As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 23, 2024
1933 Act Registration No. 333-179107
1940 Act Registration No. 811-03214
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-4
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 18
and
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
AMENDMENT NO. 191
Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account C
(Exact Name of Registrant)
Multi-Fund® 5 Retirement Annuity
THE LINCOLN NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
(Name of Depositor)
1301 South Harrison Street
Post Office Box 1110
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46801
(Address of Depositor’s Principal Executive Offices)
Depositor’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (260) 455-2000
Craig T. Beazer, Esquire
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company
150 North Radnor Chester Road
Radnor, PA 19087
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
Copy to:
Scott C. Durocher, Esquire
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company
350 Church Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06103
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: Continuous
It is proposed that this filing will become effective:
/ / immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485
/X/ on May 1, 2024, pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485
/ / 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485
/ / on __________, pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485
Title of Securities being registered:
Interests in a separate account under individual flexible payment deferred variable annuity contracts.

Multi-Fund® 5 Retirement Annuity
Individual Variable Annuity Contracts
Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account C
May 1, 2024
Home Office:
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company
1301 South Harrison Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
1-800-4LINCOLN (454-6265)
www.LincolnFinancial.com
This prospectus describes an individual flexible premium deferred variable annuity contract issued by The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company (Lincoln Life or Company). This Contract is primarily for use with qualified retirement plans under Sections 408 (IRAs) and 408A (Roth IRAs) of the tax code. Generally, you do not pay federal income tax on the Contract's growth until it is paid out. You receive tax deferral for an IRA whether or not the funds are invested in an annuity contract. Further, if your Contract is a Roth IRA, you generally will not pay income tax on distributions, provided certain conditions are met. Therefore, there should be reasons other than tax deferral for purchasing a qualified annuity contract.
The Contract is designed to accumulate Contract Value and to provide retirement income over a certain period of time, or for life, subject to certain conditions. The benefits offered under this Contract may be a variable or fixed amount, if available, or a combination of both. This Contract also offers a Death Benefit payable upon the death of the Contractowner or Annuitant. This prospectus is used by both new purchasers and current Contractowners.
The state in which your Contract is issued will govern whether or not certain features, riders, restrictions, limitations, charges and fees will apply to your Contract. All material state variations are discussed in this prospectus, however, non-material variations may not be discussed. You should refer to your Contract regarding state-specific features. Please check with your registered representative regarding availability.
If you are a new investor in the Contract, you may cancel your Contract within ten days of receiving it without paying fees or penalties. In some states, and under certain scenarios, this free look or cancellation period may be longer. Upon cancellation, you will receive either a full refund of the amount you paid with your application or your total Contract Value. You should review this prospectus and consult with your registered representative for additional information about the specific cancellation terms that may apply.
The minimum initial Purchase Payment must be an eligible rollover from a qualified plan for which Lincoln Life has agreed to provide a Living Benefit (defined as Rollover Money). In most cases, the prior Participant from the qualified plan will be the owner and Annuitant of this Contract. Additional Purchase Payments may be made to the Contract, subject to certain restrictions, and must be at least $100 per payment ($25 if transmitted electronically), and at least $300 annually. We reserve the right to limit, restrict, or suspend Purchase Payments made to the Contract upon advance written notice.
Except as noted below, you choose whether your Contract Value accumulates on a variable or a fixed (guaranteed) basis or both. Your Contract may not offer a fixed account or if permitted by your Contract, we may discontinue accepting Purchase Payments or transfers into the fixed side of the contract at any time. If any portion of your Contract Value is in the fixed account, we promise to pay you your principal and a minimum interest rate. We may impose restrictions on the fixed account for the life of your Contract or during certain periods. The fixed account is not available at this time.
You should carefully consider whether or not this Contract is the best product for you.
All Purchase Payments for benefits on a variable basis will be placed in Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account C (Variable Annuity Account [VAA]). You take all the investment risk on the Contract Value and the retirement income for amounts placed into one or more of the Contract’s variable options (“Subaccounts”), which, in turn, invest in corresponding underlying funds. If the Subaccounts you select make money, your Contract Value goes up; if they lose money, it goes down. How much it goes up or down depends on the performance of the Subaccounts you select. We do not guarantee how any of the Subaccounts or their funds will perform. Also, neither the U.S. Government nor any federal agency insures or guarantees your investment in the Contract. The contracts are not bank deposits and are not endorsed by any bank or government agency.
All prospectuses and other shareholder reports, will be made available on www.lfg.com/VAprospectus. This prospectus gives you information about the Contract that you should know before you decide to buy a Contract and make a Purchase Payment. You should also review the prospectus for the funds and keep all prospectuses for future reference.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Additional information about certain investment products, including variable annuities, has been prepared by the SEC’s staff and is available online at Investor.gov.
1

Table of Contents
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Page
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5
7
7
7
7
8
9
11
13
15
16
18
20
20
21
23
23
29
32
35
37
38
38
42
42
42
43
43
43
A-1
B-1
2

Special Terms
In this prospectus, the following terms have the indicated meanings:
Access Period—Under i4LIFE® Advantage, a defined period of time during which we make Regular Income Payments to you while you still have access to your Account Value. This means that you may make withdrawals, surrender the Contract, and have a Death Benefit.
Account or Variable Annuity Account (VAA)—The segregated investment account, Account C, into which we set aside and invest the assets for the variable side of the contract offered in this prospectus.
Account Value—Under i4LIFE® Advantage, the initial Account Value is the Contract Value on the Valuation Date that i4LIFE® Advantage is effective, less any applicable premium taxes. During the Access Period, the Account Value on a Valuation Date equals the total value of all of the Contractowner's Accumulation Units plus the Contractowner's value in the fixed account, reduced by Regular Income Payments, Guaranteed Income Benefit payments and withdrawals.
Account Value Step-up—(may be referred to as Account Value Lock-in in marketing materials)—Under Guaranteed Benefit the Protected Income Base will automatically step up to the Contract Value on each Benefit Year anniversary, subject to certain conditions.
Accumulation Unit—A measure used to calculate Contract Value for the variable side of the contract before the Annuity Commencement Date and to calculate the i4LIFE® Advantage Account Value during the Access Period.
Annuitant—The person upon whose life the annuity benefit payments are based, and upon whose death a Death Benefit may be paid.
Annuity Commencement Date—The Valuation Date when funds are withdrawn or converted into Annuity Units or fixed dollar payout for payment of retirement income benefits under the Annuity Payout option you select(other than i4LIFE® Advantage).
Annuity Payout—A regularly scheduled payment (under any of the available annuity options) that occurs after the Annuity Commencement Date (or Periodic Income Commencement Date if i4LIFE® Advantage has been elected). Payments may be variable or fixed, or a combination of both.
Annuity Unit—A measure used to calculate the amount of Annuity Payouts for the variable side of the contract after the Annuity Commencement Date.
Beneficiary—The person you choose to receive any Death Benefit paid if you die before the Annuity Commencement Date.
Benefit Year—Under Guaranteed Benefit, the 12-month period starting with the effective date of the rider and starting with each anniversary of the rider effective date after that.
Contract—The variable annuity contract you have entered into with Lincoln Life.
Contractowner (you, your, owner)—The person who can exercise the rights within the Contract (decides on investment allocations, transfers, payout option, designates the Beneficiary, etc.). The Contractowner is the Annuitant and in most cases was the participant in a qualified plan.
Contract Value (may be referred to as Account Value in marketing materials)—At any given time before the Annuity Commencement Date, the total value of all Accumulation Units of a Contract, plus the value of the fixed side of the contract, if any.
Contract Year—Each 12-month period starting with the effective date of the Contract and starting with each contract anniversary after that.
Death Benefit—Before the Annuity Commencement Date, the amount payable to your designated Beneficiary if the Contractowner dies. See The Contracts – Death Benefit for a description of the Death Benefit.
Excess Withdrawals—Amounts withdrawn during a Benefit Year, as specified for each Living Benefit Rider, which decrease or eliminate the guarantees under the rider.
Good Order—The actual receipt at our Home Office of the requested transaction in writing or by other means we accept, along with all information and supporting legal documentation necessary to complete the transaction. The forms we provide will identify the necessary documentation. We may, in our sole discretion, determine whether any particular transaction request is in Good Order, and we reserve the right to change or waive any Good Order requirements at any time.
Guaranteed Annual Income—The guaranteed periodic withdrawal amount available from the contract each Benefit Year for life under Guaranteed Benefit.
Guaranteed Annual Income Amount Annuity Payment Option—A payout option available under Guaranteed Benefit in which the Contractowner (and spouse if applicable) will receive annual annuity payments equal to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount for life.
Income Base—Under Guaranteed Benefit, a value used to calculate the Guaranteed Annual Income amount.
Investment Requirements—Restrictions in how you may allocate your Subaccount investments if you own certain Living Benefit Riders.
Lifetime Income Period—Under i4LIFE® Advantage, the period of time following the Access Period during which we make Regular Income Payments to you for the rest of your life (and Secondary Life, if applicable). During the Lifetime Income Period, you will no longer have access to your Account Value or receive a Death Benefit.
Lincoln Life (we, us, our, Company)—The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company.
3

Living Benefit Rider—A general reference to optional riders that provide some type of a minimum income guarantee while you are alive. If you select a Living Benefit Rider, Excess Withdrawals may have adverse effects on the benefit, and you may be subject to Investment Requirements.
Periodic Income Commencement Date—The Valuation Date on which the amount of i4LIFE® Advantage Regular Income Payments are determined.
Purchase Payments—Amounts paid into the Contract.
Regular Income Payments—The variable, periodic income payments paid under i4LIFE® Advantage.
Rollover Money—An eligible rollover from a qualified plan that was invested in products or programs offered by Lincoln Life.
Secondary Life—Under certain Living Benefit Riders, the person designated by the Contractowner upon whose life the annuity payments will also be contingent.
Subaccount—Each portion of the VAA that reflects investments in Accumulation and Annuity Units of a class of a particular fund available under the contracts. There is a separate Subaccount which corresponds to each class of a fund.
Valuation Date—Each day the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open for trading.
Valuation Period—The period starting at the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m. New York time) on each day that the NYSE is open for trading (Valuation Date) and ending at the close of such trading on the next Valuation Date.
4

Important Information You Should Consider About the Contract
 
FEES AND EXPENSES
Location in
Prospectus
Charges for Early
Withdrawals
There are no surrender charges associated with this Contract.
N/A
Transaction
Charges
There are no sales charges associated with this Contract.
N/A
Ongoing Fees and
Expenses (annual
charges)
Minimum and Maximum Annual Fee Table. The table below describes the fees and
expenses that you may pay each year, depending on the options you choose. Please
refer to your contract specifications page for information about the specific fees you will
pay each year based on the options you have elected.
Expense
Tables
Examples
Charges and
Other
Deductions
Annual Fee
Minimum
Maximum
Base Contract – Guarantee of Principal
Death Benefit
0.75%1
0.75%1
Investment options (fund fees and
expenses)
0.62%1
1.91%1
Optional benefits available for an
additional charge (for a single optional
benefit, if elected)
0.30%1
2.00%1
1 As a percentage of average daily net assets in the Subaccounts.
Lowest and Highest Annual Cost Table. Because your Contract is customizable, the
choices you make affect how much you will pay. To help you understand the cost of
owning your Contract, the following table shows the lowest and highest cost you could
pay each year, based on current charges. This estimate assumes that you do not take
withdrawals from the Contract.
Lowest Annual Cost: $1,534
Highest Annual Cost: $5,301
Assumes:
Assumes:
Investment of $100,000
5% annual appreciation
Least expensive fund fees and
expenses
No optional benefits
No additional Purchase Payments,
transfers, or withdrawals
Investment of $100,000
5% annual appreciation
Most expensive combination of
optional benefits and fund fees and
expenses
No additional Purchase Payments,
transfers, or withdrawals
 
RISKS
Location in
Prospectus
Risk of Loss
You can lose money by investing in this Contract, including loss of principal.
Principal Risks
Variable
Annuity
Account
Investments of
the Variable
Annuity
Account
Not a Short-Term
Investment
This Contract is not designed for short-term investing and is not appropriate for an
investor who needs ready access to cash.
The benefits of tax deferral, long-term income, and living benefit protections mean
the Contract is more beneficial to investors with a long-term investment horizon.
Withdrawals are subject to ordinary income tax and may be subject to tax penalties.
Principal Risks
Surrenders and
Withdrawals
Expense
Tables
Living Benefit
Riders
5

 
RISKS
Location in
Prospectus
Risks Associated
with Investment
Options
An investment in this Contract is subject to the risk of poor investment performance
of the investment options you choose. Performance can vary depending on the
performance of the investment options available under the Contract.
Each investment option (including the fixed account option) has its own unique risks.
You should review the investment options before making an investment decision.
Principal Risks
Variable
Annuity
Account
Investments in
the Variable
Annuity
Insurance
Company Risks
An investment in the Contract is subject to the risks related to us, Lincoln Life. Any
obligations (including under the fixed account option), guarantees, or benefits of the
Contract are subject to our claims-paying ability. If we experience financial distress,
we may not be able to meet our obligations to you. More information about Lincoln
Life, including our financial strength ratings, is available upon request by calling 1-
800-454-6265 or visiting www.LincolnFinancial.com.
Principal Risks
 
RESTRICTIONS
Location in
Prospectus
Investments
The frequency of transfers between investment options is restricted. There are also
restrictions on the minimum amount that may be transferred from a variable option
and the maximum amount that may be transferred from the fixed account option.
We reserve the right to remove or substitute the funds that are available as
investment options under the Contract.
Principal Risks
Optional Benefits
There are additional restrictions and limitations under the Contract’s optional
benefits.
Optional benefits may limit or restrict the investment options that you may select
under the Contract. We may change these restrictions in the future.
Optional benefit availability may vary by state of issue or selling broker-dealer.
Excess Withdrawals may reduce the value of an optional benefit by an amount
greater than the value withdrawn or result in termination of the benefit.
We may modify or stop offering an optional benefit that is currently available at any
time.
Benefits
Available
Under the
Contract
The Contracts
Living Benefit
Riders
Appendix B –
Investment
Requirements
 
TAXES
Location in
Prospectus
Tax Implications
Consult with a tax professional to determine the tax implications of an investment in
and payments received under this Contract.
If you purchase the Contract through a tax-qualified plan or IRA, you do not get any
additional tax benefit under the Contract.
Earnings on your Contract are taxed at ordinary income tax rates when you withdraw
them, and you may have to pay a penalty if you take a withdrawal before age 59½.
Federal Tax
Matters
 
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Location in
Prospectus
Investment
Professional
Compensation
Your registered representative may receive compensation for selling this Contract to
you, in the form of commissions, additional cash benefits (e.g., bonuses), and non-
cash compensation. We may share the revenue we earn on this Contract with your
investment professional’s firm.
This potential conflict of interest may influence your registered representative to
recommend this Contract over another investment for which the investment
professional is not compensated or compensated less.
Distribution of
the Contracts
Principal Risks
Exchanges
If you already own a contract, some investment professionals may have a financial
incentive to offer you a new Contract in place of the one you own. You should only
exchange a contract you already own if you determine, after comparing the features,
fees, and risks of both contracts, that it is better for you to purchase the new
Contract rather than continue to own your existing contract.
Replacement
of Existing
Insurance
6

Overview of the Contract
Purpose of the Contract
The Multi-Fund® 5 Retirement Annuity Individual Variable Annuity Contract is designed for you to accumulate assets through investments in a variety of investment options during the accumulation phase. Then, during the annuity phase, the Contract is designed to supplement your retirement income by providing a stream of income payments. The Contract also offers a Death Benefit payable to your designated Beneficiaries.
This Contract may be appropriate if you have a long-term investment horizon. It is not intended for people who may need to make early or frequent withdrawals or intend to engage in frequent trading in the Subaccounts that are available under the Contract.
Phases of the Contract
The Contract has two phases: (1) an accumulation phase (for savings) and (2) an annuity phase (for income).
Accumulation (Savings) Phase. To help you accumulate assets during the accumulation phase, you can invest your payments and earnings in:
The variable options available under the Contract, each of which has an underlying mutual fund with its own investment objective, strategies, and risks; investment adviser(s); expense ratio; and performance history; and
A fixed account option, which guarantees principal and a minimum interest rate.
A list of the funds in which you currently can invest is provided in Appendix A: Funds Available Under the Contract.
Annuity (Income) Phase. You can elect to annuitize your Contract and turn your Contract Value into a stream of income payments from us (sometimes called Annuity Payouts). These payments may continue for a fixed period of years, for your entire life, or for the longer of a fixed period of your life. The payments may be fixed or variable. Variable payments will vary based on the performance of the funds you choose.
If you annuitize, your investments will be converted to income payments and you will no longer be able to make withdrawals from your Contract. All benefits (including guaranteed minimum Death Benefits and living benefits) terminate upon annuitization.
However, please note:
If you elect i4LIFE® Advantage, an optional benefit for an additional charge, you may continue to withdraw money from your Contract and have a Death Benefit for a limited period of time after you begin receiving income payments.
Certain annuity payout options make an amount payable upon death.
Primary Features and Options of the Contract
Accessing Your Money. Before you annuitize, you can withdraw money from your Contract at any time. If you take a withdrawal, you may have to pay a surrender charge and/or income taxes, including a tax penalty if you are younger than age 59½.
Tax Treatment. You can transfer money between investment options without tax implications, and earnings (if any) on your investments are generally tax-deferred. You are taxed only upon: (1) making a withdrawal; (2) receiving a payment from us; or (3) payment of a Death Benefit.
Death Benefits. In general, the Contract includes a standard Death Benefit that will pay your designated beneficiaries the Contract Value at the time of your death (or for periodic premium contracts, total Purchase Payments, less any withdrawals and outstanding loan balance, if greater). An enhanced Death Benefit may be purchased for an additional fee and may increase the amount of money payable to your designated beneficiaries upon your death.
Other Benefits. For an additional fee, you can elect an annuity payout rider that allows you to take withdrawals and have a Death Benefit for a limited period of time after you begin receiving income payments (i4LIFE® Advantage). There is also a guaranteed income benefit rider that ensures your income payments under i4LIFE® Advantage, which may fluctuate, do not fall below a minimum amount (Guaranteed Income Benefit).
Additional Services. The additional services listed below are available under the Contract for no additional charge (unless otherwise indicated).
Dollar-Cost Averaging. Allows you to automatically transfer money between certain investment options on a monthly basis.
Portfolio Rebalancing. Allows you to automatically reallocate your money among investment options on a periodic basis based on your instructions.
Automatic Withdrawal Service. Allows you to automatically take periodic withdrawals from your Contract.
7

Fee Tables
The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you will pay when buying, owning, and surrendering or making withdrawals from the Contract. Please refer to your Contract Specification page for information about the specific fees you will pay each year based on the option you have elected.
The first table describes the fees and expenses that you will pay at the time that you buy the Contract, surrender or make withdrawals from the Contract, or transfer Contract Value between investment options, and/or the fixed account (if available). State premium taxes may also be deducted.
TRANSACTION EXPENSES
There are no sales charges, deferred sales charges, or surrender charges associated with this Contract.
 
