Powerball in the UK has 10 prize tiers. Two are fixed: £1 million for matching all 5 main numbers and £8 for matching just 2, a tier that doesn't exist in the US. The jackpot is shared with American players, and the seven tiers in between share a set slice of UK sales between their winners, so they change from draw to draw. Every prize below the jackpot is paid only to UK and Isle of Man players, and it's tax-free.
The 10 prize tiers
| Match | Odds (1 in) | Prize | Estimated prize | Paid so far |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 + Powerball | 292,201,338 | Jackpot, shared with the US | Paid over 30 years | No UK winner yet |
| 5 | 11,688,054 | Fixed | £1,000,000 | £1,000,000 (four UK winners) |
| 4 + Powerball | 913,130 | 1.4% of UK sales, shared | £33,000 | £11,769.40 to £70,195.50 |
| 4 | 36,526 | 0.8% of UK sales, shared | £1,100 | £576.50 to £2,329.70 |
| 3 + Powerball | 14,495 | 0.9% of UK sales, shared | £500 | £286.50 to £895.80 |
| 3 | 579.8 | 2.3% of UK sales, shared | £52.10 | £35.50 to £75.80 |
| 2 + Powerball | 701.4 | 1.1% of UK sales, shared | £30.80 | £21.50 to £43.20 |
| 1 + Powerball | 92.0 | 4.2% of UK sales, shared | £15.30 | £12.00 to £20.60 |
| Powerball only | 38.4 | 7.8% of UK sales, shared | £11.90 | £10.40 to £16.20 |
| 2 | 28.1 | Fixed (UK only) | £8 | £8 |
The estimates are The National Lottery's guide figures, based on its modelling from April 2025; the real amounts depend on each draw. Overall, the odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 13 per line (The National Lottery rounds it to 1 in 14). The prizes paid in every draw are on our results page, and the maths behind the odds is in Powerball odds.
Two fixed prizes: £1 million and £8
Two tiers pay a set amount, however many winners there are. Matching all five main numbers without the Powerball pays £1 million, at odds of 1 in 11,688,054. Four UK players have won it so far, in the draws of Tuesday 1 September, Tuesday 22 September, Tuesday 13 October and Sunday 1 November 2026.
At the other end, matching two main numbers without the Powerball pays £8. This tier only exists in the UK: in the US, two numbers without the Powerball win nothing. With odds of 1 in 28.1, it's the prize UK players win most often, and it's the reason the overall odds of winning something are so much better in the UK than in the US.
Why the other prizes change from draw to draw
The seven tiers between Match 5 and Match 2 are shared prizes. Each gets a set percentage of that draw's UK sales, divided equally between everyone who matched those numbers. So what a tier pays depends on how many tickets were sold, how many people matched the same numbers and exchange rates: the percentages in the rules assume 80p to the dollar, and they shift when the rate moves.
The swings can be large. Match 4 + Powerball paid £70,195.50 to a single UK winner in the draw of Sunday 2 August 2026, and £11,769.40 each to two winners on Thursday 17 September 2026. When a popular combination comes up, a tier can even pay less than a lower one. All prizes are rounded down to the nearest 10p.
Prize capping: the rare exception
The fixed prizes stay fixed in all but very rare cases. If so many people match five or two numbers that the capped prize fund (68.1% of that draw's UK sales, plus £2 million) can't pay them all in full, every Match 2 and Match 5 winner gets £8 and whatever is left is shared between the Match 5 winners. In the extremely unlikely event that the fund can't even pay £8 each, it's divided equally between all of them.
It's most likely to happen when a popular pattern of numbers is drawn. There's no reserve fund for UK Powerball prizes to top them up.
One prize per line: what wins and what doesn't
- Each line wins only one prize: the highest tier it matches. Two main numbers plus the Powerball pays the Match 2 + Powerball prize, not that and £8 as well.
- The Powerball on its own wins, and so does one main number with the Powerball.
- One main number without the Powerball wins nothing.
- Two main numbers win £8, even without the Powerball.
- Several lines can win in the same draw, each with its own prize.
Not sure what your lines have won? Type them into the ticket checker and it shows the matches and prize tier for each one.
Where the prize money comes from
On average 41.2% of UK Powerball sales goes back to players as prizes (The National Lottery rounds it to “just over 40%”). Of that, 13.6% of sales goes into the shared jackpot, at 80p to the dollar, and the rest pays the UK-only prizes. Only UK sales fund them: the UK and US lower-tier prizes are completely separate.
As for the rest of the £4: over 30% of every line goes to UK good causes, 12% is paid in Lottery Duty and the retailer that sold it earns 20p. The detail is in Powerball and good causes.
How UK prizes compare with US prizes
UK and American players share the draw and the jackpot, but nothing else. US prizes below the jackpot are fixed amounts in dollars (except in California, where all lottery prizes are shared), they can be multiplied by Power Play, and there's no Match 2 prize. UK prizes are in pounds, mostly shared, and there's no Power Play.
| Match | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | £1,000,000 (fixed) | $1,000,000 ($2 million with Power Play) |
| 4 + Powerball | Shared, est. £33,000 | $50,000 |
| 4 | Shared, est. £1,100 | $100 |
| 3 + Powerball | Shared, est. £500 | $100 |
| 3 | Shared, est. £52.10 | $7 |
| 2 + Powerball | Shared, est. £30.80 | $7 |
| 1 + Powerball | Shared, est. £15.30 | $4 |
| Powerball only | Shared, est. £11.90 | $4 |
| 2 | £8 (fixed) | No prize |
A UK line costs £4 and a US one $2, so the two columns aren't a like-for-like comparison. The overall odds of winning a prize are about 1 in 13 in the UK and 1 in 24.9 in the US, the difference being the UK's Match 2 tier. The rest of the differences are in Powerball in the UK and the US.
Tax-free prizes, and how to claim them
National Lottery prizes aren't taxed in the UK, so every prize below the jackpot is paid in full. The jackpot works differently: it's advertised after tax, because the interest in its annuity payments is taxable, as explained in the Powerball jackpot in the UK.
You have 180 days from the draw to claim. How you claim depends on the amount:
- Up to £500: in shops (retailers pay up to £100, some up to £500) or straight into your online account.
- £500.01 to £50,000: for a shop ticket, start a claim online; for an online win, claim in 'My games' up to £30,000 or by phone above that. Post Offices no longer pay these prizes.
- Over £50,000, including Match 5: call The National Lottery and claim in person.
You'll never be asked to pay to claim a genuine prize. The full process is in how to claim a Powerball prize.
Frequently asked questions
How much do you win with 2 numbers on Powerball in the UK?
£8, a fixed prize for matching two main numbers without the Powerball. Two main numbers plus the Powerball win a shared prize instead, estimated at £30.80.
What do you win if you only match the Powerball?
A shared prize that The National Lottery estimates at £11.90. In the first 46 UK draws it paid between £10.40 and £16.20.
How much is Match 5 worth in the UK?
£1 million, a fixed prize. It can only be reduced in the very rare event of prize capping.
Why did a lower tier pay more than mine?
Because shared prizes are split between their winners. If a tier has far more winners than usual, each of them gets less, sometimes less than a tier below.
Are Powerball prizes taxed in the UK?
Prizes below the jackpot are tax-free. The jackpot is advertised after tax, because the interest in its annuity payments is taxable.
What are the odds of winning a Powerball prize in the UK?
About 1 in 13 per line (The National Lottery rounds it to 1 in 14). The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338.
Last reviewed: . Independent information: official results are published by the lottery that runs the game.