The best single premium immediate annuity figure in our tables as of October 1, 2026: $693/month for
a 65-year-old man per $100,000, single life with a 5-year period certain, unchanged since September 2026. None of the figures in our tables is a direct quote from the latest survey round. They are built from earlier rounds (read at surveyed ages, interpolated or derived from carrier ratios) and checked carrier by carrier against the latest one. The tables below say how each figure is built.
October: our tables hold, best figure at 65 stays $693
We ran 11 carrier surveys between September 18 and 29. Seven were for clients aged 52 to 66, close enough to our table ages (55 to 80) to check each carrier against. The best $100,000 figure for a 65-year-old man is unchanged at $693 a month for life with a 5-year period certain.
We repriced one of the eight carriers we publish. Athene raised its quotes about 1.8% for buyers around 60, and more at younger ages. Three carriers quoted the same as in mid-September, and three more were within about half a percent, which premium size and age in months explain. New York Life's readings were mixed. Two direct comparisons came in 0.7% and 1.6% higher once premium size is allowed for, and a third, measured through August, came in 0.6% lower. We have left its figures where they were until the next round. New York Life was the top payer among the eight in all 7 runs.
One figure changed for a different reason. A new direct quote for a couple who are both 66 came in above our estimated joint figures for four carriers, by 0.7% to 1.6% after allowing for premium size, so we raised their joint figures at 65 and 70 to match. The couple figure at 65 is now $608, up from $598. That is a correction to our estimate, not a move in the market.
The gap between carriers has not narrowed. At 65, the lowest of the eight pays $573 a month on the same $100,000 with the same guarantee. That is $120 a month less, for life.
How to read these tables: no figure this month is a new direct quote at a table age. The tables are our September 16 figures, checked carrier by carrier against the late-September quotes. Your own quote depends on your exact birthday, your state and the payout option you choose.
Phil Barker, October 1, 2026
Best Monthly Payout by Age (October 2026)
Highest figure among the 8 A-rated carriers we publish, per $100,000 premium, as of . Single life with a 5-year period certain (joint = 100% survivor benefit, both spouses the same age). The last column says how the men's figure was built.
Age
Male
Female
Joint (Couple)
Men's figure: how built
55
$616/mo
$602/mo
$572/mo
Interpolated, repriced
60
$649/mo
$634/mo
$585/mo
Surveyed age, repriced
65
$693/mo
$658/mo
$608/mo
Surveyed age, repriced
70
$767/mo
$724/mo
$659/mo
Interpolated, repriced
75
$893/mo
$839/mo
$731/mo
Interpolated, repriced
80
$1,046/mo
$986/mo
$847/mo
Surveyed age, repriced
How these figures are built. Men 60, 65 and 80: read at a surveyed age in an earlier round, then repriced. Men 55, 70 and 75: interpolated between surveyed ages in an earlier round, then repriced. Women, all ages: derived from each carrier's own ratio to its men's quote at surveyed ages, then repriced. Joint 55, 60, 75 and 80: derived from each carrier's own ratio to its men's quote at surveyed ages, then repriced. Joint 65 and 70: derived by ratio, then calibrated to a direct same-age joint quote (both spouses 66) from the latest round.