The next table describes the fees and expenses that you will pay each year during the time that you own the Contract (not including fund fees and expenses). If you choose to purchase an optional benefit, you will pay additional charges, as shown below.
ANNUAL CONTRACT EXPENSES
Base Contract Expenses (as a percentage of average Account Value in the Subaccounts)1
 
 
Guarantee of Principal Death Benefit
 
0.75%
Optional Benefit Expenses
Single Life or Joint
Life
Guaranteed Benefit:2
 
Guaranteed Maximum Annual Charge
2.00%
Current Charge
1.00%
 
Single Life
Joint Life
i4LIFE® Advantage:3
 
 
Current Charge
0.30%
0.30%
i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit:4
 
 
Guaranteed Maximum Annual Charge
2.00%
2.00%
Current Charge
0.75%
0.95%
1
The base contract expense includes an administrative charge of 0.15%. The mortality and expense risk charge is 0.50% and the administrative charge rate is 0.15% on and after the Annuity Commencement Date.
2
As an annualized percentage of the Income Base (established at the time of the contract issue), as increased for subsequent Purchase Payments, Automatic Annual Step-ups, and decreased by Excess Withdrawals. See Charges and Other Deductions – Guaranteed Benefit Charge for a discussion of these charges to the Income Base. This charge is deducted from the Contract Value on a quarterly basis.
3
As an annualized percentage of average Account Value, computed daily. This charge is assessed on and after the effective date of i4LIFE® Advantage. See Charges and Other Deductions — i4LIFE® Advantage Charge for more information. These charges continue during the Access Period. The i4LIFE® Advantage charge is reduced to 0.95% during the Lifetime Income Period.
4
As an annualized percentage of average Account Value, computed daily. This charge is assessed only on and after the effective date of the Guaranteed Income Benefit. These charges are added to i4LIFE® Advantage charges to comprise the total charges reflected in the table. During the Lifetime Income Period the Guaranteed Income Benefit charges are added to the i4LIFE® Advantage charge of 0.95%. See Charges and Other Deductions – i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed
Income Benefit Charge for more information.
8

The next item shows the minimum and maximum total annual operating expenses charged by the funds that you may pay periodically during the time that you own the Contract. A complete list of funds available under the Contract, including their annual expenses, may be found in an appendix to this prospectus. See Appendix A: Funds Available Under the Contract.
Annual Fund Expenses
Minimum
Maximum
Expenses that are deducted from the fund assets, including
management fees, distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees, and other
expenses before reimbursements.
0.62
%
1.91
%
Expenses that are deducted from the fund assets, including
management fees, distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees, and other
expenses after any waivers or expense reimbursements.1
0.62
%
1.18
%
1
Any expense waivers or reimbursements will remain in effect until at least April 30, 2025, and can only be terminated early with approval by the fund’s board of directors.
EXAMPLES
The following Examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Contract with the cost of investing in other variable annuity contracts. These costs include transaction expenses, annual contract expenses, and annual fund fees and expenses.
The first Example assumes that you invest $100,000 in the Contract for the time periods indicated. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, the maximum fees and expenses of any of the funds and that i4LIFE® Advantage with Guarantee of Principal Death Benefit and Guaranteed Benefit at the guaranteed maximum charge are at the guaranteed maximum charge are in effect. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1) If you surrender your Contract at the end of the applicable time period:
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
$5,399
$16,130
$26,774
$53,004
2) If you annuitize or do not surrender your Contract at the end of the applicable time period:
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
$5,399
$16,130
$26,774
$53,004
The next Example assumes that you invest $100,000 in the Contract for the time periods indicated. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, the maximum fees and expenses of any of the funds and that Guarantee of Principal Death Benefit and Guaranteed Benefit are in effect. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1) If you surrender your Contract at the end of the applicable time period:
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
$4,671
$14,058
$23,506
$47,393
2) If you annuitize or do not surrender your Contract at the end of the applicable time period:
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
$4,671
$14,058
$23,506
$47,393
For more information, see Charges and Other Deductions in this prospectus, and the prospectuses for the funds. Premium taxes may also apply, although they do not appear in the examples. Different fees and expenses not reflected in the examples may be imposed during a period in which Annuity Payouts are made. See Annuity Payouts. These examples should not be considered a representation of past or future expenses. Actual expenses may be more or less than those shown.
Principal Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Contract include:
Risk of Loss. You can lose money by investing in this Contract, including loss of principal. Neither the U.S. Government nor any federal agency insures or guarantees your investment in the Contract.
9

