Who is the annuitant in a deferred annuity contract bought by John on Mary when John amends the contract to name Tom as the recipient?

In a deferred annuity contract, the annuitant is the individual on whose life the annuity payments are based. In this scenario, Mary is the annuitant because the contract was originally bought on her and the annuity benefits would be calculated based on her life expectancy.

Although Tom is named as the beneficiary or recipient of the payments after John's amendments, he does not become the annuitant simply because of this change. The annuitant must be the one whose life determines the timing and amount of benefit payments. In this case, since the contract was established with Mary as the annuitant, she retains that role unless the contract is formally amended to change who the annuitant is, which doesn't happen with the mention of Tom.

John himself, as the owner of the annuity contract, remains in control regarding its terms and any amendments but is not directly tied to the annuity payments based on life expectancy like the annuitant is. Therefore, the correct identification of the annuitant remains with Mary in this situation regardless of the changes made regarding who will ultimately receive the benefits.