Can Annuities Be Jointly Owned? 
Absolutely . But there are different rules if the joint owners are a married couple or not -LRB- for example , a Father names his daughter as joint owner -RRB- . If the joint owners of the annuity are married , then it is recommended that each spouse names the other as primary beneficiary . For the spousal exception to the required distribution rules to apply , the surviving spouse must be the designated beneficiary of the contract . These rules are designed to prevent the use of joint ownership to obtain tax deferral on annuity earnings over more than one lifetime , except in the case of married couples . In the event of the owners death , the spouse can succeed to ownership by application of the spousal exception to the required distribution rule . If someone other than the surviving spouse is the designated beneficiary , or even if the spouse is the beneficiary along with another person , then even if the surviving spouse is a joint owner , the spousal exception is lost . There are some caveats to setting up a jointly owned annuity . It 's best to talk to a professional insurance agent to avoid the pitfalls . 