Short-Term Investment Risk. This Contract is not designed for short-term investing and is not appropriate for an investor who needs ready access to cash. The benefits of tax deferral, long-term income, and living benefit protections also mean that the Contract is more beneficial to investors with a long-term horizon.
Variable Option Risk. You take all the investment risk on the Contract Value and the retirement income for amounts placed into one or more of the Subaccounts, which invest in corresponding underlying funds. If the Subaccounts you select make money, your Contract Value goes up; if they lose money, your Contract Value goes down. How much it goes up or down depends on the performance of the Subaccounts you select. Each underlying fund is subject to its own investment risks. When you invest in a Subaccount, you are exposed to the investment risks of the underlying fund.
Investment Requirements Risk. If you elect an optional benefit, you may be subject to Investment Requirements, which means you may not be permitted to invest in certain investment options or you may be permitted to invest in certain investment options only to a limited extent. Failing to satisfy applicable Investment Requirements may result in the termination of your optional benefit. We impose Investment Requirements to reduce the risk of investment losses that may require us to use our own assets to make guaranteed payments under an optional benefit. In turn, your compliance with the Investment Requirements could limit your participation in market gains. This may conflict with your investment objectives by limiting your ability to maximize potential growth of your Contract Value and the value of your guaranteed benefits.
Managed Volatility Fund Risk. Certain underlying funds may employ risk management strategies to provide for downside protection during sharp downward movements in equity markets. These funds usually, but not always, have “Managed Risk” or “Managed Volatility” in the name of the fund. These strategies could limit the upside participation of the fund in rising equity markets relative to other funds. The Death Benefits and Living Benefit Riders offered under the Contract also provide protection in the event of a market downturn. Likewise, there are additional costs associated with the Death Benefits and Living Benefit Riders, which can limit the Contract’s upside participation in the markets. Many of these funds are included in the Investment Requirements associated with Living Benefit Riders. Risk management strategies, in periods of high market volatility, could limit your participation in market gains. This may conflict with your investment objectives by limiting your ability to maximize potential growth of your Contract Value and the value of your guaranteed benefits. For more information on these funds and their risk management strategies, please see the funds’ prospectuses.
Withdrawal Risk (Illiquidity Risk). You should carefully consider the risks associated with taking a withdrawal or surrender under the Contract. If you take a withdrawal or surrender the Contract, any applicable surrender charges will reduce the value of your Contract or the amount of money that you ultimately receive. The proceeds of your withdrawal or surrender may be subject to ordinary income taxes, including a tax penalty if you are younger than age 59½.
You should also consider the impact that a withdrawal may have on the standard and optional benefits under your Contract. For example, under certain Living Benefit Riders, excess or early withdrawals may reduce the value of the guaranteed benefit by an amount greater than the amount withdrawn and could result in termination of the benefit.
Transfer Risk. Your ability to transfer amounts between investment options is subject to restrictions. You are generally restricted to no more than 12 transfers per Contract Year. There are also restrictions on the minimum amount that may be transferred from a variable option and the maximum amount that may be transferred from the fixed account option. If permitted by your Contract, we may discontinue accepting transfers into the fixed side of the contract at any time. Your ability to transfer between investment options may also be restricted as a result of Investment Requirements if you have elected an optional benefit.
Purchase Payment Risk. Your ability to make additional Purchase Payments may be restricted under the Contract, depending on the version of the Contract that you own, the optional benefits that you have elected, and other factors. You must obtain our approval for Purchase Payments totaling $1 million or more. This amount includes total Purchase Payments for all variable annuity contracts issued by us or our affiliates for the same owner, joint owner, Annuitant, or Secondary Life. We reserve the right to further limit, restrict or suspend the ability to make additional Purchase Payments under the Contract.
If you elect a Living Benefit Rider (other than any version of i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit), after the first anniversary of the rider effective date, once cumulative additional Purchase Payments exceed $100,000, additional Purchase Payments will be limited to $50,000 per Benefit Year.
If you elect any version of i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit, no additional Purchase Payments will be allowed at any time after the Periodic Income Commencement Date. If you elect i4LIFE® Advantage without Guaranteed Income Benefit, no additional Purchase Payments will be allowed after the Periodic Income Commencement Date for nonqualified contracts. For more information about these restrictions and limitations, see The Contracts – Purchase Payments.
Election of Optional Benefit Risk. There are a variety of optional benefits under the Contract that are designed for different financial goals and to protect against different financial risks. There is a risk that you may not choose the benefit or benefits that are best suited for you based on your present or future needs and circumstances. In addition, if you elect an optional benefit and do not use it, or if the contingencies upon which the benefit depend never occur, you will have paid for a benefit that did not provide a financial return. There is also a risk that a financial return of an optional benefit, if any, will ultimately be less than the amount you paid for the benefit. You should consult with your registered representative to determine which optional benefits (if any) are appropriate for you.
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Fee and Expense Risk. You are subject to the risk that we may increase certain contract fees and charges, and that underlying fund expenses may increase.
Financial Strength and Claims-Paying Ability Risk. An investment in the Contract is subject to the risks related to us, Lincoln Life. Any obligations (including under the fixed account option), guarantees, or benefits of the Contract are subject to our claims-paying ability. If we experience financial distress, we may not be able to meet our obligations to you.
Cybersecurity and Business Interruption Risks. We rely heavily on interconnected computer systems and digital data to conduct our annuity business. Because our business is highly dependent upon the effective operation of our computer systems and those of our business partners, our business is vulnerable to disruptions from utility outages, and susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from information systems failure (e.g., hardware and software malfunctions), and cyber-attacks, including ransomware and malware attacks. These risks include, among other things, the theft, loss, misuse, corruption and destruction of data maintained online or digitally, interference with or denial of service, attacks on websites and other operational disruption and unauthorized release of confidential customer information. The risk of cyber-attacks may be higher during periods of geopolitical turmoil. Such systems failures and cyber-attacks affecting us, any third-party administrator, the underlying funds, intermediaries and other affiliated or third-party service providers may adversely affect us and your Contract Value. For instance, systems failures and cyber-attacks may interfere with our processing of contract transactions, including the processing of orders from our website or with the underlying funds, impact our ability to calculate Accumulation Unit value, cause the release and possible destruction of confidential customer or business information, impede order processing, subject us and/or our service providers and intermediaries to regulatory fines, litigation, and financial losses and/or cause reputational damage. Cyber security risks may also impact the issuers of securities in which the underlying funds invest, which may cause the funds underlying your Contract to lose value. There can be no assurance that we or the underlying funds or our service providers will avoid losses affecting your Contract due to system disruptions, cyber-attacks or information security breaches in the future.
In addition to cyber security risks, we are exposed to risks related to natural and man-made disasters, such as (but not limited to) storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, public health crises, malicious acts, and terrorist acts, any of which could adversely affect our ability to conduct business. A natural or man-made disaster, including a pandemic (such as COVID-19), could affect the ability or willingness of our employees or the employees of our service providers to perform their job responsibilities. They could also result in our business operations being less efficient than under normal circumstances and could lead to delays in our processing of contract-related transactions, including orders from Contractowners. Disasters may negatively affect the computer and other systems on which we rely, impact our ability to calculate accumulation unit values, or have other possible negative impacts. They may also impact the issuers of securities in which the underlying funds invest, which may negatively affect the value of the underlying funds and the value of your Contract. There can be no assurance that we or the underlying funds or our service providers will be able to successfully avoid negative impacts associated with natural and man-made disasters.
Financial Statements
The December 31, 2023 financial statements of the VAA and the December 31, 2023 consolidated financial statements of Lincoln Life are located in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI). Instructions on how to obtain a free copy of the SAI are provided on the last page of this prospectus.
Investments of the Variable Annuity Account
You decide the Subaccount(s) to which you allocate Purchase Payments. There is a separate Subaccount which corresponds to each class of each fund. You may change your allocation without penalty or charges. Shares of the funds will be sold at net asset value with no initial sales charge to the VAA in order to fund the contracts. The funds are required to redeem fund shares at net asset value upon our request.
Descriptions of the Funds
Information regarding each fund, including (1) its name, (2) its type or investment objective, (3) its investment adviser and any sub-investment adviser, (4) current expenses, and (5) performance is available in Appendix A: Funds Available Under the Contract. Each fund has issued a prospectus that contains more detailed information about the fund. Paper or electronic copies of the fund prospectuses may be obtained by contacting our Home Office or visiting www.lfg.com/VAprospectus.
Certain Payments We Receive with Regard to the Funds
We (and/or our affiliates) incur expenses in promoting, marketing, and administering the contracts and the underlying funds. With respect to a fund, including affiliated funds, the adviser and/or distributor, or an affiliate thereof, may make payments to us (or an affiliate) for certain services we provide on behalf of the funds. Such services include, but are not limited to, recordkeeping; aggregating and processing purchase and redemption orders; providing Contractowners with statements showing their positions within the
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funds; processing dividend payments; providing subaccounting services for shares held by Contractowners; and forwarding shareholder communications, such as proxies, shareholder reports, dividend and tax notices, and printing and delivering prospectuses and updates to Contractowners. It is anticipated that such payments will be based on a percentage of assets of the particular fund attributable to the contracts along with certain other variable contracts issued or administered by us (or an affiliate). These percentages are negotiated and vary with each fund. Some advisers and/or distributors may pay us significantly more than other advisers and/or distributors and the amount we receive may be substantial. These percentages currently range up to 0.30%, and as of the date of this prospectus, we were receiving payments from most fund families. We (or our affiliates) may profit from these payments. These payments may be derived, in whole or in part, from the investment advisory fee deducted from fund assets. Contractowners, through their indirect investment in the funds, bear the costs of these investment advisory fees (see the funds' prospectuses for more information). Additionally, a fund's adviser and/or distributor or its affiliates may provide us with certain services that assist us in the distribution of the contracts and may pay us and/or certain affiliates amounts for marketing programs and sales support, as well as amounts to participate in training and sales meetings.
In addition to the payments described above, the funds offered as part of this Contract make payments to us under their distribution plans (12b-1 plans) for the marketing and distribution of fund shares. The payment rates range up to 0.35% based on the amount of assets invested in those funds. Payments made out of the assets of the fund will reduce the amount of assets that otherwise would be available for investment, and will reduce the fund's investment return. The dollar amount of future asset-based fees is not predictable because these fees are a percentage of the fund's average net assets, which can fluctuate over time. If, however, the value of the fund goes up, then so would the payment to us (or our affiliates). Conversely, if the value of the funds goes down, payments to us or our affiliates would decrease.
Descriptions of the Funds
Information regarding each fund, including (1) its name, (2) its type or investment objective, (3) its investment adviser and any sub-investment adviser, (4) current expenses, and (5) performance is available in Appendix A: Funds Available Under the Contract. Each fund has issued a prospectus that contains more detailed information about the fund. Paper or electronic copies of the fund prospectuses may be obtained by contacting our Home Office or visiting www.lfg.com/VAprospectus.
Fund Shares
We will purchase shares of the funds at net asset value and direct them to the appropriate Subaccounts of the VAA. We will redeem sufficient shares of the appropriate funds to pay Annuity Payouts, Death Benefits, surrender/withdrawal proceeds or for other purposes described in the Contract. If you want to transfer all or part of your investment from one Subaccount to another, we may redeem shares held in the first Subaccount and purchase shares of the other. Redeemed shares are retired, but they may be reissued later.
Shares of the funds are not sold directly to the general public. They are sold to us, and may be sold to other insurance companies, for investment of the assets of the Subaccounts established by those insurance companies to fund variable annuity and variable life insurance contracts.
Reinvestment of Dividends and Capital Gain Distributions
All dividends and capital gain distributions of the funds are automatically reinvested in shares of the distributing funds at their net asset value on the date of distribution. Dividends are not paid out to Contractowners as additional units, but are reflected as changes in unit values.
Addition, Deletion or Substitution of Investments
We reserve the right, within the law, to make certain changes to the structure and operation of the VAA at our discretion and without your consent. We may add, delete, or substitute funds for all Contractowners or only for certain classes of Contractowners. New or substitute funds may have different fees and expenses, and may only be offered to certain classes of Contractowners.
Substitutions may be made with respect to existing investments or the investment of future Purchase Payments, or both. In the event of a substitution, the Contract Value allocated to the existing fund will be allocated to the substitute fund. Any future allocations to the substitute fund will automatically be allocated according to the instructions we have on file for you unless otherwise instructed by you. If we don’t have instructions from you on file, your Purchase Payments will be allocated to the substitute fund.
We may close Subaccounts to allocations of Purchase Payments or Contract Value, or both, at any time in our sole discretion. The funds, which sell their shares to the Subaccounts pursuant to participation agreements, also may terminate these agreements and discontinue offering their shares to the Subaccounts. In the event of a fund closure, any Contract Value you have invested in the closed fund will remain in that fund until you transfer it elsewhere. Any future allocation to the closed fund will be allocated in accordance with the instructions we have on file for you unless you instruct us otherwise.
In addition, a Subaccount may become unavailable due to the liquidation of its underlying fund portfolio. To the extent permitted by applicable law, upon notice to you and unless you otherwise instruct us, we will re-allocate any Contract Value in the liquidated fund
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to the money market subaccount. Any future allocations to the liquidated fund will automatically be allocated according to the instructions we have on file for you unless you instruct us otherwise.
From time to time, certain underlying funds may merge with other funds. If a merger of an underlying fund occurs, the Contract Value allocated to the existing fund will be merged into the surviving underlying fund. Any future allocations, including future Purchase Payments, to the merged fund will automatically be allocated to the surviving underlying fund unless you instruct us otherwise.
We may also:
remove, combine, or add Subaccounts and make the new Subaccounts available to you at our discretion;
transfer assets supporting the contracts from one Subaccount to another or from the VAA to another separate account;
combine the VAA with other separate accounts and/or create new separate accounts;
deregister the VAA under the 1940 Act; and
operate the VAA as a management investment company under the 1940 Act or as any other form permitted by law.
We may modify the provisions of the contracts to reflect changes to the Subaccounts and the VAA and to comply with applicable law. We will not make any changes without any necessary approval by the SEC. We will also provide you written notice.
Charges and Other Deductions
We will deduct the charges described below to cover our costs and expenses, services provided and risks assumed under the contracts. We incur certain costs and expenses for the distribution and administration of the contracts and for providing the benefits payable thereunder.
Our administrative services include:
processing applications for and issuing the contracts;
processing purchases and redemptions of fund shares as required (including dollar cost averaging, portfolio rebalancing, and automatic withdrawal services – See Additional Services and the SAI for more information on these programs);
maintaining records;
administering Annuity Payouts;
furnishing accounting and valuation services (including the calculation and monitoring of daily Subaccount values);
reconciling and depositing cash receipts;
providing contract confirmations;
providing toll-free inquiry services; and
furnishing telephone and electronic fund transfer services.
The risks we assume include:
the risk that lifetime payments from Living Benefit Riders will exceed the Contract Value;
the risk that Death Benefits paid will exceed the actual Contract Value;
the risk that, if a Guaranteed Income Benefit rider is in effect, the required Regular Income Payments will exceed the Account Value;
the risk that Annuitants upon which Annuity Payouts are based live longer than we assumed when we calculated our guaranteed rates (these rates are incorporated in the Contract and cannot be changed); and
the risk that our costs in providing the services will exceed our revenues from contract charges (which we cannot change).
The amount of a charge may not necessarily correspond to the costs associated with providing the services or benefits indicated by the description of the charge. Any remaining expenses will be paid from our general account which may consist, among other things, of proceeds derived from base contract expenses deducted from the account. We may profit from one or more of the fees and charges deducted under the Contract. We may use these profits for any corporate purpose, including financing the distribution of the contracts.
Obligations under the contracts that are funded by our general account (rather than the Variable Annuity Account) include (1) the obligation to make lifetime or other benefit payments under Living Benefit Riders that exceed the Contract Value; (2) the obligation to pay Death Benefits that exceed the Contract Value; (3) the obligation to pay Annuity Payouts that exceed the Contract Value. Payment of these benefits and obligations is subject to our claims-paying ability and financial strength. We are also responsible for providing for all of the administrative services necessary in connection with the contracts (and bearing all of the associated expenses).
Deductions from the VAA
A charge is applied to the average daily net asset value of the Subaccounts, equal to an annual rate of:
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Guarantee of
Principal Death
Benefit
Mortality and expense risk charge
0.60
%
Administrative charge
0.15
%
Total base contract expense
0.75
%
Rider Charge
A fee or expense is also deducted in connection with any benefits added to the Contract by rider or endorsement. The deduction of a rider charge will be noted on your quarterly statement.
Guaranteed Benefit Charge. While this rider is in effect, there is a charge for Guaranteed Benefit. The current annual rider charge rate is 1.00% (0.25% quarterly).
The charge is based on the Income Base (which is established at contract issue) as increased for subsequent Purchase Payments, Automatic Annual Step-ups, and decreased for Excess Withdrawals. We will deduct the cost of this rider from the Contract Value on a quarterly basis, with the first deduction occurring on the Valuation Date on or next following the three-month anniversary of the rider's effective date. This deduction will be made in proportion to the value in each Subaccount and fixed account, if any, of the Contract on the Valuation Date the rider charge is assessed. The amount we deduct will increase or decrease as the Income Base increases or decreases, because the charge is based on the Income Base. Refer to Living Benefit Riders – Guaranteed Benefit – Income Base for a discussion and example of the impact of the changes to the Income Base.
Since the Automatic Annual Step-up could increase your Income Base every Benefit Year (if all conditions are met), the charge rate could also increase every Benefit Year, but the rate will never exceed the guaranteed maximum annual charge rate of 2.00%. If your charge rate is increased, you may opt out of the Automatic Annual Step-up by giving us notice within 30 days after the Benefit Year anniversary if you do not want your rate to change. If you opt out of the step-up, the charge rate and the Income Base will return to the value they were immediately prior to the step-up, adjusted for additional Purchase Payments or Excess Withdrawals. This opt-out will only apply for this particular Automatic Annual Step-up. You will need to notify us each time the charge rate increases if you want to opt out of subsequent Automatic Annual Step-ups.
The annual rider charge rate will increase to the then current rider charge rate not to exceed the guaranteed maximum annual charge rate, if after the first Benefit Year anniversary cumulative Purchase Payments added to the contract equal or exceed $100,000. You may not opt out of this rider charge rate increase. See Living Benefit Riders – Guaranteed Benefit – Income Base.
The rider charge will be discontinued upon termination of the rider. A portion of the rider charge, based on the number of days the rider was in effect that quarter, will be deducted upon termination of the rider (except for death) or surrender of the contract, or the election of an Annuity Payout option, including i4LIFE® Advantage.
If the Contract Value is reduced to zero, no further rider charge will be deducted.
i4LIFE® Advantage Charge. While this rider is in effect, there is a charge for i4LIFE® Advantage that is based on your Account Value. The annual i4LIFE® Advantage charge rate is 0.30% and is added to your base contract expense.
The initial Account Value is your Contract Value on the valuation date i4LIFE® Advantage becomes effective, less any applicable premium taxes. During the Access Period, your Account Value on a valuation date equals the total value of all of the Contractowner's accumulation units plus the Contractowner's value in the fixed account, and will be reduced by Regular Income Payments, Guaranteed Income Benefit payments, and any withdrawals.
If i4LIFE® is elected at any point after the Contract has been issued, i4LIFE® will become effective as of the next valuation date after we receive a completed election form in good order at our Home Office. We will begin deducting the charge at that time. Refer to the i4LIFE® Advantage section for explanations of the Account Value, the Access Period, and the Lifetime Income Period.
i4LIFE® Advantage with Guaranteed Income Benefit Charge. The current annual charge rates for new elections of i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit (version 4) are disclosed in the Fee Tables.
The Guaranteed Income Benefit charge rate will not change until there is an automatic step up of the Guaranteed Income Benefit during which the Guaranteed Income Benefit is stepped-up to 75% of the current Regular Income Payment (described later in the i4LIFE® Advantage section of this prospectus). At the time of the step-up, the Guaranteed Income Benefit charge rate will change to the current charge rate in effect at that time (if the current charge rate has changed) up to the guaranteed maximum annual charge rate of 2.00% of the Account Value (the i4LIFE® Advantage charge rate will not change). If we automatically administer the step-up for you and your charge rate is increased, we will notify you in writing. You may contact us at the telephone number listed on the first page of this prospectus to reverse the step-up within 30 days after the date on which the step-up occurred. If we receive notice of your request to reverse the step-up, on a going forward basis we will decrease the charge rate to the charge rate in effect before the step-up occurred. Any increased charges paid between the time of the step-up and the date we receive your notice to reverse the
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step-up will not be reimbursed. Future step-ups will continue even after you decline a current step-up. We will provide you with written notice when a step-up will result in an increase to the current charge rate so that you may give us timely notice if you wish to reverse a step-up.
After the Periodic Income Commencement Date, if the Guaranteed Income Benefit is terminated, the Guaranteed Income Benefit annual charge will also terminate but the i4LIFE® Advantage charge will continue as long as i4LIFE® Advantage is in effect.
Deductions for Premium Taxes
Any premium tax or other tax levied by any governmental entity as a result of the existence of the contracts or the VAA will be deducted from the Contract Value, unless the governmental entity dictates otherwise, when incurred, or at another time of our choosing.
The applicable premium tax rates that states and other governmental entities impose on the purchase of an annuity are subject to change by legislation, by administrative interpretation or by judicial action. These premium tax rates generally depend upon the law of your state of residence. The tax rates range from zero to 5%.
Other Charges and Deductions
Base contract expenses of 0.65% of the value in the VAA will be assessed on all variable Annuity Payouts, including options that may be offered that do not have a life contingency and therefore no mortality risk. This charge includes the mortality and expense risk and administrative charge. The expense risk is the risk that our costs in providing the services will exceed our revenues from contract charges.
There are additional deductions from and expenses paid out of the assets of the underlying funds that are more fully described in the prospectuses for the funds. Among these deductions and expenses are 12b-1 fees which reimburse us or an affiliate for certain expenses incurred in connection with certain administrative and distribution support services provided to the funds.
Additional Information
The charges described previously may be reduced or eliminated for any particular contract. However, these reductions may be available only to the extent that we anticipate lower distribution and/or administrative expenses, or that we perform fewer sales or administrative services than those originally contemplated in establishing the level of those charges, or when required by law. Lower distribution and administrative expenses may be the result of economies associated with:
the use of mass enrollment procedures,
the performance of administrative or sales functions by the employer,
the use by an employer of automated techniques in submitting deposits or information related to deposits on behalf of its employees, or
any other circumstances which reduce distribution or administrative expenses.
The exact amount of charges and fees applicable to a particular contract will be stated in that contract.
The Contracts
Purchase of Contracts
If you wish to purchase a Contract, you must apply for it through a registered representative authorized by us. The completed application is sent to us and we decide whether to accept or reject it. If the application is accepted, a Contract is prepared and executed by our legally authorized officers. The Contract is then sent to you either directly or through your registered representative. See Distribution of the Contracts. The purchase of multiple contracts with identical Contractowners, Annuitants and Beneficiaries will be allowed only upon Home Office approval.
When a completed application and all other information necessary for processing a purchase order is received in Good Order at our Home Office, an initial Purchase Payment will be priced no later than two business days after we receive the order. If you submit your application and/or initial Purchase Payment to your registered representative, we will not begin processing your purchase order until we receive the application and initial Purchase Payment from your registered representative’s broker-dealer. While attempting to finish an incomplete application, we may hold the initial Purchase Payment for no more than five business days unless we receive your consent to retain the payment until the application is completed. If the incomplete application cannot be completed within those five days and we have not received your consent, you will be informed of the reasons, and the Purchase Payment will be returned immediately. Once the application is complete, we will allocate your initial Purchase Payment within two business days.
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Who Can Invest
To apply for a Contract, you must be of legal age in a state where the contracts may be lawfully sold and also be eligible to participate in any of the qualified and nonqualified plans for which the contracts are designed. At the time of issue, the Contractowner, joint owner and Annuitant must be under age 86. Certain Death Benefit options may not be available at all ages. Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account in an effort to help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities. When you open an account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask to see your driver's license, photo i.d., or other identifying documents.
In accordance with anti-money laundering laws and federal economic sanction policy, the Company may be required in a given instance to reject a Purchase Payment and/or freeze a Contractowner’s account. This means we could refuse to honor requests for transfers, withdrawals, surrenders or Death Benefits. Once frozen, monies would be moved from the VAA to an interest-bearing account maintained solely for the Contractowner, and held in that account until instructions are received from the appropriate regulator.
Do not purchase this Contract if you plan to use it, or any of its riders, for speculation, arbitrage, viatical arrangement, or other similar investment scheme. The Contract may not be resold, traded on any stock exchange, or sold on any secondary market.
Since you are purchasing the Contract through a tax-favored arrangement, including traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs, you should consider carefully the costs and benefits of the Contract (including annuity income benefits) before purchasing the Contract, since the tax-favored arrangement itself provides tax-deferred growth. In addition, this Contract may be more expensive than the product that was previously purchased in your qualified plan, even if the underlying investments are similar. By rolling out of the qualified plan and purchasing this IRA contract, you will no longer have the plan trustee to look after your interests and certain features, such as loans, will not be available to you.
Replacement of Existing Insurance
Careful consideration should be given prior to surrendering or withdrawing money from an existing insurance contract to purchase a Contract described in this prospectus. Surrender charges may be imposed on your existing contract. The benefits offered under this Contract may be less favorable or more favorable than the benefits offered under your current contract. It also may have different charges. You should also consult with your registered representative and/or your tax advisor prior to making an exchange. Cash surrenders from an existing contract may be subject to tax and tax penalties.
Purchase Payments
You may make Purchase Payments to the Contract at any time, prior to the Annuity Commencement Date, subject to certain conditions. You are not required to make any additional Purchase Payments after the initial Purchase Payment. The minimum initial Purchase Payment must be made using Rollover Money from a qualified plan. Additional Purchase Payments may be made with qualified money from any qualified source. Please check with your registered representative about making additional Purchase Payments since the requirements of your state may vary. The minimum payment to the Contract at any one time must be at least $100 ($25 if transmitted electronically). If a Purchase Payment is submitted that does not meet the minimum amount, we will contact you to ask whether additional money will be sent, or whether we should return the Purchase Payment to you.
Purchase Payments totaling $1 million or more are subject to Home Office approval. This amount takes into consideration the total Purchase Payments for all variable annuity contracts issued by the Company (or its affiliates) in which you are the Contractowner, joint owner, or Annuitant. If you elect a Living Benefit Rider, you may be subject to further restrictions in terms of your ability to make additional Purchase Payments, as more fully described below. If you stop making Purchase Payments, the Contract will remain in force, however, we may terminate the Contract as allowed by your state's non-forfeiture law for individual deferred annuities. We will not surrender your Contract if you are receiving guaranteed payments from us under one of the Living Benefit Riders. Purchase Payments may be made or, if stopped, resumed at any time until the Annuity Commencement Date, the surrender of the Contract, or the death of the Contractowner, whichever comes first.
After the first anniversary of a Living Benefit Rider effective date, once cumulative additional Purchase Payments exceed $100,000, additional Purchase Payments may not exceed $50,000 per Benefit Year without Home Office approval. No additional Purchase Payments are allowed:
at any time after the Periodic Income Commencement Date if you elect any version of i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit; or
at any time after the Periodic Income Commencement Date if you elect i4LIFE® Advantage without Guaranteed Income Benefit on a nonqualified contract
For more information about these restrictions and limitations, see The Contracts – Purchase Payments. State variations may apply.
In addition to the specific Purchase Payment restrictions and limitations immediately above, upon advance written notice, we reserve the right to further limit, restrict, or suspend Purchase Payments made to the Contract.
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These restrictions and limitations will limit your ability to increase your Contract Value (or Account Value under i4LIFE® Advantage with any version of Guaranteed Income Benefit) and/or increase the amount of any guaranteed benefit under a Living Benefit Rider by making additional Purchase Payments to the Contract. You should carefully consider these limitations and restrictions, and any other limitations and restrictions of the Contract, and how they may impact your long-term investment plans, especially if you intend to increase Contract Value (or Account Value under i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit) by making additional Purchase Payments over a long period of time. Please contact your registered representative and refer to the Living Benefit Riders section of this prospectus for additional information on any restrictions that may apply to your Living Benefit Rider. State variations may apply.
Valuation Date
Accumulation and Annuity Units will be valued once daily at the close of trading (normally, 4:00 p.m., New York time) on each day the New York Stock Exchange is open (Valuation Date). On any date other than a Valuation Date, the Accumulation Unit value and the Annuity Unit value will not change.
Allocation of Purchase Payments
Purchase Payments allocated to the variable side of the contract are placed into the VAA’s Subaccounts, according to your instructions. You may also allocate Purchase Payments to the fixed account, if available. In the absence of instructions accompanying a Purchase Payment or otherwise not being in Good Order, we will allocate a Purchase Payment in the same manner as your last Purchase Payment or, if not possible, contact you or your registered representative for additional information.
The minimum amount of any Purchase Payment which can be put into any one Subaccount is $20. The minimum amount of any Purchase Payment which can be put into a fixed account is $2,000, subject to state approval.
Purchase Payments received from you or your broker-dealer in Good Order at our Home Office prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m., New York time), will be processed using the Accumulation Unit value computed on that Valuation Date. Purchase Payments received in Good Order after market close will be processed using the Accumulation Unit value computed on the next Valuation Date. Purchase Payments submitted to your registered representative will generally not be processed by us until they are received from your registered representative’s broker-dealer. If your broker-dealer submits your Purchase Payment to us through the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) or, pursuant to terms agreeable to us, uses a proprietary order placement system to submit your Purchase Payment to us, and your Purchase Payment was placed with your broker-dealer prior to market close, then we will use the Accumulation Unit value computed on that Valuation Date when processing your Purchase Payment. Purchase Payments placed with your broker-dealer after market close will be processed using the Accumulation Unit value computed on the next Valuation Date. There may be circumstances under which the New York Stock Exchange may close early (prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time). In such instances, Purchase Payments received after such early market close will be processed using the Accumulation Unit value computed on the next Valuation Date.
The number of Accumulation Units determined in this way is not impacted by any subsequent change in the value of an Accumulation Unit. However, the dollar value of an Accumulation Unit will vary depending not only upon how well the underlying fund’s investments perform, but also upon the expenses of the VAA and the underlying funds.
If an underlying fund imposes restrictions with respect to the acceptance of Purchase Payments, allocations or transfers, we reserve the right to reject an allocation or transfer request at any time the underlying fund notifies us of such a restriction. We will notify you if your allocation request is or becomes subject to such restrictions.
Valuation of Accumulation Units
Purchase Payments allocated to the VAA are converted into Accumulation Units. This is done by dividing the amount allocated by the value of an Accumulation Unit for the Valuation Period during which the Purchase Payments are allocated to the VAA. The Accumulation Unit value for each Subaccount was or will be established at the inception of the Subaccount. It may increase or decrease from Valuation Period to Valuation Period. Accumulation Unit values are affected by investment performance of the funds, fund expenses, and the contract charges. The Accumulation Unit value for a Subaccount for a later Valuation Period is determined as follows:
1.
The total value of the fund shares held in the Subaccount is calculated by multiplying the number of fund shares owned by the Subaccount at the beginning of the Valuation Period by the net asset value per share of the fund at the end of the Valuation Period, and adding any dividend or other distribution of the fund if an ex-dividend date occurs during the Valuation Period; minus
2.
The liabilities of the Subaccount at the end of the Valuation Period; these liabilities include daily charges imposed on the Subaccount, and may include a charge or credit with respect to any taxes paid or reserved for by us that we determine result from the operations of the VAA; and
3.
The result is divided by the number of Subaccount units outstanding at the beginning of the Valuation Period.
The daily charges imposed on a Subaccount for any Valuation Period are equal to the daily base contract expense multiplied by the number of calendar days in the Valuation Period. Contracts with different features have different daily charges, and therefore, will have different corresponding Accumulation Unit values on any given day. In certain circumstances (for example, when separate account
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assets are less than $1,000), and when permitted by law, it may be prudent for us to use a different standard industry method for this calculation, called the Net Investment Factor method. We will achieve substantially the same result using either method.
Transfers On or Before the Annuity Commencement Date
After the first 30 days from the effective date of your Contract, you may transfer all or a portion of your investment from one Subaccount to another. A transfer among Subaccounts involves the surrender of Accumulation Units in one Subaccount and the purchase of Accumulation Units in the other Subaccount. A transfer will be done using the respective Accumulation Unit values determined at the end of the Valuation Date on which the transfer request is received.
Transfers (among the variable Subaccounts and as permitted between the variable and fixed accounts) are limited to 12 per Contract Year unless otherwise authorized by us. This limit does not apply to transfers made under the automatic transfer programs of dollar cost averaging or portfolio rebalancing. See Additional Services and the SAI for more information on these programs. These transfer rights and restrictions also apply during the i4LIFE® Advantage Access Period (the time period during which you may make withdrawals from the i4LIFE® Advantage Account Value). See i4LIFE® Advantage.
The minimum amount which may be transferred between Subaccounts is $300 (or the entire amount in the Subaccount, if less than $300). If the transfer from a Subaccount would leave you with less than $300 in the Subaccount, we may transfer the total balance of the Subaccount.
A transfer request may be made to our Home Office in writing or by fax. A transfer request may also be made by telephone or other electronic means, provided the appropriate authorization is on file with us. Our address, telephone number, and Internet address are on the first page of this prospectus. Requests for transfers will be processed on the Valuation Date that they are received when they are received in Good Order at our Home Office before the close of the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m., New York time). If we receive a transfer request in Good Order after market close, we will process the request using the Accumulation Unit value computed on the next Valuation Date.
There may be circumstances under which the New York Stock Exchange may close early (prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time). In such instances transfers received after such early market close will be processed using the Accumulation Unit value computed on the next Valuation Date.
We may defer or reject a transfer request that is subject to a restriction imposed by an underlying fund.
If your Contract offers a fixed account, you may also transfer all or any part of the Contract Value from the Subaccount(s) to the fixed side of the contract, except during periods when (if permitted by your Contract) we have discontinued accepting transfers into the fixed side of the contract. The minimum amount which can be transferred to a fixed account is $2,000 or the total amount in the Subaccount if less than $2,000. However, if a transfer from a Subaccount would leave you with less than $300 in the Subaccount, we may transfer the total amount to the fixed side of the contract.
You may also transfer part of the Contract Value from a fixed account to the Subaccount(s) subject to the following restrictions:
total fixed account transfers are limited to 25% of the value of that fixed account in any 12-month period; and
the minimum amount that can be transferred is $300 or, if less, the amount in the fixed account.
Because of these restrictions, it may take several years to transfer all of the Contract Value in the fixed accounts to the variable Subaccounts. You should carefully consider whether the fixed account meets your investment criteria.
Transfers may be delayed as permitted by the 1940 Act. See Delay of Payments.
Market Timing
Frequent, large, or short-term transfers among Subaccounts and the fixed account, such as those associated with “market timing” transactions, can affect the funds and their investment returns. Such transfers may dilute the value of the fund shares, interfere with the efficient management of the fund's portfolio, and increase brokerage and administrative costs of the funds. As an effort to protect our Contractowners and the funds from potentially harmful trading activity, we utilize certain market timing policies and procedures (the “Market Timing Procedures”). Our Market Timing Procedures are designed to detect and prevent such transfer activity among the Subaccounts and the fixed account that may affect other Contractowners or fund shareholders.
In addition, the funds may have adopted their own policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of their respective shares. The prospectuses for the funds describe any such policies and procedures, which may be more or less restrictive than the frequent trading policies and procedures of other funds and the Market Timing Procedures we have adopted to discourage frequent transfers among Subaccounts. While we reserve the right to enforce these policies and procedures, Contractowners and other persons with interests under the Contract should be aware that we may not have the contractual authority or the operational capacity to apply the frequent trading policies and procedures of the funds. However, under SEC rules, we are required to: (1) enter into a written agreement with each fund or its principal underwriter that obligates us to provide to the fund promptly upon request certain information about the trading activity of individual Contractowners, and (2) execute instructions from
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the fund to restrict or prohibit further purchases or transfers by specific Contractowners who violate the excessive trading policies established by the fund.
You should be aware that the purchase and redemption orders received by the funds generally are “omnibus” orders from intermediaries such as retirement plans or separate accounts funding variable insurance contracts. The omnibus orders reflect the aggregation and netting of multiple orders from individual retirement plan participants and/or individual owners of variable insurance contracts. The omnibus nature of these orders may limit the funds’ ability to apply their respective disruptive trading policies and procedures. We cannot guarantee that the funds (and thus our Contractowners) will not be harmed by transfer activity relating to the retirement plans and/or other insurance companies that may invest in the funds. In addition, if a fund believes that an omnibus order we submit may reflect one or more transfer requests from Contractowners engaged in disruptive trading activity, the fund may reject the entire omnibus order.
Our Market Timing Procedures detect potential “market timers” by examining the number of transfers made by Contractowners within given periods of time. In addition, managers of the funds might contact us if they believe or suspect that there is market timing. If requested by a fund company, we may vary our Market Timing Procedures from Subaccount to Subaccount to comply with specific fund policies and procedures.
We may increase our monitoring of Contractowners who we have previously identified as market timers. When applying the parameters used to detect market timers, we will consider multiple contracts owned by the same Contractowner if that Contractowner has been identified as a market timer. For each Contractowner, we will investigate the transfer patterns that meet the parameters being used to detect potential market timers. We will also investigate any patterns of trading behavior identified by the funds that may not have been captured by our Market Timing Procedures.
Once a Contractowner has been identified as a market timer under our Market Timing Procedures, we will notify the Contractowner in writing that future transfers (among the Subaccounts and/or the fixed account) will be temporarily permitted to be made only by original signature sent to us by U.S. mail, first-class delivery for the remainder of the Contract Year (or calendar year if the Contract is an individual contract that was sold in connection with an employer sponsored plan). Overnight delivery or electronic instructions (which may include telephone, facsimile, or Internet instructions) submitted during this period will not be accepted. If overnight delivery or electronic instructions are inadvertently accepted from a Contractowner that has been identified as a market timer, upon discovery, we will reverse the transaction within 1 or 2 business days. We will impose this “original signature” restriction on that Contractowner even if we cannot identify, in the particular circumstances, any harmful effect from that Contractowner's particular transfers.
Contractowners seeking to engage in frequent, large, or short-term transfer activity may deploy a variety of strategies to avoid detection. Our ability to detect such transfer activity may be limited by operational systems and technological limitations. The identification of Contractowners determined to be engaged in such transfer activity that may adversely affect other Contractowners or fund shareholders involves judgments that are inherently subjective. We cannot guarantee that our Market Timing Procedures will detect every potential market timer. If we are unable to detect market timers, you may experience dilution in the value of your fund shares and increased brokerage and administrative costs in the funds. This may result in lower long-term returns for your investments.
Our Market Timing Procedures are applied consistently to all Contractowners. An exception for any Contractowner will be made only in the event we are required to do so by a court of law. In addition, certain funds available as investment options in your Contract may also be available as investment options for owners of other, older life insurance policies issued by us. Some of these older life insurance policies do not provide a contractual basis for us to restrict or refuse transfers which are suspected to be market timing activity. In addition, because other insurance companies and/or retirement plans may invest in the funds, we cannot guarantee that the funds will not suffer harm from frequent, large, or short-term transfer activity among Subaccounts and the fixed accounts of variable contracts issued by other insurance companies or among investment options available to retirement plan participants.
In our sole discretion, we may revise our Market Timing Procedures at any time without prior notice as necessary to better detect and deter frequent, large, or short-term transfer activity to comply with state or federal regulatory requirements, and/or to impose additional or alternate restrictions on market timers (such as dollar or percentage limits on transfers). If we modify our Market Timing Procedures, they will be applied uniformly to all Contractowners or as applicable to all Contractowners investing in underlying funds.
Some of the funds have reserved the right to temporarily or permanently refuse payments or transfer requests from us if, in the judgment of the fund’s investment adviser, the fund would be unable to invest effectively in accordance with its investment objective or policies, or would otherwise potentially be adversely affected. To the extent permitted by applicable law, we reserve the right to defer or reject a transfer request at any time that we are unable to purchase or redeem shares of any of the funds available through the VAA, including any refusal or restriction on purchases or redemptions of the fund shares as a result of the funds' own policies and procedures on market timing activities. If a fund refuses to accept a transfer request we have already processed, we will reverse the transaction within 1 or 2 business days. We will notify you in writing if we have reversed, restricted or refused any of your transfer requests. Some funds also may impose redemption fees on short-term trading (i.e., redemptions of mutual fund shares within a certain number of business days after purchase). We reserve the right to administer and collect any such redemption fees on behalf of the funds. You should read the funds’ prospectuses for more details on their redemption fees and their ability to refuse or restrict purchases or redemptions of their shares.
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Transfers After the Annuity Commencement Date
You may transfer all or a portion of your investment in one Subaccount to another Subaccount or to the fixed side of the contract, as permitted under your Contract. Those transfers will be limited to three times per Contract Year. You may also switch from a variable Annuity Payout to a fixed Annuity Payout. You may not switch from a fixed Annuity Payout to a variable Annuity Payout. Once elected, the fixed Annuity Payout is irrevocable.
These provisions also apply during the i4LIFE® Advantage Lifetime Income Period. See i4LIFE® Advantage.
Ownership
The Contractowner on the date of issue will be the person or entity designated in the contract specifications.
As Contractowner, you have all rights under the Contract. According to Indiana law, the assets of the VAA are held for the exclusive benefit of all Contractowners and their designated Beneficiaries; and the assets of the VAA are not chargeable with liabilities arising from any other business that we may conduct. We reserve the right to approve all ownership and Annuitant changes. Nonqualified contracts may not be sold, discounted, or pledged as collateral for a loan or for any other purpose. Qualified contracts are not transferable unless allowed under applicable law. Assignments may have an adverse impact on any Death Benefits or benefits offered under Living Benefit Riders in this product and may be prohibited under the terms of a particular rider. We assume no responsibility for the validity or effect of any assignment. Consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an assignment.
Surrenders and Withdrawals
Before the Annuity Commencement Date, we will allow the surrender of the Contract or a withdrawal of the Contract Value upon your written request on an approved Lincoln distribution request form (available from the Home Office), subject to the rules discussed below. Surrender or withdrawal rights after the Annuity Commencement Date depend on the Annuity Payout option selected.
The amount available upon surrender/withdrawal is the Contract Value less any applicable charges, fees, and taxes at the end of the Valuation Period during which the written request for surrender/withdrawal is received in Good Order at the Home Office. If we receive a surrender or withdrawal request in Good Order at our Home Office before the close of the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., New York time), we will process the request using the Accumulation Unit value computed on that Valuation Date. If we receive a surrender or withdrawal request in Good Order at our Home Office after market close, we will process the request using the Accumulation Unit value computed on the next Valuation Date. There may be circumstances under which the NYSE may close early (prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time). In such instances, surrender or withdrawal requests received after such early market close will be processed using the Accumulation Unit value computed on the next Valuation Date. The minimum amount which can be withdrawn is $300. Unless a request for withdrawal specifies otherwise, withdrawals will be made from all Subaccounts within the VAA and from the fixed account in the same proportion that the amount of withdrawal bears to the total Contract Value. Unless prohibited, surrender/withdrawal payments will be mailed within seven days after we receive a valid written request at the Home Office. The payment may be postponed as permitted by the 1940 Act.
Surrenders and withdrawals may be taxable and, prior to age 59½, subject to a tax penalty. The tax consequences of a surrender/withdrawal are discussed later in this prospectus. See Federal Tax Matters – Taxation of Withdrawals and Surrenders.
Benefits Available Under the Contract
The following tables summarize information about the benefits available under the Contract. A detailed description of each benefit follows the table.
Standard Benefits
Name of Benefit
Purpose
Maximum Fee
Brief Description of Restrictions /
Limitations
Guarantee of Principal
Death Benefit
Provides a Death Benefit equal to the
greatest of (1) Contract Value; (2) all
Purchase Payments, adjusted for
withdrawals.
0.75%
Withdrawals could significantly reduce
the benefit.
Dollar-Cost Averaging
Allows you to automatically transfer
amounts between certain investment
options on a monthly basis.
None
Minimum amount to be dollar cost
averaged is $1,500 over any time period
between 3 and 60 months.
Cannot be used simultaneously with
portfolio rebalancing or cross
reinvestment.
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Standard Benefits
Name of Benefit
Purpose
Maximum Fee
Brief Description of Restrictions /
Limitations
Portfolio Rebalancing
Allows you to automatically reallocate your
Contract Value among investment options
on a periodic basis based on your standing
allocation instructions.
None
Cannot be used simultaneously with
dollar cost averaging or cross
reinvestment.
Automatic Withdrawal
Service
Allows you to take periodic withdrawals
from your Contract automatically.
None
Automatically terminates once i4LIFE®
Advantage begins.
Optional Benefits – Available for Election
Name of Benefit
Purpose
Maximum Fee
Brief Description of Restrictions /
Limitations
Guaranteed Benefit
Guaranteed lifetime periodic withdrawals.
Account Value Step-ups of the Income
Base.
Age-based increases to the Guaranteed
Annual Income amount.
2.00%
Investment Requirements apply.
Excess Withdrawals could significantly
reduce or terminate the benefit.
Purchase Payments and step-ups may
increase fee rate.
Additional Purchase Payments may be
limited.
i4LIFE® Advantage
Provides:
i4LIFE® Advantage (the Variable Annuity
Payout Option Rider in your Contract)
provides variable periodic Regular
Income Payments for life. The optional
Guaranteed Income Benefit provides a
minimum payout floor for those Regular
Income Payments. With i4LIFE®
Advantage, you have the ability to make
additional withdrawals and surrender the
Contract during the Access Period.
i4LIFE® Advantage:
0.30% in additional
to the base contract
expense for the
Death Benefit you
have elected.
Guaranteed Income
Benefit: 2.00%
(single life option);
2.00% (joint life
option) in addition
to the i4LIFE®
Advantage charge
and your base
contract expense
Guaranteed Income Benefit limits
available investment options (Investment
Requirements apply).
Withdrawals could significantly reduce or
terminate the benefit.
Restrictions apply to the length of the
Access Period
Additional Purchase Payments may be
subject to restrictions.
Death Benefit Before the Annuity Commencement Date
If the Contractowner or Annuitant dies prior to the Annuity Commencement Date, a Guarantee of Principal Death Benefit may be payable. If you have elected i4LIFE® Advantage, a different Death Benefit option will apply. If the Contractowner is a corporation or other non-individual, the death of the Annuitant will be treated as the death of the Contractowner.
You may designate a Beneficiary during your lifetime and change the Beneficiary by filing a written request with our Home Office. Each change of Beneficiary revokes any previous designation. We reserve the right to request that you send us the Contract for endorsement of a change of Beneficiary. You may pre-select an annuity payout option as a method of paying the Death Benefit to a Beneficiary. If you do, the Beneficiary cannot change this payout option.
If the Beneficiary is the spouse of the Contractowner, then the spouse may elect to continue the Contract as the new Contractowner. All Contract provisions relating to spousal continuation are available only to a person who meets the definition of “spouse” under federal law. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that same-sex marriages must be permitted under state law and that marriages recognized under state law will be recognized for federal law purposes. Domestic partnerships and civil unions that are not recognized as legal marriages under state law, however, will not be treated as marriages under federal law. You are strongly encouraged to consult a tax advisor before electing spousal rights under the Contract.
Should the surviving spouse elect to continue the Contract, a portion of the Death Benefit may be credited to the Contract. Any portion of the Death Benefit that would have been payable (if the Contract had not been continued) that exceeds the current Contract Value on the Valuation Date we approve the claim will be added to the Contract Value. If the Contract is continued in this way, the Death Benefit in effect at the time the Beneficiary elected to continue the Contract will remain as the Death Benefit.
Only the Contract Value as of the Valuation Date we approve the payment of the death claim is available as a Death Benefit if a Contractowner, joint owner or Annuitant was added or changed subsequent to the effective date of this Contract unless the
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change occurred because of the death of a prior Contractowner, joint owner or Annuitant. If your Contract Value equals zero, no Death Benefit will be paid.
The Guarantee of Principal Death Benefit paid to your designated Beneficiary will be the greater of:
1.
The Contract Value on the Valuation Date the Death Benefit is approved by us for payment; or
2.
The sum of all Purchase Payments decreased by withdrawals in the same proportion that withdrawals reduced the Contract Value (withdrawals less than or equal to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount under the Guaranteed Benefit may reduce the sum of all Purchase Payments amount on a dollar for dollar basis. See The Contracts — Guaranteed Benefit).
In a declining market, withdrawals deducted in the same proportion that withdrawals reduce the Contract Value may have a magnified effect on the reduction of the Death Benefit payable. All references to withdrawals include deductions for any applicable charges associated with those withdrawals and premium taxes, if any.
Notwithstanding any provision of this Contract to the contrary, the payment of Death Benefits provided under this Contract must be made in compliance with Code Section 72(s) or 401(a)(9) as applicable, as amended from time to time. Death Benefits may be taxable. See Federal Tax Matters.
The value of the Death Benefit will be determined as of the Valuation Date we approve the payment of the claim. Approval of payment will occur upon our receipt of all the following:
1.
proof (e.g. an original certified death certificate), or any other proof of death satisfactory to us, of the death; and
2.
written authorization for payment; and
3.
all required claim forms, fully completed (including selection of a settlement option).
If the Beneficiary is a minor, court documents appointing the guardian/custodian may be required.
Unless otherwise provided in the Beneficiary designation, one of the following procedures will take place on the death of a Beneficiary:
1.
If any Beneficiary dies before the Contractowner, that Beneficiary’s interest will go to any other Beneficiaries named, according to their respective interests; and/or
2.
If no Beneficiary survives the Contractowner, the proceeds will be paid to the Contractowner’s estate.
Unless the Contractowner has already selected a settlement option, the Beneficiary may choose the method of payment of the Death Benefit. The Death Benefit payable to the Beneficiary must be distributed within five years of the Contractowner’s date of death unless the Beneficiary begins receiving within one year of the Contractowner’s death the distribution in the form of a life annuity or an annuity for a designated period not extending beyond the Beneficiary’s life expectancy.
The recipient of a Death Benefit, may elect to receive payment either in the form of a lump sum settlement or an Annuity Payout. If a lump sum settlement is elected, the proceeds will be mailed within seven days of approval by us of the claim subject to the laws, regulations and tax code governing payment of Death Benefits. This payment may be postponed as permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Abandoned Property. Every state has unclaimed property laws which generally declare annuity contracts to be abandoned after a period of inactivity of three to five years from the date a benefit is due and payable. For example, if the payment of a Death Benefit has been triggered, but, if after a thorough search, we are still unable to locate the Beneficiary of the Death Benefit, or the Beneficiary does not come forward to claim the Death Benefit in a timely manner, the Death Benefit will be “escheated”. This means that the Death Benefit will be paid to the abandoned property division or unclaimed property office of the state in which the Beneficiary or the Contractowner last resided, as shown on our books and records, or to our state of domicile. This escheatment is revocable and the state is obligated to pay the Death Benefit (without interest) if your Beneficiary steps forward to claim it with the proper documentation.
To prevent such escheatment, it is important that you update your Beneficiary designations, including addresses, if and as they change. You may update your Beneficiary designations by submitting a Beneficiary change form to our Home Office.
Additional Services
These additional services are available to you under your Contract: dollar-cost averaging (DCA), automatic withdrawal service (AWS), and portfolio rebalancing. In order to take advantage of one of these services, you will need to complete the appropriate election form that is available from our Home Office or call 1-800-4LINCOLN (454-6265). These services will stop once we become aware of a pending death claim. For further detailed information on these services, please see Additional Services in the SAI.
Dollar-Cost Averaging. Dollar-cost averaging allows you to transfer amounts from the DCA fixed account, if available, or select variable Subaccounts into the Subaccounts on a monthly basis or in accordance with other terms we make available.
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You may elect to participate in the DCA program at the time of application or at any time before the Annuity Commencement Date by completing our election form, by calling our Home Office, or by other electronic means. The minimum amount to be dollar cost averaged (DCA’d) is $1,500 over any time period between three and 60 months. We may offer different time periods for new Purchase Payments and for transfers of Contract Value. State variations may exist. Once elected, the program will remain in effect until the earlier of:
the Annuity Commencement Date;
the value of the amount being DCA’d is depleted; or
you cancel the program by written request or by telephone if we have your telephone authorization on file.
We reserve the right to limit certain time periods or to restrict access to this program at any time.
A transfer made as part of this program is not considered a transfer for purposes of limiting the number of transfers that may be made, or assessing any charges which may apply to transfers. Upon receipt of an additional Purchase Payment allocated to the DCA fixed account, the existing program duration will be extended to reflect the end date of the new DCA program. However, the existing interest crediting rate will not be extended. The existing interest crediting rate will expire at its originally scheduled expiration date and the value remaining in the DCA account from the original amount as well as any additional Purchase Payments will be credited with interest at the standard DCA rate at the time. If you cancel the DCA program, your remaining Contract Value in the DCA program will be allocated to the Subaccounts according to your allocation instructions. We reserve the right to discontinue or modify this program at any time. If you have chosen DCA from one of the Subaccounts, only the amount allocated to that DCA program will be transferred. Investment gain, if any, will remain in that Subaccount unless you reallocate it to one of the other Subaccounts. If you are enrolled in automatic rebalancing, this amount may be automatically rebalanced based on your allocation instructions in effect at the time of rebalancing. DCA does not assure a profit or protect against loss.
Automatic Withdrawal Service. The automatic withdrawal service (AWS) provides for an automatic periodic withdrawal of your contract value. Withdrawals under AWS will be noted on your quarterly statement. AWS is also available for amounts allocated to the fixed account, if applicable.
Portfolio Rebalancing. Portfolio rebalancing is an option that restores to a pre-determined level the percentage of Contract Value allocated to each Subaccount. The rebalancing may take place monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually. Rebalancing events will be noted on your quarterly statement. The fixed account is not available for portfolio rebalancing.
Only one of the two additional services (DCA and portfolio rebalancing) may be used at one time. For example, you cannot have DCA and portfolio rebalancing running simultaneously. We reserve the right to discontinue any or all of these administrative services at any time.
Living Benefit Riders
The optional Living Benefit Riders offered under this variable annuity contract are described in the following sections. The riders offer either a minimum withdrawal benefit (Guaranteed Benefit) or a minimum Annuity Payout (i4LIFE Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit). You may not elect more than one Living Benefit Rider at any one time. Upon election of a Living Benefit Rider, you will be subject to Investment Requirements (unless you elect i4LIFE Advantage without the Guaranteed Income Benefit).
Excess Withdrawals under certain Living Benefit Riders may result in a reduction or premature termination of those benefits or of those riders. If you are not certain how an Excess Withdrawal will reduce your future guaranteed amounts, you should contact either your registered representative or us prior to requesting a withdrawal to find out what impact, if any, the Excess Withdrawal will have on any guarantees under the Living Benefit Rider. Terms and conditions may change after the Contract is purchased.
The benefits and features of the optional Living Benefit Riders are separate and distinct from the downside protection strategies that may be employed by the funds offered under this Contract. The riders do not guarantee the investment results of the funds.
The Living Benefit Riders provide different methods to take income from your Contract Value or receive lifetime payments and may provide certain guarantees. There are differences between the riders in the features provided as well as the charge structure. Before you elect a rider, or terminate your existing rider to elect a new rider, you should carefully review the terms and conditions of each rider. If you elect a rider at contract issue, then the rider will be effective on that Contract’s effective date.
Guaranteed Benefit
The Guaranteed Benefit, a Living Benefit Rider, provides:
Guaranteed lifetime periodic withdrawals (for you and your spouse if joint life option is selected) up to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount which is based upon a guaranteed Income Base;
Automatic Annual Step-ups of the Income Base to the Contract Value if the Contract Value is equal to or greater than the Income Base;
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Age-based increases to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount (after reaching a higher age-band and after an Automatic Annual Step-up).
Please note any withdrawals made prior to the Annuitant’s age 60 or that exceed the Guaranteed Annual Income amount or that are not payable to the original Contractowner or original Contractowner’s bank account (Excess Withdrawals) may significantly reduce your Income Base as well as your Guaranteed Annual Income amount by an amount greater than the dollar amount of the Excess Withdrawal and will terminate the rider if the Income Base is reduced to zero.
The Guaranteed Benefit rider is part of your annuity contract at the time of issue. You must have this rider on your contract to maintain the guarantees carried over from the Lincoln contract issued to your employer’s plan. This rider provides guaranteed, periodic withdrawals for your life as Contractowner/Annuitant (single life option) or for the lives of you as Contractowner/Annuitant and your spouse as joint owner (joint life option) regardless of the investment performance of the contract, provided that certain conditions are met. If you elected a measuring life option (single or joint) under the Lincoln group annuity contract issued to your employer’s plan, that same election must be made in this contract. Otherwise you must elect the measuring life option when you purchase this contract. The Contractowner, Annuitant or Secondary Life may not be changed while this rider is in effect (except if the Secondary Life assumes ownership of the contract upon death of the Contractowner), including any sale or assignment of the contract as collateral. An Income Base is used to calculate the Guaranteed Annual Income payment from your contract, but is not available as a separate benefit upon death or surrender. At the time this contract is purchased, we will calculate the initial Income Base, based on the guarantees provided in the Lincoln group annuity contract issued to your plan. The Income Base will be increased by subsequent Purchase Payments, Automatic Annual Step-ups, and decreased by Excess Withdrawals in accordance with the provisions set forth below. After the first anniversary once cumulative additional Purchase Payments exceed $100,000, additional Purchase Payments will be limited to $50,000 per Benefit Year without Home Office approval. No additional Purchase Payments are allowed if the Contract Value decreases to zero for any reason.
This rider provides for guaranteed, periodic withdrawals up to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount commencing after the Annuitant reaches age 60. The Guaranteed Annual Income payments are based upon specified percentages of the Income Base. The specified withdrawal percentages of the Income Base are age based and may increase over time. With the single life option, you may receive Guaranteed Annual Income payments for your lifetime. If you purchase the joint life option, Guaranteed Annual Income amounts for the lifetimes of you and your spouse will be available.
Withdrawals in excess of the Guaranteed Annual Income amount or that are made prior to the Annuitant’s age 60 or that are not payable to the original Contractowner or original Contractowner’s bank account are defined as Excess Withdrawals. Excess Withdrawals may significantly reduce your Income Base and your Guaranteed Annual Income payments by an amount greater than the dollar amount of the Excess Withdrawal and may terminate the rider and the contract if the Income Base is reduced to zero. These options are discussed below in detail.
Availability. The Contractowner/Annuitant as well as the spouse under the joint life option must be under age 86 at the time this rider is elected.
The Guaranteed Benefit will limit your ability to invest within the Subaccounts offered within your contract. You will be required to adhere to Investment Requirements. In addition, the fixed account is not available. See Investment Requirements.
The rider will be effective on the contract’s effective date.
Benefit Year. The Benefit Year is the 12-month period starting with the effective date of the rider and starting with each anniversary of the rider effective date after that.
Income Base. The Income Base is a value used to calculate your Guaranteed Annual Income amount. The Income Base is not available to you as a lump sum withdrawal or a Death Benefit. We will calculate the initial Income Base based on the guarantees provided in the Lincoln group annuity contract issued to your plan. Any additional amounts deposited into the contract at the time this contract is purchased will be added to this calculated Income Base. The maximum Income Base is $10,000,000. This maximum takes into consideration the total guaranteed amounts under the Living Benefit Riders of all Lincoln Life contracts (or contracts issued by our affiliates) in which you (and/or spouse if joint life option) are the covered lives. See The Contracts – Guaranteed Benefit.
If you were already receiving a guaranteed annual amount from your employer’s Lincoln group annuity contract, then we will calculate the initial Income Base to an amount that will provide this same level of annual income under this contract based on your age (or the age of the younger spouse if the joint life option is in effect) on the effective date of this rider.
If you had not begun to receive a guaranteed annual amount from your employer’s Lincoln group annuity contract and the single life option is elected, then we will calculate the initial Income Base that will provide the same annual amount that you would have received at the age you were eligible to receive a non-reduced annual guaranteed amount in accordance with the terms of your employer’s plan. If you elect the joint life option, the rates will be based on the age of the younger spouse and a reduction will be applied to cover both lives. In all cases, if your initial rollover amount is larger than this calculated Income Base, your Income Base will equal the rollover amount.
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Additional Purchase Payments automatically increase the Income Base by the amount of the Purchase Payment (not to exceed the maximum Income Base); for example, a $10,000 additional Purchase Payment will increase the Income Base by $10,000. After the first anniversary once cumulative additional Purchase Payments exceed $100,000, additional Purchase Payments will be limited to $50,000 per Benefit Year without Home Office approval. After additional Purchase Payments exceed $100,000, the charge will change to the then current charge in effect on the next Benefit Year anniversary. Additional Purchase Payments will not be allowed if the Contract Value decreases to zero for any reason including market loss.
Excess Withdrawals reduce the Income Base as discussed below. Withdrawals less than or equal to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount will not reduce the Income Base.
Since the charge for the rider is based on the Income Base, the cost of the rider increases when additional Purchase Payments and Automatic Annual Step-ups are made, and the cost decreases as Excess Withdrawals are made because these transactions all adjust the Income Base. In addition, the percentage charge may change when Automatic Annual Step-ups occur as discussed below or additional Purchase Payments occur. See Charges and Other Deductions – Guaranteed Benefit Charge.
Automatic Annual Step-ups of the Income Base. The Income Base will automatically step-up to the Contract Value on each Benefit Year anniversary if:
a.
the Contractowner/Annuitant (single life option), or the Contractowner and spouse (joint life option) are still living and under age 86; and
b.
the Contract Value on that Benefit Year anniversary, after the deduction of any withdrawals (including the rider charge), plus any Purchase Payments made on that date is equal to or greater than the Income Base.
Each time the Income Base is stepped up to the current Contract Value as described above, your percentage charge for the rider will be the current charge for the rider, not to exceed the guaranteed maximum charge. Therefore, your percentage charge for this rider could increase every Benefit Year anniversary. See Charges and Other Deductions –Rider Charges – Guaranteed Benefit Charge.
The Automatic Annual Step-up is available even in those years when a withdrawal has occurred.
If your percentage charge for this rider is increased upon an Automatic Annual Step-up, you may opt-out of the Automatic Annual Step-up by giving us notice in writing within 30 days after the Benefit Year anniversary if you do not want your percentage charge for the rider to change. This opt-out will only apply for this particular Automatic Annual Step-up. You will need to notify us each time the percentage charge increases if you do not want the Step-up. You may not opt-out of the Automatic Annual Step-up if an additional Purchase Payment made during that Benefit Year caused the charge for the rider to increase to the current charge.
Following is an example of how the Automatic Annual Step-ups will work (assuming no withdrawals or additional purchase payments):
 
