Prize | ⚪ + 🔴 | $4 |
| 9th Prize | 🔴 | $4 |
With the exception of the jackpot, all US Powerball prizes are guaranteed. Everyone who matches the 5 main numbers, will get the 2nd prize of $1 million, regardless of how many winners there are. In the case of the jackpot, the $20 million (or more, if there are jackpot rollovers) is split by the winning tickets. For example, if 2 tickets are $200 million jackpot winners, each ticket holder will get half ($100 million).
However, there is one exception to this rule. In the state of California, all secondary prizes are pari-mutuel. This means that they are set depending on the amount earned from ticket sales and any winning tickets in a certain category will split the prize.
Powerball Prizes FAQ
Check out the answers to the most pressing lottery questions! Learn about how you can win Powerball, how to claim your prizes and other useful information for Powerball players.
How do you win Powerball?
To win the jackpot in the Powerball, you need to match the 5 main numbers from a range of 1 to 69, and the Powerball from 1 to 26. For secondary prizes, you can match 5 numbers (second prize), 4 main ones + the Powerball (third prize), and so on.
Do you win anything if you get just the Powerball?
Yes! If you get just the Powerball and none of the main numbers, you win the last prize division, worth $4. You can always get up to 10 times more if you play with Power Play multiplier. While the Powerball number itself does not get you a huge prize, it can make the difference between a jackpot winner and second prize winner.
Do you win anything if you get 2 numbers on the Powerball?
No, getting only 2 numbers don’t qualify you for any prize division. However, if you get one main number and the Powerball, you get the 8th prize, worth $4. This is also the value of the 9th division prize that you win for matching the Powerball number of the draw.
How long does a Powerball winner have to claim a secondary prize?
Ticket holders who win smaller Powerball prizes don’t have as much time as jackpot winners to claim their money. You have 189 days from the official draw to claim all secondary prizes (except the jackpot). And yes, this applies even to $4 wins!
Can you play the same number twice in Powerball?
As there are two different sections on your Powerball ticket, the main one, and the Powerball, it is possible to repeat a number. As you select 5 numbers from 1 to 69 and 1 from 1 to 26, you could have the same number in both sections.
Power Play: How Much Does It Increase Powerball Prizes?
The Power Play multiplier is a very important feature offered by this major American lottery. It can boost secondary Powerball prizes by 2, 3, 4, 5, or even 10 times! Jackpots can never be increased by the multiplier, which only applies to secondary prize divisions. As a result, the multiplier can take the secondary prizes to the next level!
The second prize which is worth $1 million can only be doubled with Power Play, but the other categories will be increased based on the drawn multiplier (2, 3, 4, 5, or 10). The highest Power Play number, 10, is only available for drawing when the jackpot is lower than $150 million. This is a method of attracting players when the jackpot drops. Below, you can see the effect Power Play has on every prize division in Powerball.
| Match | Amount | Power Play x2 | Power Play x5 | Power Play x10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | Jackpot | Jackpot | Jackpot | Jackpot |
| ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪ | $1,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| ⚪⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | $50,000 | $100,000 | $250,000 | $500,000 |
| ⚪⚪⚪⚪ | $100 | $200 | $500 | $1,000 |
| ⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | $100 | $200 | $500 | $1,000 |
| ⚪⚪⚪ | $7 | $14 | $35 | $70 |
| ⚪⚪ + 🔴 | $7 | $14 | $35 | $70 |
| ⚪ + 🔴 | $4 | $8 | $20 | $40 |
| 🔴 | $4 | $8 | $20 | $40 |
How are Powerball Prizes Taxed?
Powerball is offered in 44 states, the District of Columbia, US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Each state may have a different way to tax lottery winnings. Some states regard it as regular income and tax it accordingly, while others don’t tax winnings at all.
If you are lucky and win Powerball, you will have to research the laws in the state where your ticket was bought. Moreover, the US Federal Government taxes lottery winning and if you choose to play Powerball online from abroad, your country may apply taxes too.
What Are the Odds of Winning Powerball Prizes?
The odds of winning a Powerball prize start at 1:38 for the 9th category. To win the jackpot, you stand a 1: 292,201,338 chance. What you should remember is that even though the winning odds are quite steep, it is possible to win Powerball. Many people have already done it, and they have won amazing, life-changing amounts. There is no reason why you can’t be one of them if you just start playing!
Below you can check out the winning odds of every Powerball prize division and see where you stand!
| Prize Divisions | Match | Prize | Winning Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | Min. $20M | 1 in 292,201,338 |
| 2nd Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪ | $1,000,000 | 1 in 11,688,053 |
| 3rd Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | $50,000 | 1 in 913,129 |
| 4th Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪ | $100 | 1 in 36,525 |
| 5th Prize | ⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | $100 | 1 in 14,494 |
| 6th Prize | ⚪⚪⚪ | $7 | 1 in 579 |
| 7th Prize | ⚪⚪ + 🔴 | $7 | 1 in 701 |
| 8th Prize | ⚪ + 🔴 | $4 | 1 in 91 |
| 9th Prize | 🔴 | $4 | 1 in 38 |
There are amazing prizes offered by US Powerball starting with the jackpot, all the way to secondary divisions. There is no reason for you not to try your luck! You can easily do it by playing Powerball online from any location in the world using a lottery messenger service.