Annuity Fees: What You Don't Know Could Cost You Thousands in Retirement

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Annuities give you a guaranteed stream of income in retirement, but they aren’t created equal. With hundreds of annuities in the market to choose from, some will cost you more than others.

It doesn’t help that there are a variety of potential fees from administrative costs to commissions that can be hard to spot and will ultimately impact your payouts. How much is too much when it comes to fees, and how do you know if you're paying too much?

“You absolutely have to be mindful of the fees. In some cases, there are a lot of fees associated with them,” says Michael Berkhahn, CFP and vice president of Graham Capital Wealth Management. “If you are purchasing an annuity, you need a good understanding of what you are getting into and if it really fits your ultimate goal.”

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Before you can do an apples-to-apples comparison of annuity fees, you have to decide what you are trying to achieve. That will dictate which type of annuity to shop for.

How does an annuity work?

Suppose you want to purchase an annuity for lifetime income only. In that case, the fees will be different than if you are purchasing an annuity that pays out a death benefit to your spouse or that has additional bells and whistles. Known as riders, some of the popular ones include the following:

Guaranteed lifetime minimum withdrawal benefit: This lets you withdraw some of your money from your annuity while you are alive, even if your annuity loses its value. You would only need this rider with a variable annuity.

Guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefit: It ensures the premiums are paid on the annuity contract regardless of how the underlying investments perform.

Guaranteed minimum accumulation benefit: This ensures you will receive payouts at least equal to the amount you spent to purchase the annuity or a percentage of the dollar amount after a predetermined number of years.

Guaranteed minimum income benefit: This also applies to variable annuities and gives you a guaranteed minimum income payout while you are alive, regardless of the performance of the underlying investments. It provides a floor and protection against market volatility.

Death benefit: This ensures beneficiaries receive a payout when you die.

Long-term care rider: If you don’t have long-term care insurance, this rider boosts your monthly payouts to help cover the costs of long-term care.

Cost of living rider: With this rider, your annuity payments will keep pace with inflation.

Disability income rider: If you become disabled or unable to work, this rider pays you a monthly benefit.

“A lot of times with annuities, you get what you pay for,” says Shawn Plummer, founder of The Annuity Expert. “You're not wasting money on fees, you are adding bells and whistles and paying for those add-ons.”

What do different types of annuities cost?

Investors purchase annuities for a variety of reasons, but most commonly they are buying them for either guaranteed lifetime income, tax-deferred growth or to protect a portion of their assets from market risk.

If you are looking for an income stream in retirement and want to keep costs down, then a fixed annuity is the lowest-cost option. With a fixed annuity, fees typically range from nothing to 1.5% depending on whether you add riders to the contract.

With a fixed annuity, the insurance provider guarantees a fixed rate of return for a predetermined period, giving you predictable income in retirement.

It’s similar to a certificate of deposit. You aren’t going to realize stock market returns, but you will know how much you are getting each month, and you don’t have to worry about fees eating away at your income.

Fixed-rate annuities are also the easiest to shop for because there are few to no fees. In that case, you are paying more attention to the payout, says Berkhahn. One insurer may provide a return of 5.2% while another will provide 5.3%.

It’s important to be mindful of the health of the insurance provider. After all, they may give you a much bigger payout, but they may not be around for your lifetime.

A variable annuity, the costliest of the annuities, has fees ranging from 2% to 4% but also has the potential to give you more of a return based on the performance of the investments held within the annuity.

Variable annuities are actively managed, and while they can give you stock market-like returns, there is also downside risk. Yes, you get guaranteed income in retirement, but how much depends on how the underlying assets perform.

“If the intent is lifetime income, then purchasing a fixed annuity would be a lot cheaper than a variable annuity,” says Plummer. “A variable annuity has the most fees.”

Other fees to pay attention to

Commissions: This is the fee that goes to the agent you work with to purchase an annuity. The commission varies based on the type of annuity and its complexity. The more complex, the higher the commission will be. It can range from 1% to 8%, according to Annuity.org.

Administrative fees: These are the fees that go to cover the cost of managing the annuity, recordkeeping, and processing transactions in addition to other administrative costs. These fees are typically under 0.3% of the value of the annuity each year.

These fees are typically disclosed within the prospectus or through disclosures provided by the insurance company or broker. Make sure to ask about them when shopping around.

It’s all about intent

Ultimately, how much you pay in fees boils down to what you want from your annuity. The more bells and whistles, the more costly it will be.

“Do you want protection with upside growth or are you looking for the highest lifetime income, or do you want long-term care protection?” says Plummer, who says you shouldn’t pay more than 1.5% in fees. “In almost every scenario, you are going to pay a fee for something.”

Donna Fuscaldo is the retirement writer at Kiplinger.com. A writer and editor focused on retirement savings, planning, travel and lifestyle, Donna brings over two decades of experience working with publications including AARP, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Investopedia and HerMoney.