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Temporary Life Annuity


Definition

A unit nn-year temporary life annuity pays while the life survives, for at most nn payments. For integer n≥1n\ge1, the due version has payments at 0,…,n−10,\ldots,n-1 and the immediate version at 1,…,n1,\ldots,n.


Interpretation

The term limits payment duration even if the annuitant lives longer. The final immediate payment requires survival to time nn, whereas the due version starts with a certain payment at time zero.

Two timelines for two-year temporary life annuities: the due version pays at times 0 and 1, the immediate version at times 1 and 2, and later whole life payments are greyed out.

The figure uses the example values n=2n=2, v=0.95v=0.95, 1px=0.9{}_1p_x=0.9 and 2px=0.8{}_2p_x=0.8. Each red arrow is a unit payment conditional on survival, labelled with its contribution vkkpxv^k{}_kp_x to the actuarial present value (APV); the grey arrows are whole life payments that the term cuts off. The due version keeps the certain payment at time 00 and stops before nn, giving 1.8551.855; the immediate version starts at time 11 and includes the payment at n=2n=2, which needs survival to nn, giving 1.5771.577. Their difference, 1−0.952(0.8)=0.2781-0.95^2(0.8)=0.278, is 1−2Ex1-{}_2E_x.

Truncating the payment sum of a whole life annuity-due after times 0,…,n−10,\ldots,n-1 gives the due version. Truncating a whole life annuity-immediate after times 1,…,n1,\ldots,n gives the immediate version. The identity involving endowment insurance uses the same stopping time: an annual death-or-survival payment occurs at min⁡(Kx+1,n)\min(K_x+1,n), and the discounted annuity payments before it form a finite geometric sum. Taking expectations yields da¨x:n=1−Ax:nd\ddot a_{x:\actuarialterm{n}}=1-A_{x:\actuarialterm{n}}, where d=1−vd=1-v and Ax:nA_{x:\actuarialterm{n}} is the annual-settlement endowment APV.


Key Results

  • a¨x:n=∑k=0n−1vkkpx\displaystyle \ddot a_{x:\actuarialterm{n}}=\sum_{k=0}^{n-1}v^k{}_kp_x and ax:n=∑k=1nvkkpx\displaystyle a_{x:\actuarialterm{n}}=\sum_{k=1}^nv^k{}_kp_x.
  • a¨x:n−ax:n=1−nEx\ddot a_{x:\actuarialterm{n}}-a_{x:\actuarialterm{n}}=1-{}_nE_x.
  • For d=1−v≠0d=1-v\ne0, da¨x:n=1−Ax:nd\ddot a_{x:\actuarialterm{n}}=1-A_{x:\actuarialterm{n}}, where Ax:nA_{x:\actuarialterm{n}} is annual-settlement endowment APV.
  • The whole life annuity is the limit as the term increases, when finite.

Examples

For n=2n=2, v=0.95v=0.95, 1px=0.9{}_1p_x=0.9 and 2px=0.8{}_2p_x=0.8, the due APV is 1+0.95(0.9)=1.8551+0.95(0.9)=1.855 and the immediate APV is 0.95(0.9)+0.952(0.8)=1.5770.95(0.9)+0.95^2(0.8)=1.577.


Prerequisites



Sources

Aliases: n-year life annuity, temporary annuity due and immediate, temporary annuity, temporary life annuity-due, temporary life annuity-immediate Keywords: ä x:n angle, d ä x:n = 1 - A x:n, due minus immediate equals 1 - n E x, annuity for at most n years Symbols: sum

Last updated: 14 October 2026 08:21