Video: Guide to IRS Form W-2G Certain Gambling Winnings
Have you recently won big at the poker table? Before you go spending your winnings, you should watch this video and determine how much of that money is taxable.
The One Big Beautiful Bill that passed includes permanently extending tax cuts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including increasing the cap on the amount of state and local or sales tax and property tax (SALT) that you can deduct, makes cuts to energy credits passed under the Inflation Reduction Act, makes changes to taxes on tips and overtime for certain workers, reforms Medicaid, increases the Debt ceiling, and reforms Pell Grants and student loans. Updates to this article are in process. Check our One Big Beautiful Bill article for more information.
Video transcript:
Wondering if you'll owe taxes on your recent jackpot winnings? Let's look at the tax consequences of gambling wins and losses.
The IRS expects you to report all gambling winnings and losses on your tax return. With the rise of online betting sites, the frequency and amount of money involved in betting have increased.
Luckily, if you itemized deductions on Schedule A, you can deduct your gambling losses. But there's a limit.
Your deduction cannot exceed your gambling winnings. So, do casinos report your winnings to the IRS?
In some cases, the gaming organization must report your win to the IRS using form W-2G. You should receive all of your W2-G's by January 31st of each year.
Typically, you'll receive a W-2G when you win $1,200 or more on slot machines or bingo, $1,500 or more on keno jackpots, more than $5,000 from poker tournaments and $600 or more from other games, if your payout is at least 300 time your wager.
Let's break down your W-2G form. The most important information can be found in boxes 1, 4 and 15.
Box 1 reports your taxable gambling winnings. Box 4 reports the federal income taxes withheld. And box 15 reports the amount of state income taxes withheld.
You'll need to report the amount in box 1 plus any other gambling winnings not reported on a W-2G on the “Gambling” line of Schedule 1 (Form 1040) when you file your taxes.
Any winnings withheld can be reported in the “payments” section of your return. But what if taxes weren't withheld from your winnings?
Reporting and withholding are two separate requirements. Receiving a W-2G doesn’t mean taxes were automatically withheld from your winnings.
Withholding is only necessary on certain net winnings of $5,000 or more. Your net winnings equal your payout minus your initial wager.
If a gaming facility does withhold taxes, it will do so at a rate of 24%. And if you don’t provide your Social Security number, the required withholding may apply to even lower winning amounts.
Ready to file your taxes?
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