The type of annuity and the payout plan determine what happens to it after the owner passes away. Annuity payout options come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some annuities provide for payments to be given to a spouse or other annuity beneficiary for years after the annuitant’s death, while others provide for payments to be made to a spouse or other annuity beneficiary for years after the annuitant’s death.
At the time the contract is written, the purchaser of the annuity makes the selection on these possibilities. The payout amount is influenced by the options selected by the annuitant.
Do annuities have a death benefit?
Annuities can help you fund your retirement. Most annuities, however, include a standard death benefit. This allows you to leave annuity assets to an heir after your death.
Can annuities be passed to heirs?
Most annuities, like other investments, can be passed down to your heirs in the case of your death. However, it’s crucial to understand that annuities are fundamentally a life insurance product, which affects how they’re taxed and passed down.
What happens to annuities when someone dies?
Owners of annuities collaborate with insurance carriers to construct unique contracts that detail payout and beneficiary options. Insurance companies deliver any residual payments to beneficiaries in a flat sum or in a series of instalments after an annuitant dies. If the owner dies, it’s critical to include a beneficiary in the annuity contract provisions so that the accumulated assets aren’t transferred to a financial institution.
Owners can tailor their annuity contract to help their loved ones in the same way they can set up a life insurance policy. The number of payments left after the owner dies is determined by the contract’s parameters, such as the type of annuity selected and the presence of a death benefit clause.
Are Annuities part of a person’s estate?
All assets titled in your name become part of your estate when you die. There is a maximum estate valuation exemption for federal tax purposes and for states that impose estate taxes before taxes are applied. Your annuity death benefits are normally not included in your taxable estate if they go to your spouse. The death benefit is included in your estate valuation if it goes to any other beneficiaries.
Five-Year Rule
An annuity’s beneficiary or beneficiaries have five years to collect the proceeds. They can withdraw them in installments or in one lump sum at any time, as long as they do so within five years of the annuitant’s death.
Jointly owned annuity
A co-owner and a beneficiary are not the same thing. If one of the partners in a married pair buys an annuity, the surviving spouse will continue to receive payments according to the contract’s provisions. To put it another way, the annuity will continue to pay out as long as one of the spouses is living.
These contracts, also known as joint and survivor annuities, might contain a third annuitant (usually the couple’s kid) who is specified to receive a minimum amount of payments if both partners in the original contract die prematurely. Check to determine if an annuity you’ve inherited falls into this category.
Keep in mind that if an employer sponsors an annuity, the company must make the joint and survivor plan automatic for couples who are married at the time of retirement. Only with the express approval of the spouse could a single-life annuity be considered.
If you’ve inherited a jointly and survivor annuity, it can take one of two forms, each of which has a different effect on your monthly payout:
- A 100 percent survivor annuity is available. Following the death of one co annuitant, the monthly annuity payout stays the same. The amount received is unaffected by the death. This type of annuity may have been bought if:
- The surviving desired to assume the deceased’s financial obligations.
- The surviving partner wishes to avoid downsizing, and the couple managed such obligations together.
- A 50% survivor annuity is available. Only half (50%) of the monthly dividend provided to the joint annuitants while both were alive is paid to the surviving annuitant. If the two partners managed their financial duties separately and the surviving spouse did not want to maintain the other partner’s commitments, this type of annuity might have been chosen (such as club memberships, individual insurance payments, hobby expenses, and so forth).
Spouse beneficiaries
Many contracts allow a surviving spouse named as an annuitant’s beneficiary to transfer the annuity into their own name and take over the original contract. Spousal continuation occurs when the surviving spouse becomes the new annuitant and receives the remaining benefits as planned.
In addition, spouses can choose to take lump-sum payments or decline the bequest in favor of a contingent beneficiary, who is only entitled to the annuity if the primary beneficiary is unable or unable to accept it.
Although inheriting a spouse’s annuity does not automatically constitute a taxable event, the tax ramifications differ depending on the course of action taken by the surviving spouse. Depending on the nature of the money in the annuity, cashing out a lump payment will result in varied tax consequences (pretax or already taxed). However, if the spouse keeps the annuity or transfers the proceeds to an IRA, no taxes will be due.
Minor beneficiaries
Although it may seem strange to name a minor as the beneficiary of an annuity, there are valid reasons for doing so. Some children with physical or developmental disabilities may require a steady source of income throughout their life in order to receive the care they require. A fixed-period annuity can also be utilized to help pay for a child’s or grandchild’s college education.
Money cannot be inherited directly by minors. A responsible adult, comparable to a trustee, must be appointed to oversee the funds. However, there is a distinction between a trust and an annuity: money placed in a trust must be paid out within five years and does not provide the tax benefits of an annuity.
When a juvenile named as the recipient of an annuity reaches the age of 18, he can access the inherited cash. After then, the beneficiary has the option of receiving a lump-sum payout.
Other beneficiaries
An annuity contract cannot usually be taken over by a nonspouse. One exception is “survival annuities,” which are designed with that contingency in mind from the start. One thing to keep in mind is that if the annuity’s designated beneficiary has a spouse, that person will have to consent to the annuity.
Payout options
Different payout options may be available to beneficiaries depending on the annuity’s terms. You should read the contract carefully for specific facts, but these are some of the most prevalent instances.
Distribution options explained
- The leftover contract value or a guaranteed amount is referred to as a lump sum distribution. It’s referred to as a “bullet payment” in the context of a loan, as opposed to installments. Lump sum payments are made all at once and can be advantageous to a beneficiary looking to make a large purchase, such as a property or a significant business investment. However, there are tax implications because they must pay the IRS on the entire taxable amount all at once.