Contract Value
Income Base
Potential for Charge
to Change
Initial Purchase Payment $50,000
$50,000
$50,000
N/A
1st Benefit Year Anniversary
$54,000
$54,000
Yes
2nd Benefit Year Anniversary
$53,900
$54,000
No
3rd Benefit Year Anniversary
$57,000
$57,000
Yes
4th Benefit Year Anniversary
$64,000
$64,000
Yes
Withdrawal Amount. You may make periodic withdrawals up to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount each Benefit Year for your (contractowner) lifetime (single life option) or the lifetimes of you and your spouse (joint life option) as long as your Guaranteed Annual Income amount is greater than zero. Generally, under both the single life and joint life options, the Contractowner must be age 60 before Guaranteed Annual Income withdrawals can begin.
The initial Guaranteed Annual Income amount is calculated upon purchase of this product. If you are under age 60 at time this product is purchased, the initial Guaranteed Annual Income amount will be zero. The only exception to this occurs if the participant elected a joint life option under the employer’s plan and a surviving spouse does a rollover to this individual contract after a death or a former spouse owns this contract pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order and the terms of the prior annuity contract. The surviving or former spouse can elect a single life option with the joint life rates to begin withdrawals. If you are age 60 or older at the time of purchase, the initial Guaranteed Annual Income amount will be equal to a specified percentage of the Income Base. The specified percentage of the Income Base will be based on your age (or younger of you and your spouse if the joint life option is elected). Upon your first withdrawal the Guaranteed Annual Income percentage is based on your age (single life option) or the younger of you and your spouse's age (joint life option) at the time of the withdrawal. For example, if you purchase this product at age 60, your Guaranteed Annual Income percentage is 4%. If you waited until you were 66 (single life option) to make your first withdrawal, your Guaranteed Annual Income percentage would be 4.50%. After the first Benefit Anniversary, we will use the Income Base calculated on the most recent Benefit Year anniversary for calculating the Guaranteed Annual Income amount. After your first withdrawal the Guaranteed Annual Income amount percentage will only increase on a Benefit Year Anniversary on or after you have reached an applicable
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higher age band and after there has also been an Automatic Annual Step-up. If you have reached an applicable age band and there has not also been an Automatic Annual Step-up, then the Guaranteed Annual Income amount percentage will not increase until the next Automatic Annual Step-up occurs. If you do not withdraw the entire Guaranteed Annual Income amount during a Benefit Year, there is no carryover of the remaining amount into the next Benefit Year.
Guaranteed Annual Income Percentages by Ages
Age (single life option)
Guaranteed
Annual Income amount
percentage (single life option)
60-64
4.00
%
65-69
4.50
%
70+
5.00
%
Age (joint life option – younger of you or your spouse’s age)
Guaranteed
Annual Income amount
percentage (joint life option)*
45-54
2.50
%
55-59
3.00
%
60-64
3.50
%
65-69
4.00
%
70-74
4.50
%
75+
5.00
%
*If the joint life option was elected under the employer’s Lincoln Group annuity contract, these rates are also available to, 1) a surviving spouse or a participant who does a rollover to this contract upon the death of one of the covered lives or 2) an ex-spouse who owns this contract pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order and wishes to begin withdrawals of the Guaranteed Annual Income amounts.
If your Contract Value is reduced to zero because of market performance or rider charges, withdrawals equal to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount will continue automatically for your life (and your spouse’s life if applicable) under the Guaranteed Annual Income Amount Annuity Payout Option. You may not withdraw the remaining Income Base in a lump sum. You will not be entitled to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount if the Income Base is reduced to zero as a result of an Excess Withdrawal. If the Income Base is reduced to zero due to an Excess Withdrawal the rider and contract will terminate. If the Contract Value is reduced to zero due to an Excess Withdrawal the rider and contract will terminate.
Withdrawals equal to or less than the Guaranteed Annual Income amount will not reduce the Income Base. All withdrawals you make will decrease the Contract Value.
The following example shows the calculation of the Guaranteed Annual Income amount and how withdrawals less than or equal to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount affect the Income Base and the Contract Value. The Contractowner is age 60 (4% Guaranteed Annual Income percentage for single life option) on the rider’s effective date, and has a rollover of $200,000 into the contract:
Contract Value on the rider's effective date
$200,000
Income Base on the rider's effective date
$200,000
Initial Guaranteed Annual Income amount on the rider's effective date ($200,000 x 4%)
$8,000
Contract Value six months after rider's effective date
$210,000
Income Base six months after rider's effective date
$200,000
Withdrawal six months after rider's effective date when Contractowner is still age 60
$8,000
Contract Value after withdrawal ($210,000 - $8,000)
$202,000
Income Base after withdrawal ($200,000 - $0)
$200,000
Contract Value on first Benefit Year anniversary
$205,000
Income Base on first Benefit Year anniversary
$205,000
Guaranteed Annual Income amount on first Benefit Year anniversary ($205,000 x 4%)
$8,200
During the first year, the Automatic Annual Step-up increased the Income Base to the Contract Value of $205,000. On the first anniversary of the rider’s effective date the Guaranteed Annual Income amount is $8,200 (4% x $205,000).
Purchase Payments added to the contract subsequent to the initial Purchase Payment will increase the Guaranteed Annual Income amount by an amount equal to the applicable Guaranteed Annual Income amount percentage multiplied by the amount of the subsequent Purchase Payment. For example, assuming a Contractowner is age 60 (single life option), if the Guaranteed Annual Income
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amount of $2,000 (4% of $50,000 Income Base) is in effect and an additional Purchase Payment of $10,000 is made, the new Guaranteed Annual Income amount that Benefit Year is $2,400 ($2,000 + 4% of $10,000). The Guaranteed Annual Income payment amount will be recalculated immediately after a Purchase Payment is added to the contract.
After the first anniversary once cumulative additional Purchase Payments exceed $100,000, additional Purchase Payments will be limited to $50,000 per Benefit Year without the Home Office approval. Additional Purchase Payments will not be allowed if the Contract Value is zero.
Automatic Annual Step-ups will increase the Income Base and thus the Guaranteed Annual Income amount. The Guaranteed Annual Income amount, after the Income Base is adjusted by an Automatic Annual Step-up, will be equal to the adjusted Income Base multiplied by the applicable Guaranteed Annual Income percentage.
Excess Withdrawals. Excess Withdrawals are the cumulative amounts withdrawn from the contract during the Benefit Year (including the current withdrawal) that exceed the Guaranteed Annual Income amount at the time of the withdrawal or are withdrawals made prior to the Annuitant’s age 60 or that are not payable to the original Contractowner or original Contractowner’s bank account.
When an Excess Withdrawal occurs:
1.
The Income Base is reduced by the same proportion that the Excess Withdrawal reduces the Contract Value. This means that the reduction in the Income Base could be more than the dollar amount of the withdrawal; and
2.
The Guaranteed Annual Income amount will be recalculated to equal the applicable Guaranteed Annual Income amount percentage multiplied by the new (reduced) Income Base (after the pro rata reduction for the Excess Withdrawal).
We will provide you with quarterly statements that will include the Guaranteed Annual Income amount (as adjusted for Guaranteed Annual Income amount payments, Excess Withdrawals and additional Purchase Payments) available to you for the Benefit Year, if applicable, in order for you to determine whether a withdrawal may be an Excess Withdrawal. We encourage you to either consult with your registered representative or call us at the number provided on the front page of this prospectus if you have questions about Excess Withdrawals.
The following example demonstrates the impact of an Excess Withdrawal on the Income Base, the Guaranteed Annual Income amount and the Contract Value. The Contractowner who is age 67 (single life option) makes a $12,000 withdrawal which causes a $12,370 reduction in the Income Base.
Prior to Excess Withdrawal:
Contract Value = $60,000
Income Base = $85,000
Guaranteed Annual Income amount = $3,825 (4.5% of the Income Base of $85,000)
After a $12,000 Withdrawal ($3,825 is within the Guaranteed Annual Income amount, $8,175 is the Excess Withdrawal):
The Contract Value is reduced by the amount of the Guaranteed Annual Income amount of $3,825 and the Income Base is not reduced:
Contract Value = $56,175 ($60,000 - $3,825)
Income Base = $85,000
The Contract Value is also reduced by the $8,175 Excess Withdrawal and the Income Base is reduced by 14.55274%, the same proportion that the Excess Withdrawal reduced the $56,175 Contract Value ($8,175 ÷ $56,175)
Contract Value = $48,000 ($56,175 - $8,175)
Income Base = $72,630 ($85,000 x 14.55274% = $12,370; $85,000 - $12,370 = $72,630).
Guaranteed Annual Income amount = $3,268 (4.5% of $72,630 Income Base)

