Individual annuities

An annuity is a long-term contract between you and your insurance company that helps to provide retirement income. There are three types: 

Variable annuity: A variable annuity combines investment and protection features into one financial product. Invested in variable funds, value of contract can rise and fall on a daily basis.

Fixed annuity: A fixed annuity provides income that is guaranteed to last as long as the payout period you elect, subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. It Gains value by receiving a guaranteed fixed interest rate. Not subject to market fluctuation.

Immediate annuity: An immediate annuity is based on a one-time premium that provides income that is guaranteed to last as long as the payout period you elect, subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

The one-time premium is paid to the insurance company, and then the insurance company pays you a customizable pension-like stream of income payments. Payments begin immediately (within 12 months of the contract’s issue date) and can be received monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually, for a specific amount of years (2-30 years or for a lifetime, subject to availability).  

Designed to begin paying out guaranteed income immediately after purchase.

Withdrawals are not available for immediate annuity. It is an irrevocable stream of income.  

A variable annuity combines investment and protection features into one financial product. Benefits include the following: 

• Tax deferral - Contract value generally grows on a tax deferred basis.
• Earnings are taxed as ordinary income.
• Professional management – portfolios are managed by qualified investment managers. 
• Lifetime income: Income is predictable, sustainable and, through optional benefits, has the potential to grow. 
• Legacy – Death benefits and legacy options, as well as federal tax law, dictate how assets will be distributed to beneficiaries.  
• Individual annuities have a death benefit that is a protected value.  
• Owners have ability to name their beneficiary, so that the death benefits do not have to pass through the probate court. 
• Free trades within the annuity.

Please contact your financial representative or call 1-800-344-1029 for more information, including product and fund prospectuses that contain complete details on investment objectives, risks, fees, charges, and expenses, as well as other information about John Hancock, the investment company, and the product and underlying portfolios.

Benefits of a fixed annuity include the following: 

• Predictability : Fixed interest rates are guaranteed. 
• Protection – Principal and interest are guaranteed if held for the length of the guarantee period. 
• Competitive Rates: higher interest rates are available if the initial premium falls within certain dollar amounts. 
• Customization: Income streams can be distributed for life, for a specific period of time (such as 10 or 20 years), or for the life of you and your spouse.  

Benefits of an immediate annuity include the following:  

• Tax-Efficiency – Money is distributed over several years, which also spreads out the income tax due on those distributions. 
• Protection – Assets are protected from potential market downturns. 
• Security – Income security is available through several guaranteed lifetime payment options. 

Fixed and variable individual annuities can be qualified or non-qualified. You own a qualified annuity if you purchased it with pre-tax dollars through an IRA or other qualified retirement plan; you do not receive any additional tax advantages beyond those already provided by the plan. You own a non-qualified annuity if you purchased it with after-tax dollars outside of an IRA or other qualified retirement plan; in general, income taxes are not due until distributions are made. 

When you annuitize, you turn your accumulated contract value into a stream of periodic payments, either for your lifetime, the lifetime of you and another person, or for a “period certain” (specific period of time, wherein if death occurs, the remaining payments are passed along to beneficiaries). If you own a non-qualified annuity contract, your payments will generally contain both taxable and nontaxable funds. If you own a qualified annuity contract, the whole of your payments will be taxable unless you made after-tax (non-deductible) contributions to the contract. When you annuitize, your contract value is applied to fund an income stream that is dictated by the annuity option you selected and you no longer have access to your contract value. Any optional benefit(s) you selected upon purchase of your annuity, including death benefits, ends. 

Upon annuitization, the amount of your payments and the amount includable in your income is based on several factors, including the value of your annuity, your age, and the type of annuity options you chose. 

To learn more about annuitization, click here to view John Hancock’s annuitization guide.

Click here to learn about your rider's features*.

*For contract versions F and G issued in any state other than New York

Click here to view how case by case 

Click here to perform a lost or unclaimed policy/account search.

