澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网

Annuitant: Definition and Types

Man at a kitchen sink

Who Is an Annuitant?

An annuitant is someone who is entitled to collect the regular payments of a pension or an annuity investment. The annuitant m🐻ay be the contract holder or another person, such as a surviving spouse.

Annuities are generally seen as retirement income supplements. They may be tied to an employee pension plan or a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:life insurance product. The size of the payments is usually determined by the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:life expectancy of the a♛nnuitant as well as the amount invested.

Key Takeaways

  • An annuitant is an investor or a pension plan beneficiary who is entitled to receive the regular payments of a pension or an annuity investment.
  • The annuitant may be eligible for a deferred annuity or an immediate annuity.
  • A deferred annuity is usually a retirement investment similar to an individual retirement account (IRA) or 401(k).

Understanding Annuities and Annuitants

An annuity is a regular payment of a guaranteed income for life or for some specified number of years. An annuitant may be a retired civil servant who receives a pension plan, or an investor who has paid moไney to an insurance🅷 company in return for a regular income supplement.

Depending on the specifics of the contract, the owner of an annuity may name one or more annuitants, such as a spouse and an elderly parent, or may arrange a joint annuity. The annuitant can also arrange for the payments to be transferred to a surviving spouse if the need arises. In any case, the annuitant must be a person, not a company, organization, or trust.

The amount of the payments to an annuitant is based on the individual's age and life expectancy, and the age and life expectancy of any beneficiaries. For example, if the annuitant is 65 years old, but the annuity is transferrable to his 60-year-old wife if she survives him, the insurance company will calculate that it will make monthly payments for about 24 years, which is the life expectancy of a 60-year-old woman.

Fast Fact

Most annuities are taxed as ordinary income.

In yet another variation, an annuity can be for a term of "life-plus"—that is, the payments will continue for the annuitant's lifetime and then be transferred to a surviving spouse for a specified period of time.

Types of Annuities

T💝here are many variations of an annuity, but they can be boiled down to two basic types:

  1. A deferred annuity is often used as a retirement savings vehicle. The annuitant invests money regularly over time in return for a stream of annuity payments at some point in the future. Many company pension plans are structured this way.
  2. An immediate annuity is just what it sounds like. The annuitant pays a lump sum of money in return for a series of payments that begin immediately and are paid for life or for a specific period of time. The latter option is called a life plus period certain annuity.

How Are Annuities Taxed?

Annuities are generally taxed as ordinary income. The portion of 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:the annuity payments that represents the contract holder's basis is not taxed, only the gain portion. In the case of an employer pension, the entire payment is generally taxed as ordinary i⭕ncome.

Is an Annuitant the Same as a Beneficiary?

No, an annuitant is different from a beneficiary. In an 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:annuity contract, though an annuitant might be the same person as the annuity owner, the annuitant cannot be the same person as the beneficiary. The bene♛ficiary is the person who receives the death benefit when the annuitant dies.

What Happens to an Annuity When the Annuitant Dies?

This depends on the annuity contract. If the contract stipulates a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:single life payout, then there are no death benefits. The payouts stop at the end of the annuitant's life. If it's a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:joint-life payout, then there are death benefits: the beneficiary is eligible to collect payments until the end of their life. The beneficiary is typically a surviving spouse, but🔥 not always.

The Bottom Line

An annuitant is someone who receives a periodic or 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:lump-sum payment for the rest of their life or for a certain period. The annuitant is often but not always the 🉐owner of the annuity. Their goal is typically to have🐲 a regular income stream sustain them in their retirement years.

Compare Accounts
The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Investopedia receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where listings appear. Investopedia does not include all offers available in the marketplace.
Take the Next Step to Invest
The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Investopedia receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where listings appear. Investopedia does not include all offers available in the marketplace.

Related Articles