- Beneficiaries may defer claiming money for up to five years or stretch payments out throughout that time under the “five-year rule,” as long as all of the money is collected by the end of the fifth year. This allows businesses to spread their tax burden over time, perhaps avoiding higher tax bands in any one year.
- Payments that are annuitized or known as “stretch distributions” — A stretch provision is exactly what it says on the tin: It permits a beneficiary to spread payments from an inherited annuity — as well as the tax implications — out over the course of his or her own life expectancy. A nonspousal beneficiary has one year after an annuitant’s death to put up a stretch distribution.
- Stream of payments for life (nonqualified stretch provision) — This format establishes a regular income stream for the beneficiary for the remainder of his or her life. The tax implications are often the smallest of all the options because this is set up over a longer period.
- Any cash left in the contract at the time of death may return to the insurance company if there is no beneficiary or annuity death benefit provision. This is sometimes the case with immediate annuities, which can begin paying out as soon as a lump-sum investment is made and have no set term.
Important: Beneficiaries who are estates, trusts, or charities must withdraw the full value of the contract within five years of the annuitant’s death.
Tax implications to Consider
- Whether the annuity was funded with pre-tax or after-tax funds has an impact on taxes. Nonqualified annuities are those that are funded with money that has already been taxed. This simply implies that the money invested in the annuity – the principal — has already been taxed, making it non-taxable and eliminating the need to pay the IRS again. The interest you earn is the only part of your income that is taxable.
- The principle in a qualifying annuity, on the other hand, hasn’t been taxed yet. It was frequently rolled over from a 401(k) or an IRA. As a result, you’ll have to pay taxes on both the interest and the principle when you take money from a qualifying annuity.
- The Internal Revenue Service considers the proceeds from an inherited annuity to be gross income. Gross income includes all sources of income that aren’t particularly tax-free. However, it is not the same as taxable income, which is used by the IRS to calculate your tax liability. After you’ve deducted all of your available deductions, you’ll have taxable income.
- You’ll have to pay income tax on the difference between the capital paid into the annuity and the value of the annuity after the owner dies if you inherit an annuity. For example, if the owner paid $100,000 for an annuity and received $20,000 in interest, you (the beneficiary) would be responsible for paying taxes on that $20,000. When you cash out your annuity, how and when you do so influences when you’ll have to pay those taxes and how much the income will effect your total tax liability.
- Payments made in one lump sum are taxed all at once. Because your income for a single year will be significantly higher, you may be forced into a higher tax bracket for that year, this option has the most severe tax effects.
- In the year in which they are received, gradual payments are taxed as income. It’s less probable that you’ll be bumped up to a higher tax rate for any given year if you, as the beneficiary, choose to take incremental payments.
- In some cases, if payments under a life annuity continue, the money is not taxed until the total amount distributed surpasses the contract’s initial cost. (A tax specialist should be consulted for advice.)
Probate
Probate, a formal legal process that recognizes a will and assigns the executor to manage the distribution of assets, might be avoided by designating a beneficiary for an annuity. One issue with probate is that it can take a long time, as with other things involving the courts. How long do you think it will take? The average time is roughly 24 months, while smaller estates might be settled faster (in as little as six months), and probate can take significantly longer in more complicated instances.
Even if you have a valid will, the procedure can be slowed significantly if heirs contest it or the court needs to decide who should administer the estate.
If an annuity designates a specific beneficiary, it can be utilized to avoid probate. There’s nothing to argue about in court because the person is identified in the contract. It’s critical that a specific person, not just “the estate,” is listed as a beneficiary. If the estate is identified, the will will be examined by the courts in order to sort things out, leaving the will subject to challenge.
Another consideration for annuitants is whether or not they want to name a contingent beneficiary. If there are serious concerns about the named beneficiary dying before the annuitant, this option may be worth considering. If there is no contingent beneficiary, the annuity will almost certainly be liable to probate when the annuitant passes away. Consult a financial professional to learn more about the benefits of naming a contingent beneficiary.
Who receives annuity values when the annuitant dies?
When the annuitant dies, the owner of the annuity can usually name one or more individuals or charities as beneficiaries of the policy. The following are some of the most prevalent options: Lump Sum Payment: The beneficiary receives the entire amount of the distribution in one lump sum payment.
What is a guaranteed death benefit?
- A guaranteed death benefit is a benefit term that ensures that if the annuitant dies before the annuity begins paying benefits, the beneficiary will get a death payment.
- If an annuitant dies while the contract is in the accumulation phase, the guaranteed death benefit is a safety net.
- The amount of the guaranteed death benefit paid varies by company and contract, but the recipient is guaranteed an amount equal to the amount invested or the contract’s value on the most recent policy anniversary statement, whichever is greater.
Does a retirement annuity form part of a deceased estate?
Did you know that what happens to your retirement fund benefits is not determined by your will? If you die while a member of a retirement fund, your death benefits are distributed to your beneficiaries through a separate process that bypasses your estate and any will instructions.
For the sake of your loved ones left behind, Shameer Chothia, senior consultant at Momentum Corporate Advice and Administration, believes it’s critical to grasp the difference between assets handed to your heirs through your will and retirement fund benefits.
Do annuities avoid probate?
Insurance firms sell annuities, which are investment instruments. You can use annuities to provide income for yourself during retirement and for a beneficiary when you pass away. Because the annuity account has an identified beneficiary, it will not go through probate. Annuities and life insurance plans, for example, usually avoid probate because they have a named beneficiary. The asset is given to the beneficiary directly.