On the following Benefit Year anniversary:
Contract Value = $43,000
Income Base = $72,630
Guaranteed Annual Income amount = $3,268 (4.5% x $72,630)
In a declining market, Excess Withdrawals may significantly reduce your Income Base as well as your Guaranteed Annual Income amount. If the Income Base is reduced to zero due to an Excess Withdrawal the rider will terminate. If the Contract Value is reduced to zero due to an Excess Withdrawal the rider and contract will terminate.
Withdrawals from IRA contracts will be treated as within the Guaranteed Annual Income amount (even if they exceed the Guaranteed Annual Income amount) only if the withdrawals are taken as systematic installments of the amount needed to satisfy the required minimum distribution (RMD) rules under Internal Revenue Code Section 401(a)(9). In addition, in order for this exception for RMDs to apply, the following must occur:
1.
Lincoln’s monthly or quarterly automatic withdrawal service is used to calculate and pay the RMD;
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2.
The RMD calculation must be based only on the value in this contract; and
3.
No withdrawals other than RMDs are made within the Benefit Year (except as described in the next paragraph).
If your RMD withdrawals during a Benefit Year are less than the Guaranteed Annual Income amount, an additional amount up to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount may be withdrawn. If a withdrawal, other than an RMD is made during the Benefit Year, then all amounts withdrawn in excess of the Guaranteed Annual Income amount, including amounts attributable to RMDs, will be treated as Excess Withdrawals.
Distributions from qualified contracts are generally taxed as ordinary income. See Federal Tax Matters for information on determining what amounts are includable in gross income.
Guaranteed Annual Income Amount Annuity Payout Option. If you are required to take annuity payments because you have reached the maturity date of the contract, you have the option of electing the Guaranteed Annual Income Amount Annuity Payout Option. If the Contract Value is reduced to zero and you have a remaining Income Base, you will receive the Guaranteed Annual Income Amount Annuity Payout Option. If you are receiving the Guaranteed Annual Income Amount Annuity Payout Option, the beneficiary may be eligible to receive final payment upon death of the single life or surviving joint life. Contractowners may decide to choose the Guaranteed Annual Income Amount Annuity Payout Option over i4LIFE® Advantage if they feel this may provide a higher final payment option over time and they may place more importance on this over access to the Account Value.
The Guaranteed Annual Income Amount Annuity Payout Option is an Annuity Payout option which the Contractowner (and spouse if applicable) will receive annual annuity payments equal to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount for life (this option is different from other Annuity Payout options, including i4LIFE® Advantage, which are based on your Contract Value). Payment frequencies other than annual may be available. You will have no other contract features other than the right to receive annuity payments equal to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount for your life or the life of you and your spouse for the joint life option.
The final payment is a one-time lump-sum payment. The final payment will be equal to the sum of all Purchase Payments, decreased by withdrawals. Excess Withdrawals reduce the final payment in the same proportion as the withdrawals reduce the Contract Value; withdrawals less than or equal to the Guaranteed Annual Income amount and payments under the Guaranteed Annual Income Amount Annuity Payout Option will reduce the final payment dollar for dollar.
Death Prior to the Annuity Commencement Date. The Guaranteed Benefit has no provision for a payout of the Income Base or any other Death Benefit upon death of the Contractowner or Annuitant. At the time of death, if the Contract Value equals zero, no Death Benefit options (as described earlier in this prospectus) will be in effect. Election of the Guaranteed Benefit does not impact the Death Benefit options available for purchase with your annuity contract except as described below in Impact to Withdrawal Calculations of Death Benefits before the Annuity Commencement Date. All Death Benefit payments must be made in compliance with Internal Revenue Code Sections 72(s) or 401(a)(9) as applicable as amended from time to time. See The Contracts – Death Benefit.
Upon the death of the single life, the Guaranteed Benefit will end and no further Guaranteed Annual Income amounts are available (even if there was an Income Base in effect at the time of the death). If the Beneficiary elects to continue the contract after the death of the single life (through a separate provision of the contract), the Beneficiary may purchase a new Guaranteed Benefit if available under the terms and charge in effect at the time of the new purchase. There is no carryover of the Income Base.
Upon the first death under the joint life option, the lifetime payout of the Guaranteed Annual Income amount will continue for the life of the surviving spouse. The Automatic Annual Step-up will continue if applicable as discussed above. Upon the death of the surviving spouse, the Guaranteed Benefit will end and no further Guaranteed Annual Income amounts are available (even if there was an Income Base in effect at the time of the death).
As an alternative, after the first death, the surviving spouse if under age 86 may choose to terminate the joint life option and purchase a new single life option, if available, under the terms and charge in effect at the time for a new purchase. In deciding whether to make this change, the surviving spouse should consider whether the change will cause the Income Base and the Guaranteed Annual Income amount to decrease.
Termination. The Contractowner may terminate the rider at any time by notifying us in writing of the request to terminate or by failing to adhere to the Investment Requirements. Guaranteed Benefit will automatically terminate:
on the Annuity Commencement Date (except payments under the Guaranteed Annual Income Amount Annuity Payout Option will continue if applicable); or
on the election of i4LIFE® Advantage; or
upon the death under the single life option or the death of the surviving spouse under the joint life option; or
when the Guaranteed Annual Income amount or Contract Value is reduced to zero due to an Excess Withdrawal; or
upon change of ownership of the contract; or
if an Excess Withdrawal causes the Income Base to be reduced to zero; or
upon surrender of the contract; or
upon termination of the underlying annuity contract.
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The termination will not result in any increase in Contract Value equal to the Income Base. Upon effective termination of this rider, the benefits and charges within this rider will terminate.
Impact to Withdrawal Calculations of Death Benefits before the Annuity Commencement Date. Withdrawals less than or equal to the Guaranteed Annual Income will reduce the sum of all Purchase Payments option of the Guarantee of Principal Death Benefit on a dollar for dollar basis. Any Excess Withdrawals will reduce the sum of all Purchase Payments in the same proportion that the withdrawals reduced the Contract Value.
The following example demonstrates how a withdrawal will reduce the Guarantee of Principal Death Benefit:
Contract Value before withdrawal $80,000
Guaranteed Annual Income amount $5,000
Values before withdrawal is the greater of a) or b) described in detail in this prospectus:
a)
Contract Value $80,000
b)
Sum of Purchase Payments $100,000
Withdrawal of $9,000 will impact the Death Benefit calculation as follows:
a)
$80,000 - $9,000 = $71,000 (reduction $9,000)
b)
$100,000 - $5,000 = $95,000 (reduction by the amount of the Guaranteed Annual Income amount)
$95,000 - $5,067 = $89,933 [$95,000 times ($4,000/$75,000) = $5,067] Proportional reduction of Excess Withdrawal. Total reduction = $10,067.
Item b) provides the largest Death Benefit of $89,933.
i4LIFE® Advantage
i4LIFE® Advantage (the Variable Annuity Payout Option rider in your Contract) is an optional Annuity Payout rider you may purchase at an additional cost and is separate and distinct from other Annuity Payout options offered under your Contract and described later in this prospectus. You may also purchase the i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit for an additional charge. See Charges and Other Deductions – i4LIFE® Advantage Charge. The election of i4LIFE® Advantage will terminate any Guaranteed Income Benefit.
i4LIFE® Advantage is an Annuity Payout option that provides you with variable, periodic Regular Income Payments for life subject to certain conditions. These payouts are made during two time periods: an Access Period and a Lifetime Income Period. During the Access Period, you have access to your Account Value, which means you may surrender the Contract, make withdrawals, and have a Death Benefit. During the Lifetime Income Period, you no longer have access to your Account Value. You choose the length of the Access Period when you select i4LIFE® Advantage; the Lifetime Income Period begins immediately after the Access Period ends and continues until your death (or the death of a Secondary Life, if later). i4LIFE® Advantage is different from other Annuity Payout options provided by Lincoln because with i4LIFE® Advantage, you have the ability to make additional withdrawals or surrender the Contract during the Access Period. You may also purchase the Guaranteed Income Benefit which provides a minimum payout floor for your Regular Income Payments. You choose when you want to receive your first Regular Income Payment and the frequency with which you will receive Regular Income Payments. The initial Regular Income Payment is calculated from the Account Value on a date no more than 14 days prior to the date you select to begin receiving the Regular Income Payments. This calculation date is called the Periodic Income Commencement Date, and is the same date the Access Period begins. Regular Income Payments must begin within one year of the date you elect i4LIFE® Advantage. Once they begin, Regular Income Payments will continue until the death of the Annuitant or Secondary Life, if applicable. This option is subject to a charge while the i4LIFE® Advantage is in effect computed daily on the Account Value. See Charges and Other Deductions – i4LIFE® Advantage Charges.
i4LIFE® Advantage is available for contracts with a Contract Value of at least $50,000 and may be elected at any time before any other Annuity Payout option under this Contract is elected by sending a written request to our Home Office. You may not elect i4LIFE® Advantage if the Guaranteed Benefit is in effect. When you elect i4LIFE® Advantage, you must choose the Annuitant, Secondary Life, if applicable, and make several choices about your Regular Income Payments. The Annuitant and Secondary Life may not be changed after i4LIFE® Advantage is elected. For qualified contracts, the Secondary Life must be the spouse. See i4LIFE® Advantage Death Benefits regarding the impact of a change to the Annuitant prior to the i4LIFE® Advantage election.
i4LIFE® Advantage for IRA contracts is only available if the Annuitant and Secondary Life, if applicable, are age 59½ or older at the time the option is elected. i4LIFE® Advantage with the Guaranteed Income Benefit must be elected by age 80 on IRA contracts or age 95 on nonqualified contracts. Additional limitations on issue ages and features may be necessary to comply with the IRC provisions for required minimum distributions. Additional Purchase Payments may be made during the Access Period for an IRA annuity contract, unless the i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit has been elected. If the Guaranteed Income Benefit option has been elected on an IRA contract, additional Purchase Payments may be made until the initial Guaranteed Income Benefit is calculated.
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If i4LIFE® Advantage is selected, the applicable transfer provisions among Subaccounts and the fixed account will continue to be those specified in your annuity contract for transfers on or before the Annuity Commencement Date. However, once i4LIFE® Advantage begins, any automatic withdrawal service will terminate. See The Contracts – Transfers on or before the Annuity Commencement Date.
Access Period. At the time you elect i4LIFE® Advantage, you also select the Access Period, which begins on the Periodic Income Commencement Date. The Access Period is a defined period of time during which we pay variable, periodic Regular Income Payments and provide a Death Benefit, and during which you may surrender the Contract and make withdrawals from your Account Value (defined below). At the end of the Access Period, the remaining Account Value is used to make Regular Income Payments for the rest of your life (or the Secondary Life if applicable). This is called the Lifetime Income Period. During the Lifetime Income Period, you will no longer be able to make withdrawals or surrenders or receive a Death Benefit. If your Account Value is reduced to zero because of withdrawals or market loss, your Access Period ends.
We will establish the minimum (currently 10 years) and maximum (currently, the length of time between your current age and age 115) Access Periods at the time you elect i4LIFE® Advantage. Generally, shorter Access Periods will produce a higher initial Regular Income Payment than longer Access Periods. At any time during the Access Period, you may extend or shorten the length of the Access Period subject to Home Office approval. Additional restrictions may apply if you are under 59½ when you request a change to the Access Period. Currently, if you extend the Access Period, it must be extended at least 5 years. If you change the Access Period, subsequent Regular Income Payments will be adjusted accordingly, and the Account Value remaining at the end of the new Access Period will be applied to continue Regular Income Payments for your life. Additional limitations on issue ages and features may be necessary to comply with the IRC provisions for required minimum distributions. We may reduce or terminate the Access Period for IRA i4LIFE® Advantage contracts in order to keep the Regular Income Payments in compliance with IRC provisions for required minimum distributions. The minimum Access Period requirements for Guaranteed Income Benefits are longer than the requirements for i4LIFE® Advantage without a Guaranteed Income Benefit. Shortening the Access Period will terminate the Guaranteed Income Benefit. See Guaranteed Income Benefit with i4LIFE® Advantage.
Account Value. The initial Account Value is the Contract Value on the Valuation Date i4LIFE® Advantage is effective , less any applicable premium taxes. During the Access Period, the Account Value on a Valuation Date will equal the total value of all of the Contractowner's Accumulation Units plus the Contractowner's value in the fixed account, and will be reduced by Regular Income Payments and Guaranteed Income Benefit payments made as well as any withdrawals taken. After the Access Period ends, the remaining Account Value will be applied to continue Regular Income Payments for your life and the Account Value will be reduced to zero.
Regular Income Payments during the Access Period. i4LIFE® Advantage provides for variable, periodic Regular Income Payments for as long as an Annuitant (or Secondary Life, if applicable) is living and access to your Account Value during the Access Period. When you elect i4LIFE® Advantage, you will have to choose the date you will receive the initial Regular Income Payment. Once they begin, Regular Income Payments will continue until the death of the Annuitant or Secondary Life, if applicable. Regular Income Payments must begin within one year of the date you elect i4LIFE® Advantage. You also select when the Access Period ends and when the Lifetime Income Period begins. You must also select the frequency of the payments (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually), how often the payment is recalculated, the length of the Access Period and the Assumed Investment Return (AIR). These choices will influence the amount of your Regular Income Payments.
If you do not choose a payment frequency, the default is a monthly frequency. The Regular Income Payments will be recalculated once per year, on December 31st (if not a Valuation Date, then on the first Valuation Date of the calendar year). You also choose the AIR. AIR rates of 3% and 4% may be available. The higher the AIR you choose, the higher your initial Regular Income Payment will be and the higher the return must be to increase subsequent Regular Income Payments. You also choose the length of the Access Period. At this time, changes to the Access Period can only be made on Periodic Income Commencement date anniversaries.
For information regarding income tax consequences of Regular Income Payments, see Federal Tax Matters.
The amount of the initial Regular Income Payment is determined on the Periodic Income Commencement Date by dividing the Contract Value (or Purchase Payment if elected at contract issue), less applicable premium taxes by 1,000 and multiplying the result by an annuity factor. The annuity factor is based upon:
the age of the Annuitant and Secondary Life, if applicable;
the length of the Access Period selected;
the frequency of the Regular Income Payments;
the AIR selected; and
the Individual Annuity Mortality table.
The annuity factor used to determine the Regular Income Payments reflects the fact that, during the Access Period, you have the ability to withdraw the entire Account Value and that a Death Benefit will be paid to your Beneficiary upon your death. These benefits during the Access Period result in a slightly lower Regular Income Payment, during both the Access Period and the Lifetime Income Period, than would be payable if this access was not permitted and no lump-sum Death Benefit was payable. (The Contractowner must elect an Access Period of no less than the minimum Access Period which is currently set at 5 years.) The annuity factor also
30

