Can a business or a corporation be an annuitant?

An annuitant in the context of an annuity contract is typically defined as the individual who receives the benefits from the annuity upon its maturity. The primary purpose of naming an annuitant is to designate a natural person who will benefit from the contract. This is essential because annuities are fundamentally structured to provide financial benefits based on human lifespan, such as regular payments for a specified period or for the lifetime of the annuitant. Thus, the law generally mandates that an annuitant must be a natural person to ensure these benefits are tied to an individual's life.

While businesses and corporations can be involved in other aspects of annuity contracts—such as being the owner of an annuity or the beneficiary—the designation of an annuitant is reserved for individual people. This distinction highlights the personal nature of annuities and their reliance on human life contingencies for determining payout structures.