A $250,000 immediate annuity pays about $1,526 a month for life to a 65-year-old woman, with most payouts ranging from $1,308 to $2,519.
Where you land depends on your age when payments start, your gender and the payout type you choose. Starting later raises the monthly amount because the insurer expects fewer payments, while adding a spouse lowers it because the same money has to cover two lives.
Each check combines interest and a return of your principal, so it stays the same no matter what the markets do. Find your age and payout type in the table below. Our figures come from Annuity.org’s analysis of Cannex data, which CBS News has cited in its coverage of annuity income. Find your age and payout type in the table below.
$250,000 Annuity Monthly Payout by Age and Type
The older you are when you start, the bigger the monthly check. Payments are spread across fewer expected years.
| Age | Gender | Single Life | Life + 10yr Certain | Life + 20yr Certain | Joint Life (same age) | Period Certain (20 yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | Male | $1,463 | $1,444 | $1,374 | $1,308 | $1,633 |
| 60 | Female | $1,402 | $1,388 | $1,363 | $1,308 | $1,633 |
| 65 | Male | $1,592 | $1,564 | $1,473 | $1,400 | $1,633 |
| 65 | Female | $1,526 | $1,504 | $1,445 | $1,400 | $1,633 |
| 70 | Male | $1,775 | $1,707 | $1,543 | $1,501 | $1,633 |
| 70 | Female | $1,685 | $1,640 | $1,512 | $1,501 | $1,633 |
| 75 | Male | $2,081 | $1,939 | $1,606 | $1,689 | $1,633 |
| 75 | Female | $1,958 | $1,847 | $1,590 | $1,689 | $1,633 |
| 80 | Male | $2,519 | $2,175 | $1,623 | $1,962 | $1,633 |
| 80 | Female | $2,337 | $2,091 | $1,616 | $1,962 | $1,633 |
How To Read These Numbers
- Single life: pays for as long as you live.
- Life + 10 or 20 years certain: pays for life, and if you die within the guarantee period, your beneficiary gets the remaining payments.
- Joint life: pays as long as either spouse is living.
- Period certain: pays for a set number of years, then stops. It’s useful for bridging a gap, like the years before Social Security or a pension starts.
Real-World Examples: Ellie, Nate, Janelle and Victor
Here’s how age, gender and payout choice change what the same $250,000 pays.
| Ellie | Nate | Janelle and Victor | You | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 65 | 70 | 70 and 70 | Your age |
| Payout option | Life only | Life only | Joint life | Your choice |
| Monthly income | $1,526 | $1,775 | $1,501 | See your number → |
| Yearly income | $18,312 | $21,300 | $18,012 | Based on your answers |
| Priority | The highest income now; no legacy needed | More income during an active retirement | Income that lasts for both of their lifetimes | What matters most to you |
What The Examples Show
- Age raises the payout. At 70, Nate gets about $249 more a month than Ellie at 65. Even a 70-year-old woman would get $1,685, about $159 more than Ellie, because the insurer expects to make payments for fewer years.
- Gender matters. Women generally live longer, so a 70-year-old woman choosing life only would get about $90 a month less than Nate.
- Life only pays the most, with a trade-off. Ellie’s $1,526 a month is guaranteed for life. If she dies before collecting the full $250,000, the remaining balance stays with the insurer.
- Covering two lives lowers the check. Janelle and Victor, both 70, get $1,501 a month, $274 less than Nate alone, but payments continue as long as either of them is living.
I think payout annuities will surge in popularity. The financial industry is good at asset accumulation but not at decumulation — converting assets into income. While there are strategies for withdrawal rates, immediate annuities offer pension-like payouts, giving retirees confidence they won’t outlive their money.