1. Visit the registration page on JH.com.
2. In the "I want to register as a:" section, click the “Current annuity customer” option
3. Enter and reenter your Social Security number, enter your contract number, and enter the code embedded in the image.
4. Click the gray “Continue” button.
5. Enter your personal and login information. Your username and password are of your choosing as long as they meet the listed requirements.
6. Select a security question and enter your answer. This will be used to verify your identity going forward.
7. Read the Terms and Conditions, check the box below, and click the gray “Continue” button.
8. Elect which documents you would like to receive electronically via Paperless Settings, read the Terms and Conditions, check the box below, and click the gray “Submit” button.

If you need additional guidance in registering, click here to view an instructional video.

Always have your key documents at your fingertips by signing up for Paperless Settings. When you sign up, you receive: 

• Instant, secure access to your contract statements, transaction confirmations, and prospectuses and supplements. 
• Emails regarding any financial activity in your account. 

Here’s how to sign up: 

• Register now or log in to your online account. 
• Click the Paperless Settings link under the My Preferences menu. 
• Check off boxes next to the documents you wish to receive electronically and submit your changes. 

You must first register to view your account information online. If you are already registered and can’t log in and have not been locked out of your account after 3 failed login attempts, please click here to reset your password. 

If you have forgotten your User ID or are locked out of your account, please call us at 1-800-344-1029 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time. 

You may have been disconnected because your visit (session) expired. As a security precaution, we automatically log you out of your account after 15 minutes of inactivity. To access your account again, simply log back in. 

You may also have been logged out due to lost internet connection. Please contact your service provider if you continue to lose your connection. 

Log in to your account and click the “My Contract” tab on the left-hand navigation menu. This will bring you to the Contract Details page, which provides the following information:

• Present and past contract and portfolio values
• Amount of any surrender penalties, surrender value, and the amount you can withdraw from your contract before any surrender penalties are charged (if applicable)
• Special programs in which you may participate
• Contract designations, i.e., owner(s), annuitant(s) and beneficiary(ies)
• Optional riders on your contract
• Transaction history
• Enroll in paperless delivery
• Online access to documents like statements, prospectuses, 1099R's and Privacy Notice

All values are updated every business day and are calculated using the most recent market closing prices, typically the previous day’s closing prices.

You can change your current and future investment allocations by selecting Future Allocations from the My Contracts menu. Other changes, such as address, email settings, Paperless Settings, and more can also be made from the My Contracts menu. We require that forms be submitted for name, beneficiary or broker changes. Please visit the Forms tab for more information.

First you must register if you have not already. Then, after logging in to your account, you will see your contract value right on your homepage under your Contract Quick View.

Click on the My Contracts tab and click on the contract number you wish to view if you have multiple contracts with us. From the left-hand menu, click on the rider name under “See details of…” or scroll down the page and find the Contract Specifications section.

Click on the My Contracts tab and click on the contract number you wish to view if you have multiple contracts with us. From the left-hand menu, click on Minimum Distributions under “See details of…” or scroll down the page and find the Contract Specifications section.*

*Please note, this information will only appear in your online account if you are currently required to take an annual minimum distribution. For more information on RMDs, please view our Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) Guide.

The interest rate for a fixed contract cannot be viewed online at this time. Please contact us at 1-800-344-1029 to talk to a customer service representative.

Click on the My Contracts tab and click on the contract number you wish to view if you have multiple contracts with us. From the left-hand menu, click on the Contract Transaction History under “See details of…” or scroll down the page and find the Contract Transaction History section. Click on the View drop down menu to select what you would like to see.

Your contract transaction history lists applicable charges, fees, discounts, penalties or adjustments that may be imposed on your contract, including the annual contract fee, rider fees, and withdrawal charges, including certain service fees for paying out a withdrawal by wire, electronic fund transfer (EFT), or check via overnight mail.

The current charge for these transactions and certain other requested services is $19. The amount of this charge may be subject to increases without prior notice. Other services specially requested could incur other costs, which would be disclosed before service.

You will not be able to view the administrative, distribution, or mortality and expense fees in the contract transaction history. If you have questions regarding fee percentages, please speak with a customer service representative at 1-800-344-1029.

Click on the My Contracts tab and click on the contract number you wish to view if you have multiple contracts with us. From the left-hand menu, click on the Portfolio Holdings under “See details of…” or scroll down the page and find the Portfolio Holdings section.

Select Portfolio Performance to view average annual return percentages or return-to-date percentages. To view your total average rates of return, use the Calculate Rate of Return function on the left side.