Source: LifeAnnuities.us quote surveys run for real clients. The figures start from quotes our agent runs for real clients, not advertised rates or illustrations. For the base tables we received 54 survey runs covering 30 client scenarios, prepared July 14 to September 14, 2026, and used 52 of them for pricing (2 runs used annual payments and were left out of pricing). 17 carriers were quoted. On we checked the tables against 7 new survey runs (4 client scenarios, prepared September 18 to 29, 2026). 11 runs were received and 4 were not used (4 runs were for a 41-year-old, well below our table ages; two of them were at $5,000,000). We repriced 1 of the 8 carriers we publish (Athene, up about 1.8%) and held the other 7 at their earlier figures. A repriced carrier has its whole table moved by its own measured change on quotes for the same age and sex. New York Life: readings were mixed, so we held its figures until the next round. Two direct comparisons with mid-September quotes came in 0.7% and 1.6% higher once premium size is allowed for. A third, measured through August, came in 0.6% lower. How each figure is built. Men: 60, 65 and 80 read at surveyed ages; 55, 70 and 75 interpolated between surveyed ages. Women: all ages derived by ratio. Joint: 55, 60, 75 and 80 derived by ratio; 65 and 70 calibrated to a direct same-age joint quote. None of the figures in our tables is a direct quote from the latest survey round. They are built from earlier rounds (read at surveyed ages, interpolated or derived from carrier ratios) and checked carrier by carrier against the latest one. Joint figures at ages 65 and 70 are calibrated to a direct joint quote (same-age joint quote, both spouses 66, 100% to the survivor, 5-year period certain, prepared September 18, 2026). That corrects an estimate. It is not a market move. Basis: single life or joint (100% to survivor), 5-year period certain, income starting next month, per $100,000. Full method and known limits. Free to cite with attribution to LifeAnnuities.us.
The 8 carriers we publish, each rated A or better by AM Best: New York Life, Nationwide, Western & Southern, Athene, Penn Mutual, Pacific Life, Mutual of Omaha, Lincoln Financial.
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SPIA Rate Trend Since August 2026
We publish the best figure for a 65-year-old (per $100,000) in the first week of each month, and reprice mid-month when a new survey round shows carriers have moved. Every revision is dated. The full series is the SPIA Payout Index (chart, CSV/JSON, free to cite or embed).
Month
Male 65
Female 65
Joint 65
Male 70
From August 2026: built from real carrier quotes, single life with a 5-year period certain
August 2026
$675/mo
$637/mo
$587/mo
$751/mo
September 2026
$693/mo
$658/mo
$598/mo
$767/mo
Male 65 revisions in September 2026. September 1, 2026: $675/month (August round carried forward after a yield check); September 16, 2026: $693/month (Repriced against 17 new survey runs).
October 2026
$693/mo
$658/mo
$608/mo
$767/mo
Earlier estimates, life-only basis (not comparable with the rows above)
March 2026
$618/mo
$585/mo
$542/mo
$698/mo
May 2026
$632/mo
$598/mo
$555/mo
$712/mo
July 2026
$664/mo
$635/mo
$583/mo
$754/mo
Note for August 2026: From August 2026, figures come from actual carrier quote surveys (single life, 5-year period certain). Earlier months were market-survey estimates on a life-only basis, so the July→August change is partly a change in basis rather than a market move.
Note for October 2026: The couple figure was calibrated this month to a direct same-age joint quote (both spouses 66), put on a $100,000 basis. On the same footing, September's couple figure would have been about $608, so the change from $598 is a correction to our estimate, not a market move.
What the figures show: the best figure in our tables for a 65-year-old man has moved up 2.7% since August 2026, the first month our figures were built from real carrier quotes, from $675 to $693 per month. It is unchanged since September 2026. The figures we published for months before August 2026 were market-survey estimates on a life-only basis, so they are not a like-for-like comparison with the 5-year period certain figures from August 2026 on. SPIA pricing generally follows long-term bond yields, and carriers do not all move together, as the list below shows.
Which carriers we repriced and which we held
Change in each carrier's quote for the same age and sex between the September 16 tables and the late-September round, as of .
Athene: up about 1.8%. Measured at ages 59 and 62 and applied to Athene's whole table. A comparison at age 52 showed a larger rise, about 3.1%.
Held (7 carriers): New York Life, Nationwide, Western & Southern, Penn Mutual, Pacific Life, Mutual of Omaha and Lincoln Financial.
Note on New York Life: Readings were mixed, so we held its figures until the next round. Two direct comparisons with mid-September quotes came in 0.7% and 1.6% higher once premium size is allowed for. A third, measured through August, came in 0.6% lower.
Held means we kept the carrier's figures as they were in our last tables. Unless a note says otherwise, its quotes for the same age and sex were the same as before, or differed by no more than premium size and age in months can explain. How we measure this.