Paul Garofoli, FLMI, RICP®, Regional Vice President for Individual Annuities at Standard Insurance Company
Now See What Your Savings Could Pay You
$250,000 Annuity Annual Payout Rates by Age and Type
Each percentage shows what your $250,000 pays out per year. It blends interest with the principal coming back to you, so it isn’t a yield in the investment sense.
| Age | Gender | Single Life | Life + 10yr Certain | Life + 20yr Certain | Joint Life (both same age) | Period Certain (20 yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | Male | 7.02% | 6.93% | 6.60% | 6.28% | 7.84% |
| 60 | Female | 6.73% | 6.66% | 6.54% | 6.28% | 7.84% |
| 65 | Male | 7.64% | 7.51% | 7.07% | 6.72% | 7.84% |
| 65 | Female | 7.33% | 7.22% | 6.93% | 6.72% | 7.84% |
| 70 | Male | 8.52% | 8.19% | 7.41% | 7.21% | 7.84% |
| 70 | Female | 8.09% | 7.87% | 7.26% | 7.21% | 7.84% |
| 75 | Male | 9.99% | 9.31% | 7.71% | 8.11% | 7.84% |
| 75 | Female | 9.40% | 8.87% | 7.63% | 8.11% | 7.84% |
| 80 | Male | 12.09% | 10.44% | 7.79% | 9.42% | 7.84% |
| 80 | Female | 11.22% | 10.04% | 7.76% | 9.42% | 7.84% |
Most importantly:
- The payout rate climbs every year you delay starting.
- Choosing joint life trims the percentage, because the income has to stretch over two lives instead of one.
- A payout rate isn’t an interest rate. It’s the share of your $250,000 returned to you each year as income.
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Factors Impacting How Much a $250,000 Annuity Pays per Month
Annuity companies calculate payouts differently for every annuity contract.
Annuity Payout Factors
- Annuitant’s life expectancy: The person whose life expectancy determines an annuity’s payout is called the annuitant. The longer the insurance company expects an annuitant to live, the longer they have to pay out a lifetime annuity, so payments will be lower. This is why men and older people typically receive the highest monthly payments.
- Payout option: Lifetime annuities are popular, but they aren’t the only payout option for an annuity. You could opt to have an annuity pay out for a certain number of years; if that amount of time is less than the annuitant’s life expectancy, then the monthly payments might be higher than a lifetime annuity.
- Type of annuity: The payout calculations on this page assume that the customers are purchasing immediate annuities, but there are many other types of annuities to choose from. Most non-immediate annuities accumulate interest before converting into income payments, so the payout amounts for these products can be harder to predict.
- Riders: When you purchase an annuity, you can customize the contract with riders for an additional fee. The amount of your payouts can change depending on certain riders, such as a cost of living rider that increases the monthly payments by a small percentage each year to offset inflation.
The same $250,000 can pay a 60-year-old woman $1,402 a month and an 80-year-old man $2,519, which is why two people with the same premium can see very different checks.
Frequently Asked Questions
A $250,000 immediate annuity pays about $1,526 a month for a 65-year-old woman and $1,592 for a 65-year-old man, choosing life only. Depending on age, gender and payout option, most payouts fall between $1,308 and $2,519 a month, based on September 2026 quotes.
Yes. A man who buys a $250,000 life-only annuity at 60 gets about $1,463 a month, compared with $1,775 at 70 and $2,519 at 80. Insurers pay more to older buyers because they expect to make payments for fewer years.
With a life-only annuity, payments stop at death, and any remaining balance stays with the insurer. A guarantee option such as life + 10 years certain pays your beneficiary the remaining payments if you die early, in exchange for a slightly lower check: $1,504 a month instead of $1,526 for a 65-year-old woman.
A $250,000 joint annuity for a couple who are both 65 pays about $1,400 a month for as long as either spouse is living. That’s less than a single-life annuity, because the payments may have to cover two lifetimes.
The monthly payout is the dollar amount you receive. The payout rate is your yearly payments divided by your premium: 7.64% for a 65-year-old man buying a $250,000 annuity. It isn’t an interest rate, because each payment includes a return of your own principal.
They’re estimates based on immediate annuity quotes for a $250,000 non-qualified premium in Florida as of September 2026. Your actual payout depends on the insurer, your state and rates when you buy. Once you buy, the contract locks in your payment.
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