Luke Littler is set to face a hefty tax bill after lifting the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship title.
The final at Alexandra Palace marked a symbolic changing of the guard, as two young superstars — Littler and Gian van Veen — ushered in a new era for the sport in what was their seventh career meeting.
Littler had won their first encounter at the 2023 World Youth Championship and has since enjoyed a remarkable rise, reaching three consecutive World Championship finals, winning the Premier League, and establishing himself as the new face of darts.
Having already earned £500,000 for his first world title, Littler benefited from a dramatic increase in prize money this year, with the PDC boosting the total World Championship fund to £5 million.
Players received £15,000 just for reaching the first round, £100,000 for the quarter-finals, while the winner’s prize was doubled to £1 million. The runner-up took home £400,000.
How World Darts Championship prize money is taxed
Despite the headline figure, Littler will not pocket the full £1 million. According to the Daily Express, the world number one could lose around £450,000 — nearly half of his winnings — due to UK taxation.
As a UK resident, Littler is expected to pay the additional income tax rate of 45%, alongside National Insurance contributions and other mandatory deductions. Former professional Matthew Edgar has previously explained how these costs significantly reduce take-home prize money for players.
This will not come as a surprise to Littler. He faced a similar situation after last year’s tournament, when he won his first world title against Michael van Gerwen and had earlier finished runner-up to Luke Humphries during his breakthrough debut run.
On that occasion, HMRC even weighed in with a tongue-in-cheek post, writing:
“Big congrats to Luke on his fantastic run to the final. We can confirm the existence of income tax.”
While Littler has secured a record payday to add to his rapidly growing earnings, he has consistently stressed that money was never his primary motivation.
“It’s a massive prize, but it’s the trophy on the stage — it’s not the money,” Littler said before the final.
“Ever since the Grand Slam, I’ve just said I want to go back-to-back. Hopefully I can lift the trophy again and think about the money after.”
UK tax rules would also have applied to Van Veen had he won the final, as they previously did for fellow Dutchman Michael van Gerwen, who has joked in the past about his tax bill following Brexit.
However, Van Veen would not have been subject to full double taxation thanks to the UK–Netherlands tax treaty, which allows Dutch residents to receive tax credit for money already paid in the UK.
That said, with the Netherlands’ top income tax rate sitting at 49.5%, Van Veen would likely still have been required to pay the difference — estimated at around £95,000 — meaning his total tax liability would have approached £495,000 overall.
For Littler, though, the numbers are secondary. By retaining the Sid Waddell Trophy, he has joined elite company alongside Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson — and further cemented his place at the very top of the sport.