reflects the requirement that there be sufficient Account Value at the end of the Access Period to continue your Regular Income Payments for the remainder of your life (and/or the Secondary Life if applicable), during the Lifetime Income Period, with no further access or Death Benefit.
The amount of your Regular Income Payment will be impacted by the length of the Access Period you have chosen. For example, if a 70-year old male makes a $100,000 initial Purchase Payment, elects monthly payments, a 4% AIR, and a 20-year Access Period, the initial Regular Income Payment will be $504.96 per month ($6,059.60 annually). Using the same assumptions, but with a 30-year Access Period, the initial Regular Income Payment will be $448.41 per month ($5,380.90 annually).
The Account Value will vary with the actual net investment return of the Subaccounts selected and the interest credited on the fixed account, which then determines the subsequent Regular Income Payments during the Access Period. Each subsequent Regular Income Payment (unless the levelized option is selected) is determined by dividing the Account Value on the applicable Valuation Date by 1,000 and multiplying this result by an annuity factor revised to reflect the declining length of the Access Period. As a result of this calculation, the actual net returns in the Account Value are measured against the AIR to determine subsequent Regular Income Payments. If the actual net investment return (annualized) for the Contract exceeds the AIR, the Regular Income Payment will increase at a rate approximately equal to the amount of such excess. Conversely, if the actual net investment return for the Contract is less than the AIR, the Regular Income Payment will decrease. For example, if net investment return is 3% higher (annualized) than the AIR, the Regular Income Payment for the next year will increase by approximately 3%. Conversely, if actual net investment return is 3% lower than the AIR, the Regular Income Payment will decrease by approximately 3%.
Withdrawals made during the Access Period will also reduce the Account Value that is available for Regular Income Payments, and subsequent Regular Income Payments will be recalculated and could be increased or reduced, based on the Account Value following the withdrawal.
For a joint life option, if either the Annuitant or Secondary Life dies during the Access Period, Regular Income Payments will be recalculated using a revised annuity factor based on the single surviving life, if doing so provides a higher Regular Income Payment. On a joint life option, the Secondary Life spouse must be either the primary Beneficiary or joint owner in order to receive the remaining payments after the first spouse’s death.
For qualified contracts, if the Annuitant (and Secondary Life) dies during the Access Period, i4LIFE® Advantage (and any Guaranteed Income Benefit if applicable) will terminate.
Regular Income Payments during the Lifetime Income Period. The Lifetime Income Period begins at the end of the Access Period if either the Annuitant or Secondary Life is living. Your earlier elections regarding the frequency of Regular Income Payments, AIR and the frequency of the recalculation do not change. The initial Regular Income Payment during the Lifetime Income Period is determined by dividing the Account Value on the last Valuation Date of the Access Period by 1,000 and multiplying the result by an annuity factor revised to reflect that the Access Period has ended. The annuity factor is based upon:
the age of the Annuitant and Secondary Life (if living);
the frequency of the Regular Income Payments;
the AIR selected; and
the Individual Annuity Mortality table.
The impact of the length of the Access Period and any withdrawals made during the Access Period will continue to be reflected in the Regular Income Payments during the Lifetime Income Period. To determine subsequent Regular Income Payments, the Contract is credited with a fixed number of Annuity Units equal to the initial Regular Income Payment (during the Lifetime Income Period) divided by the Annuity Unit value (by Subaccount). Subsequent Regular Income Payments are determined by multiplying the number of Annuity Units per Subaccount by the Annuity Unit value. Your Regular Income Payments will vary based on the value of your Annuity Units. If your Regular Income Payments are adjusted on an annual basis, the total of the annual payment is transferred to Lincoln Life's general account to be paid out based on the payment mode you selected. Your payment(s) will not be affected by market performance during that year. Your Regular Income Payment(s) for the following year will be recalculated at the beginning of the following year based on the current value of the Annuity Units.
Regular Income Payments will continue for as long as the Annuitant or Secondary Life, if applicable, is living, and will continue to be adjusted for investment performance of the Subaccounts your Annuity Units are invested in (and the fixed account if applicable). Regular Income Payments vary with investment performance.
During the Lifetime Income Period, there is no longer an Account Value; therefore, no withdrawals are available and no Death Benefit is payable. In addition, transfers are not allowed from a fixed annuity payment to a variable annuity payment.
i4LIFE® Advantage Death Benefits
i4LIFE® Advantage Guarantee of Principal Death Benefit. The i4LIFE® Advantage Guarantee of Principal Death Benefit is available during the Access Period and will be equal to the greater of:
the Account Value as of the Valuation Date we approve the payment of the claim; or
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the sum of all Purchase Payments, less the sum of Regular Income Payments and other withdrawals where:
Regular Income Payments, including withdrawals to provide the Guaranteed Income Benefits, reduce the Death Benefit by the dollar amount of the payment; and
all other withdrawals, if any, reduce the Death Benefit in the same proportion that withdrawals reduce the Contract Value or Account Value.
References to Purchase Payments and withdrawals include Purchase Payments and withdrawals made prior to the election of i4LIFE® Advantage if your Contract was in force with the Guarantee of Principal Death Benefit option prior to that election.
In a declining market, withdrawals which are deducted in the same proportion that withdrawals reduce the Contract Value or Account Value, may have a magnified effect on the reduction of the Death Benefit payable. All references to withdrawals include deductions for any applicable charges associated with those withdrawals and premium taxes, if any.
The following example demonstrates the impact of a proportionate withdrawal on your Death Benefit:
i4LIFE® Advantage Guarantee of Principal Death Benefit
$200,000
 
Regular Income Payment
$25,000
 
Account Value at the time of additional withdrawal
$150,000
 
Additional withdrawal
$15,000
($15,000/$150,000=10% withdrawal)
 