Click on the My Contracts tab and click on the contract number you wish to view if you have multiple contracts with us. From the left-hand menu, click on the Portfolio Holdings under “See details of…” or scroll down the page and find the Portfolio Holdings section.

Click on the Change Investments icon, then determine whether you want to exchange a percentage of your value or a dollar amount and then proceed to enter your desired allocations and click Continue, then Accept.

Most forms on this site are in PDF format. PDF format allows documents to be easily printed. To view a PDF file, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. The Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free program that allows you to view and print documents in Adobe's Portable Document Format (file names ending in the extension ".pdf"). If your system does not have this program, you will not be able to access these forms.

Adobe's Acrobat Reader is free to download from the Adobe website. The download is a self-running installation program.

If your version of the Acrobat Reader does not automatically open PDF files, we recommend an upgrade to a more recent version of the software. The software is freely available from Adobe's website. Use the link referenced above to access the most recent version.

Firefox has an embedded viewer causing PDF documents to be viewed poorly. You can disable the PDF view and select Adobe Acrobat to view these documents. Instructions are located on the Mozilla Firefox website.

View guide

Yes. To provide our clients with security and efficiency, we require a browser that complies with current standards. The secure pages on our website use advanced features that are not supported in older browsers. For best results we recommend using the most recent version of your preferred browser. It is also supported by older versions of Internet Explorer and updated versions of Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari.

Browser upgrades are free and easily accessed from the manufacturer's website.

To download now, select your browser type below:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Safari
• Windows Internet Explorer

Yes. Each time you send or receive personal information on this site, a secure connection is established using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol. SSL scrambles your personal information as it travels from your browser to our secure web server. Our website prohibits personal information from being transmitted if a secure connection is not established. You may set your browser preferences to alert you every time you submit a non-encrypted form.

Click here to visit our Fraud Prevention Center and learn how. 

If you receive an email from John Hancock that looks suspicious, DO NOT click on any links within the email. Instead, take note of the sender's address and message and contact us so we can help you take action. You can call us weekdays from 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time at 1-800-344-1029.

Click here to view our online privacy statement. 

John Hancock Annuities Service Center

P.O. Box 55444

Boston, MA  02205-5444 

Please be sure to include your policy number and full contact information.

Annuities Service Center

John Hancock Insurance

372 University Avenue, Suite 55444

Westwood, MA  02090

Please be sure to include your policy number and full contact information.

Annuities policy holders, please follow this step-by-step guide.

If you are the beneficiary receiving a claim payout and the amount is $10,000 or greater, you may elect to have the funds placed into a Safe Access Account.  It is an interest bearing account that works similar to a checking account. You will receive a checkbook in the mail.

• If you have a Safe Access Account that earns more than $10 in interest then you may receive a 1099INT.
• If you partially or fully surrendered your contract and your contract had a taxable gain on it then you may receive a 1099-R.

All 1099's will be mailed no later than January 31st. 5498 forms are mailed in May.

If you received a letter from a recovery agency informing you of unclaimed property that was sent to the state by John Hancock, please contact your state treasurer's office. You do not need to go through a recovery agency as they will charge a fee for their services. If you saw your name advertised in the newspaper, please contact us at 1-800-628-3740.

Withdrawals from your annuity first come from any contract gains and can reduce the death benefit, optional benefits and contract value. Taxable distributions are subject to ordinary income tax and, if made prior to age 59½, may also be subject to a 10% federal income tax penalty. Certain qualified retirement plans and contracts limit the ability to take withdrawals before certain triggering events.  Qualified retirement plans and contracts generally require that distributions begin by age 72 for individuals born on or after July 1, 1949, and by age 70½ for individuals born before that date. 

Please visit our forms page and click on the appropriate Withdrawal Request form to download, print, complete and return for processing. You can also submit a withdrawal request electronically for either an IRA or a non-qualified contract. To do so, go to the forms page to electronically sign and submit  the Withdrawal Request Form for IRA or Non-Qualified contracts. 

Please visit our forms page to download, print, complete and return the Systematic Withdrawal form for processing. Additionally, you can also submit this form online.

Please visit our forms page to download, print, complete and return the Income Made Easy form for processing. Additionally, you can also submit this form online.

