Luke Littler Set To Lose Nearly Half Of World Darts Championship Prize Money

Luke Littler looks set to be hit with a hefty tax bill after winning the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship.

Young superstars Littler and Gian van Veen ushered in a new era for the sport and met in a huge final at Alexandra Palace in what was their seventh overall meeting.

Littler won the very first for the 2023 World Darts Youth Championship and proceeded to reach three world championship finals in a row, as well as winning the Premier League and becoming the new face of darts.

The world No.1 bagged £500,000 for becoming world champion for the first time but with the rise of darts, the PDC increased the overall prize money to £5 million.

Just getting to the first round saw a £15,000 reward while reaching the quarter finals paid out £100,000. But the winner's prize money was doubled to £1 million, with the runner up getting £400,000.

Littler reached a third world final in a row. Image: Getty

How is World Darts Championship prize money taxed?

However, Littler will not come away with exactly that amount due to other deductions. As per the Daily Express, Littler could lose around £450,000 - nearly half his winnings - due to being taxed heavily on his winnings paying the additional rate of 45% for income tax.

There is also National Insurance to factor in, alongside other small mandatory deductions previously explained by former participant Matthew Edgar.

Littler will no doubt be aware of the tax bill as it was the case last year for his first world championship triumph over Michael van Gerwen and his first final, where he lost to Luke Humphries after a remarkable debut run.

On that occasion, HMRC referenced the taxing that was on the way, writing: "Big congrats to Luke on his fantastic run to the final. We can confirm the existence of income tax."

Littler may have bagged a record cash prize to add to his already incredible earnings but for him, retaining the Sid Waddell Trophy and following in the footsteps of Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson was always the main motivation.

Littler and Van Veen met for the seventh time. Image: Getty

"It's a massive prize, but it's the trophy on the stage, it's not the money," he said beforehand.

"I'm repeating myself, but ever since the Grand Slam I have just said I want to go back-to-back. So hopefully I can lift the trophy again and think about the money after."

UK tax would have also applied to world No.3 Van Veen if he had won the final, as it did with three-time world champion and compatriot Van Gerwen, who joked about how much he had to pay since Brexit.

But he would have been able to avoid full double taxation due to the tax treaty between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Van Veen would likely have been given a credit from the Netherlands for UK tax already paid.

However, as the highest Dutch income tax rate is 49.5% he would likely be made to pay the difference of around £95,000 - therefore being taxed around £495,000 overall.