West Virginia Lottery
West Virginia Lottery Tax Calculator
West Virginia lowered every income tax bracket again for 2026, so a lottery prize there is taxed at a top rate of 4.58%, down from 4.82% in 2025.
Verified · tax year 2026
West Virginia prize — results
Take-home
63.5% kept of $1,000,000
Annuity · 30 payments
Year 1 — → year 30 —
| Cash received | $1,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | −$320,000 |
| Tax to West Virginia | $0 |
| West Virginia tax | −$45,003 |
| Local income tax | $0 |
| You keep | $634,997 |
| Federal withholding (24%) | −$240,000 |
|---|---|
| State withholding | not published |
| Check you receive | $760,000 |
| Still owed when you file | $125,003 |
Data: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 · state agencies, verified · what this leaves out
The 2026 table
W. Va. Code § 11-21-4j, for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, sets rates of 2.11%, 2.81%, 3.16%, 4.22% and 4.58%, with the top rate above $60,000. Single, joint and head-of-household filers share the table; married couples filing separately use half-width brackets. On a $1,000,000 prize West Virginia tax is $45,003, against $320,000 of federal tax.
What we could not confirm
The West Virginia Lottery’s public pages we could reach do not print the state withholding rate, so the calculator does not assume one. Ohioans, Pennsylvanians, Marylanders, Virginians and Kentuckians buy tickets in West Virginia often; each owes the home state’s tax on the prize as well.
West Virginia at a glance
| State income tax on winnings | Up to 4.58% |
|---|---|
| Rate table used | 2026 (W. Va. Code § 11-21-4j) |
| Lottery | West Virginia Lottery |
| State withholding at claim | Rate not published |
What West Virginia winners should know
- West Virginia cut every bracket again for 2026 (§ 11-21-4j): the top rate is 4.58%, down from 4.82% in 2025.
- Single, joint and head-of-household filers share one West Virginia table; only married-separate filers get half-width brackets.
West Virginia sources
- W. Va. Code § 11-21-4j — West Virginia Legislature
Agency: West Virginia Tax Division. † read through a browser session (why). How the math works.
Neighboring states
Kentucky · Maryland · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Virginia