If your contract does not include a withdrawal benefit rider, please visit our forms page to download, print, complete and return the Required Minimum Request form for processing. Additionally, you can also submit this form online. If your contract does include a withdrawal benefit rider, please visit our forms page to download, print, complete and return the Income Made Easy form for processing instead. This can be submitted online as well. 

An IRS Form 1099-R is a tax form used for reporting distributions from both qualified and non-qualified annuity contracts. It will report gross distributions, taxable amount, and federal income tax withheld for the distributions that took place in the previous calendar year. Gross distributions include partial and full withdrawals, annuitizations, 1035 exchanges and direct rollovers.

We issue Form 1099-R for any reportable distribution or deemed distribution of $10 or more. A 1099-R may also be issued for certain taxable transfers of ownership. No 1099-R is issued for a non-taxable transfer of contract ownership to a spouse or to a former spouse incident to a divorce. However, please note that a distribution from an IRA or non-qualified annuity contract will be reported as income to the contract owner, even if the distribution is paid to the owner’s spouse or former spouse as part of a divorce settlement. If you would like to transfer the ownership of your annuity contract, please consult a tax professional regarding the tax implications of your specific circumstances.

A 1099-R is generally not required if there were no distributions from the contract during the previous tax year, or if only principal (tax cost basis) was withdrawn from the contract in the previous tax year.  

A qualified tax professional will be able to tell you which, if any, of your withdrawals in the previous tax year should be reported on a 1099-R form. Your withdrawal information is available on the Contract Details page of your online account.

Register or log in to your account

• Select “My Contract” on left menu
• Scroll down to the Contract Specifications section to view withdrawals and filter the transaction type and date range as necessary

The IRS deadline to distribute 1099-R forms to taxpayers is January 31. We issue the forms throughout the last week of January. Residents of the United States should expect to receive their 1099-R forms by February 10.

You can now access your most recent IRS Form 1099-R in your online account portal. Log in to your account to download your form under the My Contracts tab in the Tax and Contract Documents section.

If you do not have an online account, register here.

Please note that while your most recent IRS Form 1099-R is now available online, you will still receive a hard copy in the mail unless you have opted in to paperless tax statements by 12/31 of the previous tax year.

The custodian is responsible for any reporting requirements and must produce a 1099-R if a distribution is taken or another reportable transaction occurs.

You will receive a 1099-R to report a 1035 exchange to another insurance company. However, a 1035 exchange is not a taxable event. All 1035 exchanges made to another insurance company are reportable and the distribution code of '6' on the tax form indicates to the IRS that it was a tax-free 1035 exchange. If you received any distribution as part of the exchange, the distribution is taxable to the extent of gain accumulated in the exchanged contract and will be reported on a separate 1099-R.

No, there is no requirement to file a Form 1099-R to report a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer from one traditional IRA to another.

Please click here to access a reference guide for reading your 1099-R.

If you moved to a new state last year and had state taxes withheld from your distributions in more than one state (before and after your move, for example), you may receive 2 different 1099’s that reflect the taxes reported to each individual state. It’s also possible to receive more than one 1099 in the same year if you requested more than one type of transaction in the same year, such as a withdrawal and a rollover of funds to a different carrier. Since these transactions have different distribution codes, they would be reported on two separate 1099’s.

Yes, you can. Go to Report a Death and Initiate a Claim and select “Submit securely online as a beneficiary” or “Initiate securely online as a financial representative and send to beneficiary(ies) for completion” under step 3. You will then receive a link to view your claim package and submit the necessary forms entirely online.

If you are filing a claim as an individually named beneficiary, and not acting on behalf of an entity or as as a fiduciary for another individual, you may be eligible for our Express Claims feature, which allows you to process a claim quickly and easily over the phone. Visit the annuities beneficiary claim center to review the requirements and determine if you are eligible.