What changed in the joint table
On October 1, 2026 we calibrated the joint figures at ages 65 and 70 to a direct quote: same-age joint quote, both spouses 66, 100% to the survivor, 5-year period certain, prepared September 18, 2026. Until then, every joint figure was worked out from each carrier's own joint-to-single ratio.
New York Life: joint figures raised 1.6%
Mutual of Omaha: joint figures raised 1.4%
Pacific Life: joint figures raised 0.8%
Penn Mutual: joint figures raised 0.7%
Unchanged: Nationwide, Western & Southern, Athene and Lincoln Financial.
The quote was for a $250,000 premium and our tables are stated per $100,000, so we first put it on a $100,000 basis using each carrier's own premium-size step, measured on every client quoted at both sizes on the same day (New York Life pays about 0.3% more per $100,000 at $250,000, Western & Southern 0.5%, Penn Mutual 0.3%, Mutual of Omaha 0.4%; the other four pay the same). Changes under half a percent are ignored. Earlier rounds had a same-age joint quote for a couple who were both 57; this is the first one near ages 65 and 70.
The best joint figure is now $608 a month at 65 and $659 a month at 70. This corrects our estimate. It is not a market move. How the calibration works.
What it means for timing: nobody can predict the next move, but two things are certain: your payout rises every year you age, and a locked quote holds for 7 to 14 days. If you are within a year of buying, getting a live quote now costs nothing and tells you exactly what waiting is worth.
Full Carrier Comparison
The table above shows the top figure at each age; here is how all 8 carriers compare for men (see also female and joint tables).
Male Monthly Income Rates
Updated
Carrier
Rating
Age 55
Age 60
Age 65
Age 70
Age 75
Age 80
New York Life
A++
$616/mo
$649/mo
$693/mo
$767/mo
$893/mo
$1,046/mo
Nationwide
A+
$577/mo
$609/mo
$669/mo
$751/mo
$873/mo
$1,041/mo
Western & Southern
A+
$587/mo
$625/mo
$676/mo
$737/mo
$852/mo
$1,013/mo
Athene
A+
$590/mo
$634/mo
$688/mo
$763/mo
$872/mo
$1,037/mo
Penn Mutual
A+
$571/mo
$604/mo
$664/mo
$732/mo
$836/mo
$960/mo
Pacific Life
A+
$539/mo
$578/mo
$629/mo
$706/mo
$830/mo
$998/mo
Mutual of Omaha
A+
$530/mo
$545/mo
$601/mo
$677/mo
$795/mo
$942/mo
Lincoln Financial
A
$492/mo
$515/mo
$573/mo
$654/mo
$769/mo
$926/mo
Source: LifeAnnuities.us quote surveys run for real clients. 54 base survey runs received and 52 used for pricing (July 14 to September 14, 2026), checked against 7 new survey runs (September 18 to 29, 2026): 1 of 8 published carriers repriced, 7 held. Joint figures at ages 65 and 70 are calibrated to a direct same-age joint quote. Single life or joint (100% to survivor), 5-year period certain, per $100,000. How we build these figures.
How this table was built. Ages 60, 65 and 80: read at a surveyed age in an earlier round, then repriced. Ages 55, 70 and 75: interpolated between surveyed ages in an earlier round, then repriced. Your exact figure depends on your age, state, premium and payout option: request a personalized quote.
How to Get the Best SPIA Rate
Compare on the same day. The best-to-lowest spread across the 8 A-rated carriers we publish is about 17% at age 65. On a $300,000 premium, that is roughly $4,300/year, every year, for life.
Don't chase rate at the expense of ratings. We only publish carriers rated A or better by AM Best. A slightly higher payout from a weak insurer is not a bargain.
Price the payout options. A 10-year period certain usually costs a few percent of monthly income. That is estimated from typical market relationships; our surveys quote the 5-year period certain only (see our payout options guide).
Mind your state's guaranty limit for premiums above $250,000. Details are on our state pages.
Know your number first. Our calculator shows what any premium buys at your age, and the SPIA guide covers the fundamentals.
Get Your Personalized Best Rate
Figures shown are the best of our 8 carriers per $100,000. Your exact quote depends on your birthday, state, and payout option. See it in 2 minutes, no obligation.