 
Death Benefit Value after Regular Income Payment = $200,000 - $25,000 = $175,000
Reduction in Death Benefit value for withdrawal = $175,000 X 10% = $17,500
Death Benefit Value after additional withdrawal = $175,000 - $17,500 = $157,500
The Regular Income Payment reduced the Death Benefit by $25,000 and the additional withdrawal causes a 10% reduction in the Death Benefit, the same percentage that the withdrawal reduced the Account Value.
General Death Benefit Provisions. Following the Access Period, there is no Death Benefit. The Death Benefits also terminate when the Account Value equals zero, because the Access Period terminates.
On a joint life option, the Secondary Life spouse must be either the primary Beneficiary or joint owner in order to receive the remaining payments after the first spouse’s death.
If you are the owner of an IRA annuity contract, and there is no Secondary Life, and you die during the Access Period, the i4LIFE® Advantage will terminate. A spouse Beneficiary may start a new i4LIFE® Advantage program.
If a death occurs during the Access Period, the value of the Death Benefit will be determined as of the Valuation Date we approve the payment of the claim. Approval of payment will occur upon our receipt of all the following:
1.
an original certified death certificate or any other proof of death satisfactory to us; and
2.
written authorization for payment; and
3.
all required claim forms, fully completed (including selection of a settlement option).
Notwithstanding any provision of this Contract to the contrary, the payment of Death Benefits provided under this Contract must be made in compliance with Code Section 72(s) or 401(a)(9) as applicable, as amended from time to time. Death Benefits may be taxable. See Federal Tax Matters.
Upon notification to us of the death, Regular Income Payments may be suspended until the death claim is approved. Upon approval, a lump sum payment for the value of any suspended payments will be made as of the date the death claim is approved, and Regular Income Payments will continue, if applicable. The excess, if any, of the Death Benefit over the Account Value will be credited into the Contract at that time.
If a lump sum settlement is elected, the proceeds will be mailed within seven days of approval by us of the claim subject to the laws, regulations and tax code governing payment of Death Benefits. This payment may be postponed as permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Guaranteed Income Benefit with i4LIFE® Advantage
A Guaranteed Income Benefit is available for purchase when you elect i4LIFE® Advantage which ensures that your Regular Income Payments will never be less than a minimum payout floor, regardless of the actual investment performance of your Contract. See Charges and Other Deductions for a discussion of the Guaranteed Income Benefit charges.
Additional Purchase Payments cannot be made to a Contract with the Guaranteed Income Benefit. You are also limited in how much you can invest in certain Subaccounts. See The Contracts – Investment Requirements.
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There is no guarantee that the i4LIFE® Guaranteed Income Benefit option will be available to elect in the future, as we reserve the right to discontinue this option at any time. In addition, we may make different versions of the Guaranteed Income Benefit available to new purchasers or may create different versions for use with various Living Benefit Riders.
i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit, if available, is elected when you elect i4LIFE® Advantage or during the Access Period, if still available for election, subject to terms and conditions at that time. You may choose not to purchase the i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit at the time you purchase i4LIFE® Advantage by indicating that you do not want the i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit on the election form at the time that you purchase i4LIFE® Advantage.
The i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit is reduced by withdrawals (other than Regular Income Payments) in the same proportion that the withdrawals reduce the Account Value. See i4LIFE® Advantage – General i4LIFE® Provisions for an example.
Guaranteed Income Benefit. The initial Guaranteed Income Benefit will be an amount equal to a specified percentage of your Account Value, based on your age (or the age of the youngest life under a joint life option) at the time the Guaranteed Income Benefit is elected. The specified percentages of the Account Value and the corresponding age-bands for calculating the initial Guaranteed Income Benefit are outlined in the table below.
Age-Banded Percentages for Calculating Initial Guaranteed Income Benefit
Single Life Option
Joint Life Option
Age
Percentage of Account
Value or Income Base
Age
(younger of you and
your spouse’s age)
Percentage of Account
Value or Income Base
Under age 40
2.50%
Under age 40
2.50%
40 – 54
3.00%
40 – 54
3.00%
55 – 58
3.50%
55 – 58
3.50%
59 – 64
4.00%
59 – 69
4.00%
65 – 69
4.50%
70 – 74
4.50%
70 – 79
5.00%
75 – 79
5.00%
80+
5.50%
80+
5.50%
If the amount of your i4LIFE® Advantage Regular Income Payment has fallen below the Guaranteed Income Benefit, because of poor investment results, a payment equal to the i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit is the minimum payment you will receive. If the market performance in your Contract is sufficient to provide Regular Income Payments at a level that exceeds the Guaranteed Income Benefit, the Guaranteed Income Benefit will never come into effect. If the Guaranteed Income Benefit is paid, it will be paid with the same frequency as your Regular Income Payment. If your Regular Income Payment is less than the Guaranteed Income Benefit, we will reduce the Account Value by the Regular Income Payment plus an additional amount equal to the difference between your Regular Income Payment and the Guaranteed Income Benefit (in other words, Guaranteed Income Benefit payments reduce the Account Value by the entire amount of the Guaranteed Income Benefit payment). (Regular Income Payments also reduce the Account Value). This payment will be made from the variable Subaccounts and the fixed account on a pro-rata basis according to your investment allocations.
If your Account Value reaches zero as a result of payments to provide the Guaranteed Income Benefit, we will continue to pay you an amount equal to the Guaranteed Income Benefit. If your Account Value reaches zero, your Access Period will end and your Lifetime Income Period will begin. Additional amounts withdrawn from the Account Value to provide the Guaranteed Income Benefit may terminate your Access Period earlier than originally scheduled, and will reduce your Death Benefit. If your Account Value equals zero, no Death Benefit will be paid. See i4LIFE® Advantage Death Benefits. After the Access Period ends, we will continue to pay the Guaranteed Income Benefit for as long as the Annuitant (or the Secondary Life, if applicable) is living.
The following example illustrates how poor investment performance, which results in a Guaranteed Income Benefit payment, affects the i4LIFE® Account Value:
i4LIFE® Account Value before market decline
$135,000
i4LIFE® Account Value after market decline
$100,000
Guaranteed Income Benefit
$810
Regular Income Payment after market decline
$769
Account Value after market decline and Guaranteed Income Benefit
payment
$99,190
The Contractowner receives an amount equal to the Guaranteed Income Benefit. The entire amount of the Guaranteed Income Benefit is deducted from the Account Value.
The Guaranteed Income Benefit will automatically step up every year to 75% of the current Regular Income Payment, if that result is greater than the immediately prior Guaranteed Income Benefit. For qualified contracts, the step-up will occur annually on the Valuation
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Date of the first periodic income payment of each calendar year. The first step-up is the Valuation Date of the first Regular Income Payment in the next calendar year following the Periodic Income Commencement Date.
The following example illustrates how the initial Guaranteed Income Benefit is calculated for a 60-year old Contractowner and how a step-up would increase the Guaranteed Income Benefit in a subsequent year. The percentage of the Account Value used to calculate the initial Guaranteed Income Benefit is 4.0% for a 60-year old (single life) per the Age-Banded Percentages for Calculating Initial Guaranteed Income Benefit table above. The example also assumes that the Account Value has increased due to positive investment returns resulting in a higher recalculated Regular Income Payment. See The Contracts – i4LIFE® Advantage-Regular Income Payments during the Access Period for a discussion of recalculation of the Regular Income Payment.
1/1/2013 Amount of initial Regular Income Payment
$4,801
1/1/2013 Account Value at election of Guaranteed Income Benefit
$100,000
1/1/2013 Initial Guaranteed Income Benefit (4.0% times $100,000 Account Value)
$4,000
1/1/2014 Recalculated Regular Income Payment
$6,000
1/1/2014 Guaranteed Income Benefit after step-up (75% of $6,000)
$4,500
The Contractowner’s Guaranteed Income Benefit was increased to 75% of the recalculated Regular Income Payment.
At the time of a step-up of the Guaranteed Income Benefit the i4LIFE® Guaranteed Income Benefit percentage charge may increase subject to the maximum guaranteed charge of 2.00%. This means that your charge may change every year. If we automatically administer a new step-up for you and if your percentage charge is increased, you may ask us to reverse the step-up by giving us notice within 30 days after the date of the step-up. If we receive notice of your request to reverse the step-up, on a going forward basis, we will decrease the percentage charge to the percentage charge in effect before the step-up occurred. Any increased charges paid between the time of the step-up and the date we receive your notice to reverse the step-up will not be reimbursed. Step-ups will continue after a request to reverse a step-up. i4LIFE® Advantage charges are in addition to the Guaranteed Income Benefit charges. We will provide you with written notice when a step-up will result in an increase to the current charge so that you may give us timely notice if you wish to reverse a step-up.
Impacts to i4LIFE® Advantage Regular Income Payments. When you select the i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit, certain restrictions will apply to your Contract:
A 4% assumed investment return (AIR) will be used to calculate the Regular Income Payments.
The minimum Access Period required for Guaranteed Income Benefit is the longer of 20 years or the difference between your age (nearest birthday) and age 90. We may change this Access Period requirement prior to election of the Guaranteed Income Benefit.
The maximum Access Period available is to age 115 for nonqualified contracts; to age 100 for qualified contracts.
If you choose to lengthen your Access Period (which must be increased by a minimum of 5 years), your Regular Income Payment will be reduced, but the i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit will not be affected. If you choose to shorten your Access Period, the i4LIFE® Advantage with Guaranteed Income Benefit will terminate.
The i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit will terminate due to any of the following events:
the death of the Annuitant (or the later of the death of the Annuitant or Secondary Life if a joint payout was elected); or
a Contractowner requested decrease in the Access Period or a change to the Regular Income Payment frequency; or
upon written notice to us; or
assignment of the Contract; or
failure to comply with Investment Requirements.
A termination due to a decrease in the Access Period, a change in the Regular Income Payment frequency, or upon written notice from the Contractowner will be effective as of the Valuation Date on the next Periodic Income Commencement Date anniversary. Termination will be only for the i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit and not the i4LIFE® Advantage election, unless otherwise specified. If you terminate the i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit you may be able to re-elect it, if available, after one year. The election will be treated as a new purchase, subject to the terms and charges in effect at the time of election and the i4LIFE® Advantage Regular Income Payments will be recalculated. The i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit will be based on the Account Value at the time of the election.
Availability. The Guaranteed Income Benefit is available with qualified (IRAs and Roth IRAs) annuity contracts. The contractowner must be under age 81 for qualified contracts at the time this rider is elected.
Withdrawals. You may request a withdrawal at any time during the Access Period. We reduce the Account Value by the amount of the withdrawal, and all subsequent Regular Income Payments and Guaranteed Income Benefit payments, if applicable, will be recalculated. The Guaranteed Income Benefit is reduced proportionately. Withdrawals may have tax consequences. See Federal Tax Matters.
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The following example demonstrates the impact of a withdrawal on the Regular Income Payments and the Guaranteed Income Benefit payments:
i4LIFE® Regular Income Payment before additional withdrawal
$1,200
 