As a beneficiary of a John Hancock annuity contract electing a Cash Settlement, you may choose to have your claim proceeds deposited into a John Hancock Safe Access Account (please note a Safe Access Account is not available to residents of the State of New York). A Safe Access Account is an interest-bearing account from which checks can be written to access the account balance that is guaranteed by John Hancock. You may choose to write a check for all or part of the account without any fees or penalties. A John Hancock Safe Access Account is not a bank account and not FDIC insured. Note that any gain in the annuity contract is includible in your gross income for federal income tax purposes at the time it is deposited into the account. If you elect to receive your money via the John Hancock Safe Access Account, the income portion of the annuity proceeds will be subject to current federal income tax and may be subject to state income tax. Any interest subsequently earned on the Safe Access account will also be subject to taxes for the year credited to the account. The amount deposited in a Safe Access Account will be net of the 20% withholding on death benefits paid under a 403(b) contract or contract held in a qualified plan. Visit our website or refer to the enclosed Safe Access insert in the claim package to learn more about a John Hancock Safe Access Account.

For fixed annuity contracts, partial payouts are acceptable. However, due to market volatility, we cannot process partial claims on variable annuity contracts. The determination of the death benefit on variable contracts will be made on the date we receive proof of death and all required claim forms in good order from all beneficiaries at our Annuities Service Center.

Yes. Paperwork can be sent via fax at 1-617-663-3389; however, John Hancock reserves the right to require that original paperwork be mailed in (including a certified original death certificate if the total death benefit for all annuity contracts owned by the deceased is greater than $250,000) at any point during the claim process.

Each beneficiary who is a U.S. person must certify their taxpayer identification number and tax status on the claim form or submit a properly completed IRS Form W-9. If a beneficiary is not a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident alien or other U.S. person, that beneficiary must submit a separate properly completed IRS Form W-8 instead. There are different Forms W-8 depending on the beneficiary’s status. Please refer to the instructions on Forms W-9 and W-8 on how to complete each form. You can obtain copies of the forms and their instructions on the IRS website.

When a surviving spouse elects to continue the contract as the new owner-annuitant, he or she must also declare a new maturity date by completing the Maturity Date Election section of the claim form. The new contract owner-annuitant must select a new maturity date because the original maturity date was based on the date of birth of the deceased owner-annuitant. The new owner-annuitant can defer annuitization by extending the contract’s maturity date to a maximum age of 100, subject to the terms and conditions of the contract. By extending the date of maturity, the contract will remain in the accumulation phase.

Documentation to substantiate the change must be submitted; for example, a copy of a divorce decree or marriage certificate.

If the primary beneficiary passed away before the annuity owner, unless otherwise provided by the annuity owner, the primary beneficiary’s share is paid to the remaining living primary beneficiaries. If there are no living primary beneficiaries, the deceased beneficiary’s share will be paid to the contingent beneficiaries. If all beneficiaries passed away before the annuity owner, the proceeds are paid to the owner’s estate. For any deceased beneficiary, you must submit a copy of his or her death certificate.

To process the claim, John Hancock will require submission of either Letters Testamentary or a Letter of Administration issued by the court. If the estate will not be probated, it may be possible to claim the death benefit with a small estate affidavit, depending on the amount of the death benefit. Please consult with your own attorney for any state-specific requirements.

Letters Testamentary or a Letter of Administration are a state’s court appointment of a person to act as executor or administrator of an estate. If the beneficiary is an estate, the Annuity Claim Form must be signed by the court-appointed representative.

If the proceeds are less than $10,000, John Hancock will generally allow parents of a minor beneficiary to claim the proceeds upon presentation of the minor’s birth certificate. Generally for proceeds of $10,000 or more, a court-appointed guardian or conservator of the minor’s property must submit the claim. For your state requirements, please contact an Annuity Claim Representative.

To claim the death benefit on behalf of the beneficiary, a complete copy of the power-of-attorney or guardianship document, including all signature pages, must be submitted with the Annuity Claim Form. John Hancock reserves the right to reject the claim if, in its opinion, the attorney-in-fact or guardian is acting outside the scope of his or her authority.

No. A new “Income Made Easy” form is required to restart the benefit, if available, after the new contract is established.

The payments will restart once the form is received in good order. The monthly payment amount will be recalculated based on the Guaranteed Withdrawal Balance (which may include a death benefit step-up).

If the rider was “Income Plus For Life” then the rider is an individual benefit that stops at the death of the Covered Person. If the benefit was “Income Plus For Life–Joint Life” then the rider would continue to a spouse who was also named as a Covered Person under the rider.