Guaranteed Income Benefit before additional withdrawal
$900
 
Account Value at time of additional withdrawal
$150,000
 
Additional withdrawal
$15,000
(a 10% withdrawal)
Reduction in Guaranteed Income Benefit for additional withdrawal = $900 x 10% = $90
Guaranteed Income Benefit after additional withdrawal = $900 - $90 = $810
Surrender. At any time prior to or during the Access Period, you may surrender the Contract by withdrawing the surrender value. If the Contract is surrendered, the Contract terminates and no further Regular Income Payments will be made.
Termination. For IRA annuity contracts, you may terminate i4LIFE® Advantage prior to the end of the Access Period by notifying us in writing. The termination will be effective on the next Valuation Date after we receive the notice. Upon termination, the i4LIFE® Advantage charge will end and the Separate Account Annual Expenses for the Death Benefit you have elected will resume. Your Contract Value upon termination will be equal to the Account Value on the Valuation Date we terminate i4LIFE® Advantage.
For nonqualified contracts, you may not terminate i4LIFE® Advantage once you have elected it.
Annuity Payouts
When you apply for a Contract, you may select any Annuity Commencement Date permitted by law, which is usually on or before the Annuitant's 99th birthday. Your broker-dealer may recommend that you annuitize at an earlier age. As an alternative, Contractowners with Guaranteed Benefit may elect to annuitize their Protected Income Base under the Protected Annual Income Payout Option.
The Contract provides optional forms of payouts of annuities (annuity options), each of which is payable on a variable basis, a fixed basis or a combination of both as you specify. The Contract provides that all or part of the Contract Value may be used to purchase an Annuity Payout option. The minimum rates used to purchase any of the annuity options discussed below are shown in the Contract.
You may elect Annuity Payouts in monthly, quarterly, semiannual or annual installments. If the payouts from any Subaccount would be or become less than $50, we have the right to reduce their frequency until the payouts are at least $50 each. Following are explanations of the annuity options available.
Annuity Options
The annuity options outlined below do not apply to Contractowners who have elected i4LIFE® Advantage or the Protected Annual Income Payout Option under the Guaranteed Benefit.
Life Annuity. This option offers a periodic payout during the lifetime of the Annuitant and ends with the last payout before the death of the Annuitant. This option offers the highest periodic payout since there is no guarantee of a minimum number of payouts or provision for a Death Benefit for Beneficiaries. However, there is the risk under this option that the recipient would receive no payouts if the Annuitant dies before the date set for the first payout; only one payout if death occurs before the second scheduled payout, and so on. The Annuitant must be under age 81 to elect this option.
Life Annuity with Payouts Guaranteed for Designated Period. This option guarantees periodic payouts during a designated period, usually 10 or 20 years, and then continues throughout the lifetime of the Annuitant. The designated period is selected by the Contractowner.
Joint Life Annuity. This option offers a periodic payout during the joint lifetime of the Annuitant and a designated joint Annuitant. The payouts continue during the lifetime of the survivor. However, under a joint life annuity, if both Annuitants die before the date set for the first payout, no payouts will be made. Only one payment would be made if both deaths occur before the second scheduled payout, and so on.
Joint Life Annuity with Guaranteed Period. This option guarantees periodic payouts during a designated period, usually 10 or 20 years, and continues during the joint lifetime of the Annuitant and a designated joint Annuitant. The payouts continue during the lifetime of the survivor. The designated period is selected by the Contractowner.
Joint Life and Two Thirds to Survivor Annuity. This option provides a periodic payout during the joint lifetime of the Annuitant and a designated joint Annuitant. When one of the joint Annuitants dies, the survivor receives two thirds of the periodic payout made when both were alive.
Joint Life and Two-Thirds Survivor Annuity with Guaranteed Period. This option provides a periodic payout during the joint lifetime of the Annuitant and a joint Annuitant. When one of the joint Annuitants dies, the survivor receives two-thirds of the periodic payout
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made when both were alive. This option further provides that should one or both of the Annuitants die during the elected guaranteed period, usually 10 or 20 years, full benefit payment will continue for the rest of the guaranteed period.
Life Annuity with Unit Refund. This option offers a periodic payout during the lifetime of the Annuitant with the guarantee that upon death a payout will be made of the value of the number of Annuity Units (see Variable Annuity Payouts) equal to the excess, if any, of:
the total amount applied under this option divided by the Annuity Unit value for the date payouts begin, minus
the Annuity Units represented by each payout to the Annuitant multiplied by the number of payouts paid before death.
The value of the number of Annuity Units is computed on the date the death claim is approved for payment by the Home Office.
Life Annuity with Cash Refund. Fixed annuity benefit payments that will be made for the lifetime of the Annuitant with the guarantee that upon death, should (a) the total dollar amount applied to purchase this option be greater than (b) the fixed annuity benefit payment multiplied by the number of annuity benefit payments paid prior to death, then a refund payment equal to the dollar amount of (a) minus (b) will be made.
Under the annuity options listed above, you may not make withdrawals. Other options, with or without withdrawal features, may be made available by us. You may pre-select an Annuity Payout option as a method of paying the Death Benefit to a Beneficiary. If you do, the Beneficiary cannot change this payout option. You may change or revoke in writing to our Home Office, any such selection, unless such selection was made irrevocable. If you have not already chosen an Annuity Payout option, the Beneficiary may choose any Annuity Payout option. At death, options are only available to the extent they are consistent with the requirements of the Contract as well as Sections 72(s) and 401(a)(9) of the tax code, if applicable.
General Information
Any previously selected Death Benefit in effect before the Annuity Commencement Date will no longer be available on and after the Annuity Commencement Date. You may change the Annuity Commencement Date, change the annuity option or change the allocation of the investment among Subaccounts up to 30 days before the scheduled Annuity Commencement Date, upon written notice to the Home Office. You must give us at least 30 days’ notice before the date on which you want payouts to begin. We may require proof of age, sex, or survival of any payee upon whose age, sex, or survival payments depend.
Unless you select another option, the Contract automatically provides for a life annuity with Annuity Payouts guaranteed for 10 years (on a fixed, variable or combination fixed and variable basis, in proportion to the account allocations at the time of annuitization) except when a joint life payout is required by law. Under any option providing for guaranteed period payouts, the number of payouts which remain unpaid at the date of the Annuitant’s death (or surviving Annuitant’s death in case of joint life Annuity) will be paid to you or your Beneficiary as payouts become due after we are in receipt of:
An original certified death certificate or other proof of death satisfactory to us;
written authorization for payment; and
all claim forms, fully completed.
Variable Annuity Payouts
Variable Annuity Payouts will be determined using:
the Contract Value on the Annuity Commencement Date, less applicable premium taxes;
the annuity tables contained in the Contract;
the annuity option selected; and
the investment performance of the fund(s) selected.
To determine the amount of payouts, we make this calculation:
1.
Determine the dollar amount of the first periodic payout; then
2.
Credit the Contract with a fixed number of Annuity Units equal to the first periodic payout divided by the Annuity Unit value; and
3.
Calculate the value of the Annuity Units each period thereafter.
Annuity Payouts assume an investment return of 3%, 4%, 5% or 6% per year, as applied to the applicable mortality table. Some of these assumed interest rates may not be available in your state; therefore, please check with your registered representative. You may choose your assumed interest rate at the time you elect a variable Annuity Payout on the administrative form provided by us. The higher the assumed interest rate you choose, the higher your initial annuity payment will be. The amount of each payout after the initial payout will depend upon how the underlying fund(s) perform, relative to the assumed rate. If the actual net investment rate (annualized) exceeds the assumed rate, the payment will increase at a rate proportional to the amount of such excess. Conversely, if the actual net investment rate is less than the assumed rate, annuity payments will decrease. The higher the assumed interest rate, the less likely future annuity payments are to increase, or the payments will increase more slowly than if a lower assumed rate was used. There is a more complete explanation of this calculation in the SAI.
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Fixed Side of the Contract
Currently the fixed account is available for dollar cost averaging purposes only.
You may allocate Purchase Payments to the fixed side of the contract, if available. Allocations made to the fixed side of the contract are added to your Contract Value. Certain charges related to the Contract and the charges for the Living Benefit Riders are deducted from your Contract Value. Therefore, a portion of those charges may be deducted from the fixed account. See the Charges and Other Deductions section of this prospectus for more information. Since amounts in the fixed account make up part of your Contract Value, those amounts may be used to calculate benefits under the Living Benefit Riders. See the Living Benefit Riders section in this prospectus for more information.
Purchase Payments and Contract Value allocated to the fixed side of the contract become part of our general account, and do not participate in the investment experience of the VAA. The general account is subject to regulation and supervision by the Indiana Department of Insurance as well as the insurance laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which the contracts are distributed.
In reliance on certain exemptions, exclusions and rules, we have not registered interests in the general account as a security under the Securities Act of 1933 and have not registered the general account as an investment company under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, neither the general account nor any interests in it are regulated under the 1933 Act or the 1940 Act. These disclosures, however, may be subject to certain provisions of the federal securities laws relating to the accuracy and completeness of statements made in prospectuses. This prospectus is generally intended to serve as a disclosure document only for aspects of the Contract involving the VAA, and therefore contains only selected information regarding the fixed side of the contract. Complete details regarding the fixed side of the contract are in the Contract.
We guarantee an annual effective interest rate of not less than 1.50% per year on amounts held in a fixed account.
ANY INTEREST IN EXCESS OF 1.50% (OR THE GUARANTEED MINIMUM INTEREST RATE STATED IN YOUR CONTRACT) WILL BE DECLARED IN ADVANCE AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION. CONTRACTOWNERS BEAR THE RISK THAT NO INTEREST IN EXCESS OF THE MINIMUM INTEREST RATE WILL BE DECLARED.
The fixed account is not currently available.
Your Contract may not offer a fixed account or if permitted by your Contract, we may discontinue accepting Purchase Payments or transfers into the fixed side of the contract at any time. Please contact your registered representative for further information.
Small Contract Surrenders
We may surrender your Contract, in accordance with the laws of your state if:
your Contract Value drops below certain state specified minimum amounts ($1,000 or less) for any reason, including if your Contract Value decreases due to the performance of the Subaccounts you selected;
no Purchase Payments have been received for two (2) full, consecutive Contract Years; and
the annuity benefit at the Annuity Commencement Date would be less than $20.00 per month (these requirements may differ in some states).
At least 60 days before we surrender your Contract, we will send you a letter at your last address we have on file, to inform you that your Contract will be surrendered. You will have the opportunity to make additional Purchase Payments to bring your Contract Value above the minimum level to avoid surrender. We will not surrender your Contract if you are receiving guaranteed payments from us under one of the Living Benefit Riders.
Delay of Payments
Contract proceeds from the VAA will be paid within seven days, except:
when the NYSE is closed (other than weekends and holidays);
times when market trading is restricted or the SEC declares an emergency, and we cannot value units or the funds cannot redeem shares; or
when the SEC so orders to protect Contractowners.
If, pursuant to SEC rules, an underlying money market fund suspends payment of redemption proceeds in connection with a liquidation of the fund, we will delay payment of any transfer, partial withdrawal, surrender, loan, or Death Benefit from the money market subaccount until the fund is liquidated. Payment of contract proceeds from the fixed account may be delayed for up to six months.
Due to federal laws designed to counter terrorism and prevent money laundering by criminals, we may be required to reject a Purchase Payment and/or deny payment of a request for transfers, withdrawals, surrenders, or Death Benefits, until instructions are received from the appropriate regulator. We also may be required to provide additional information about a Contractowner's account to government regulators.
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Reinvestment Privilege
You may elect to make a reinvestment purchase with any part of the proceeds of a surrender/withdrawal .
This election must be made by your written authorization to us on an approved Lincoln reinvestment form and received in our Home Office within 30 days of the date of the surrender/withdrawal, and the repurchase must be of a Contract covered by this prospectus. Lincoln reserves the right to not reinstate certain riders that were in effect prior to the surrender/withdrawal. In the case of a qualified retirement plan, a representation must be made that the proceeds being used to make the purchase have retained their tax-favored status under an arrangement for which the contracts offered by this prospectus are designed. The number of Accumulation Units which will be credited when the proceeds are reinvested will be based on the value of the Accumulation Unit(s) on the next Valuation Date. This computation will occur following receipt of the proceeds and request for reinvestment at the Home Office. You may utilize the reinvestment privilege only once. For tax reporting purposes, we will treat a surrender/withdrawal and a subsequent reinvestment purchase as separate transactions (and a Form 1099 may be issued, if applicable). Any taxable distribution that is reinvested may still be reported as taxable. You should consult a tax advisor before you request a surrender/withdrawal or subsequent reinvestment purchase.
Amendment of Contract
We reserve the right to amend the Contract to meet the requirements of the 1940 Act or other applicable federal or state laws or regulations. You will be notified in writing of any changes, modifications or waivers. Any changes are subject to prior approval of your state’s insurance department (if required).
Distribution of the Contracts
Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc. (“LFD”) serves as Principal Underwriter of this Contract. LFD is affiliated with Lincoln Life and is registered as a broker-dealer with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is a member of FINRA. The Principal Underwriter has entered into a selling agreement with Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation and/or Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation (collectively “LFN”), also affiliates of ours. While the Principal Underwriter has the legal authority to make payments to LFN, we will make such payments on behalf of the Principal Underwriter in compliance with appropriate regulations. We also pay on behalf of LFD certain of its operating expenses related to the distribution of this and other of our contracts. The following paragraphs describe how payments are made by us and the Principal Underwriter to various parties. We pay LFD a wholesaling allowance for distribution of the Contract.
Compensation Paid to LFN. No commissions are paid to LFN in connection with the sale of this Contract. However, Lincoln Life pays for the operating and other expenses of LFN, including the following sales expenses: registered representative training allowances; compensation and bonuses for LFN’s management team; advertising expenses; and all other expenses of distributing the contracts. LFN registered representatives and their managers are also eligible for various cash benefits, such as bonuses and insurance benefits that we may provide jointly with LFN. LFN registered representatives and their managers may receive other payments from us for services that do not directly involve the sale of the contracts, including payments made for the recruitment and training of personnel, production of promotional literature and similar services. The payment of bonuses to the registered representatives and their managers may provide them incentives to recommend the Contract for purchase. You may wish to take such payment arrangement into account when considering and evaluating any recommendation relating to the Contract. Additional information relating to compensation paid in 2015 is contained in the SAI.
Compensation Paid to Other Parties. A marketing expense allowance is paid to American Funds Distribution (AFD) in consideration of the marketing assistance AFD provides to LFD. This allowance, which ranges from 0.10% to 0.16% is based on the amount of Purchase Payments initially allocated to the American Funds Insurance Series underlying the variable annuity. Commissions and other incentives or payments described above are not charged directly to Contractowners or the VAA. All compensation is paid from our resources, which include fees and charges imposed on your Contract.
Contractowner Questions
The obligations to purchasers under the contracts are those of Lincoln Life. This prospectus provides a general description of the material features of the Contract. Contracts, endorsements and riders may vary as required by state law. Questions about your Contract should be directed to us at 1-800-4LINCOLN (454-6265).
Federal Tax Matters
Introduction
The Federal income tax treatment of the contract is complex and sometimes uncertain. The Federal income tax rules may vary with your particular circumstances. This discussion does not include all the Federal income tax rules that may affect you and your contract.
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This discussion also does not address other Federal tax consequences (including consequences of sales to foreign individuals or entities), or state or local tax consequences, associated with the contract. As a result, you should always consult a tax adviser about the application of tax rules found in the Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), Treasury Regulations and applicable IRS guidance to your individual situation.
Qualified Retirement Plans
We have designed the contracts for use in connection with certain types of retirement plans that receive favorable treatment under the tax code. Contracts issued to or in connection with a qualified retirement plan are called “qualified contracts.” We issue contracts for use with various types of qualified retirement plans. The Federal income tax rules applicable to those plans are complex and varied. As a result, this prospectus does not attempt to provide more than general information about the use of the contract with the various types of qualified retirement plans. Persons planning to use the contract in connection with a qualified retirement plan should obtain advice from a competent tax adviser.
Types of Qualified Contracts and Terms of Contracts
Qualified retirement plans may include the following:
Individual Retirement Accounts and Annuities (“Traditional IRAs”)
Roth IRAs
Traditional IRA that is part of a Simplified Employee Pension Plan (“SEP”)
SIMPLE 401(k) plans (Savings Incentive Matched Plan for Employees)
401(a) / (k) plans (qualified corporate employee pension and profit-sharing plans)
403(a) plans (qualified annuity plans)
403(b) plans (public school system and tax-exempt organization annuity plans)
H.R. 10 or Keogh Plans (self-employed individual plans)
457(b) plans (deferred compensation plans for state and local governments and tax-exempt organizations)
Beginning January 1, 2012, our individual variable annuity products are no longer available for use in connection with all other qualified retirement plan accounts, with the exception of Traditional IRA, SEP IRA and Roth IRA arrangements.
We will amend contracts to be used with a qualified retirement plan as generally necessary to conform to the tax law requirements for the type of plan. However, the rights of a person to any qualified retirement plan benefits may be subject to the plan's terms and conditions. In addition, we are not bound by the terms and conditions of qualified retirement plans to the extent such terms and conditions contradict the contract, unless we consent.
Tax Deferral on Earnings
The Federal income tax law generally does not tax any increase in your contract value until you receive a contract distribution. However, for this general rule to apply, certain requirements must be satisfied:
An individual must own the contract (or the tax law must treat the contract as owned by an individual).
The investments of the VAA must be “adequately diversified” in accordance with IRS regulations.
Your right to choose particular investments for a contract must be limited.
The annuity commencement date must not occur near the end of the annuitant’s life expectancy.
Investments in the VAA Must Be Diversified
For a contract to be treated as an annuity for Federal income tax purposes, the investments of the VAA must be “adequately diversified.” Treasury regulations define standards for determining whether the investments of the VAA are adequately diversified. If the VAA fails to comply with these diversification standards, you could be required to pay tax currently on the excess of the contract value over the contract purchase payments. Although we do not control the investments of the underlying investment options, we expect that the underlying investment options will comply with the IRS regulations so that the VAA will be considered “adequately diversified.”
Restrictions
Federal income tax law limits your right to choose particular investments for the contract. Because the IRS has issued little guidance specifying those limits, the limits are uncertain and your right to allocate contract values among the subaccounts may exceed those limits. If so, you would be treated as the owner of the assets of the VAA and thus subject to current taxation on the income, bonus credits, persistency credits and gains, if applicable, from those assets. We do not know what limits may be set by the IRS in any guidance that it may issue and whether any such limits will apply to existing contracts. We reserve the right to modify the contract without your consent to try to prevent the tax law from considering you as the owner of the assets of the VAA.
39

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act (the “SECURE Act”) was enacted on December 20, 2019. The SECURE Act made a number of significant changes to the rules that apply to qualified retirement plans and IRA’s, including the following:
Eliminated the age 70½ limit for making contributions to an IRA. Beginning in 2020, an IRA owner can make contributions to his or her IRA at any age.
Changed the required minimum distribution rules that apply after the death of a participant or IRA owner.
Created the “Qualified Birth or Adoption” exception to the 10% additional tax on early distributions.
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement 2.0 (SECURE 2.0)
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE 2.0) Act (the “SECURE 2.0 Act”) was enacted on December 29, 2022. The SECURE 2.0 Act made specific changes to retirement plans and IRA’s, including:
Increased the required beginning date measuring age from age 72 to 73 for any participant or IRA owner who did not attain age 72 prior to January 1, 2023. As a result, required minimum distributions are generally required to begin by April 1 of the year following the year in which the participant or IRA owner reaches age 73.
Further increased the required beginning date measuring age to 75 by 2033.
Created exception to the 10% additional tax for distributions for domestic violence and emergencies.
Added provisions that permit rollover of 529 plan amounts to a Roth IRA for the beneficiary, within certain limits.
Tax Treatment of Qualified Contracts
The Federal income tax rules applicable to qualified retirement plans and qualified contracts vary with the type of plan and contract. For example,
Federal tax rules limit the amount of purchase payments that can be made, and the tax deduction or exclusion that may be allowed for the purchase payments. These limits vary depending on the type of qualified retirement plan and the plan Participant’s specific circumstances (e.g., the Participant’s compensation).
Minimum annual distributions are required under some qualified retirement plans once you reach age 70 ½ or retire, if later as described below.
Under most qualified plans, such as a traditional IRA, the owner must begin receiving payments from the contract in certain minimum amounts by a certain age, typically age 70 ½. Other qualified plans may allow the Participant to take required distributions upon the later of reaching age 70 ½ or retirement.
Please note that qualified retirement plans such as 403(b) plans, 401(k) plans and IRAs generally defer taxation of contributions and earnings until distribution. As such, an annuity does not provide any additional tax deferral benefit beyond the qualified retirement plan itself.
Tax Treatment of Payments
The Federal income tax rules generally include distributions from a qualified contract in the Participant's income as ordinary income. These taxable distributions will include purchase payments that were deductible or excludible from income. Thus, under many qualified contracts, the total amount received is included in income since a deduction or exclusion from income was taken for purchase payments. There are exceptions. For example, you do not include amounts received from a Roth IRA in income if certain conditions are satisfied.
Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)
Under most qualified plans, you must begin receiving payments from the Contract in certain minimum amounts by your “required beginning date”. Prior to the SECURE 2.0 Act, the required beginning date was April 1 of the year following the year you attain age 72 or retired. If you did not attain 72 prior to January 1, 2023, then your required beginning date will be April 1 of the year following the year in which you attain age 73 or retire. If you own a traditional IRA, your required beginning date under prior law was April 1 of the year following the year in which you attained age 72. If you did not attain age 72 prior to January 1, 2023, then your required beginning date will be April 1 of the year following the year in which you attain age 73. If you own a Roth IRA, you are not required to receive minimum distributions from your Roth IRA during your life.
Failure to comply with the minimum distribution rules applicable to certain qualified plans, such as Traditional IRAs, will result in the imposition of an excise tax. This excise tax equals 50% of the amount by which a minimum required distribution exceeds the actual distribution from the qualified plan.
Treasury regulations applicable to required minimum distributions include a rule that may impact the distribution method you have chosen and the amount of your distributions. Under these regulations, the presence of an enhanced Death Benefit, or other benefit, if any, may require you to take additional distributions. An enhanced Death Benefit is any Death Benefit that has the potential to pay more than the contract value or a return of purchase payments. Please contact your tax adviser regarding any tax ramifications.
40

Additional Tax on Early Distributions from Qualified Retirement Plans
The tax code may impose a 10% additional tax on an early distribution from a qualified contract that must be included in income. The tax code does not impose the additional tax if one of several exceptions applies. The exceptions vary depending on the type of qualified contract you purchase. For example, in the case of an IRA, the 10% additional tax will not apply to any of the following withdrawals, surrenders, or Annuity Payouts:
Distribution received on or after the Annuitant reaches 59½
Distribution received on or after the Annuitant’s death or because of the Annuitant’s disability (as defined in the tax law)
Distribution received as a series of substantially equal periodic payments based on the Annuitant’s life (or life expectancy), or
Distribution received as reimbursement for certain amounts paid for medical care.
These exceptions, as well as certain others not described here, generally apply to taxable distributions from other qualified retirement plans. However, the specific requirements of the exception may vary.
Unearned Income Medicare Contribution
Congress enacted the “Unearned Income Medicare Contribution” as a part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. This new tax, which affects individuals whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds certain thresholds, is a 3.8% tax on the lesser of (i) the individual’s “unearned income,” or (ii) the dollar amount by which the individual’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds the applicable threshold. Distributions that you take from your contract are not included in the calculation of unearned income because your contract is a qualified plan contract. However, the amount of any such distribution is included in determining whether you exceed the modified adjusted gross income threshold. The tax is effective for tax years after December 31, 2012. Please consult your tax advisor to determine whether your annuity distributions are subject to this tax.
Taxation of Death Benefits
We may distribute amounts from your contract because of your death. Federal tax rules may limit the payment options available to your Beneficiaries. If your spouse is your Beneficiary, your surviving spouse will generally receive special treatment and will have more available payment options. Non-spouse Beneficiaries do not receive the same special treatment. Payment options may be further limited depending upon whether you reached the date upon which you were required to begin minimum distributions. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 (“PPA”) permits non-spouse Beneficiary rollovers to an “inherited IRA” (effective January 1, 2007).
Transfers and Direct Rollovers
As a result of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (“EGTRRA”), you may be able to move funds between different types of qualified plans, such as 403(b) and 457(b) governmental plans, by means of a rollover or transfer. You may be able to rollover or transfer amounts between qualified plans and traditional IRAs. These rules do not apply to Roth IRAs and 457(b) non-governmental tax-exempt plans. The PPA permits direct conversions from certain qualified, 403(b) or 457(b) plans to Roth IRAs (effective for distribution after 2007). There are special rules that apply to rollovers, direct rollovers and transfers (including rollovers or transfers or after-tax amounts). If the applicable rules are not followed, you may incur adverse Federal income tax consequences, including paying taxes which you might not otherwise have had to pay. Before we send a rollover distribution, we will provide a notice explaining tax withholding requirements (see Federal Income Tax Withholding). We are not required to send you such notice for your IRA. You should always consult your tax adviser before you move or attempt to move any funds.
The IRS issued Announcement 2014-15 following the Tax Court’s decision in Bobrow v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2014-21. In the Announcement, the IRS stated its intent to apply the one-rollover-per-year limitation of 408(d)(3)(B) on an aggregate basis to all IRAs that an individual owns. This means that an individual cannot make a tax-free IRA-to-IRA rollover if he or she has made such a rollover involving any of the individual’s IRAs in the current tax year. If an intended rollover does not qualify for tax-free rollover treatment, contributions to your IRA may constitute excess contributions that may exceed contribution limits. This one-rollover-per-year limitation does not apply to direct trustee-to-trustee transfers.
Federal Income Tax Withholding
We will withhold and remit to the IRS a part of the taxable portion of each distribution made under a contract unless you notify us prior to the distribution that tax is not to be withheld. In certain circumstances, Federal income tax rules may require us to withhold tax. At the time a withdrawal, surrender, or Annuity Payout is requested, we will give you an explanation of the withholding requirements.
Certain payments from your contract may be considered eligible rollover distributions (even if such payments are not being rolled over). Such distributions may be subject to special tax withholding requirements. The Federal income tax withholding rules require that we withhold 20% of the eligible rollover distribution from the payment amount, unless you elect to have the amount directly transferred to certain qualified plans or contracts. The IRS requires that tax be withheld, even if you have requested otherwise. Such tax withholding requirements are generally applicable to 401(a), 403(a) or (b), HR 10, and 457(b) governmental plans and contracts used in connection with these types of plans.
Special Considerations for Same-Sex Couples
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The U.S. Supreme Court recently held same-sex spouses who have been married under state law will now be treated as spouses for purposes of federal law. You are strongly encouraged to consult a tax advisor before electing spousal rights under the contract.
Nonqualified Annuity Contracts
A nonqualified annuity is a contract not issued in connection with an IRA or a qualified retirement plan receiving special tax treatment under the tax code. These contracts are not intended for use with nonqualified annuity contracts. Different federal tax rules apply to nonqualified annuity contracts. Persons planning to use the contract in connection with a nonqualified annuity should obtain advice from a tax advisor.
Our Tax Status
Under existing Federal income tax laws, we do not pay tax on investment income and realized capital gains of the VAA. We do not expect that we will incur any Federal income tax liability on the income and gains earned by the VAA. However, the Company does expect, to the extent permitted under Federal tax law, to claim the benefit of the foreign tax credit as the owner of the assets of the VAA. Therefore, we do not impose a charge for Federal income taxes. If Federal income tax law changes and we must pay tax on some or all of the income and gains earned by the VAA, we may impose a charge against the VAA to pay the taxes.
Changes in the Law
The above discussion is based on the tax code, IRS regulations, and interpretations existing on the date of this prospectus. However, Congress, the IRS, and the courts may modify these authorities, sometimes retroactively.
Additional Information
Voting Rights
As required by law, we will vote the fund shares held in the VAA at meetings of the shareholders of the funds. The voting will be done according to the instructions of Contractowners who have interests in any Subaccounts which invest in classes of the funds. If the 1940 Act or any regulation under it should be amended or if present interpretations should change, and if as a result we determine that we are permitted to vote the fund shares in our own right, we may elect to do so.
The number of votes which you have the right to cast will be determined by applying your percentage interest in a Subaccount to the total number of votes attributable to the Subaccount. In determining the number of votes, fractional shares will be recognized.
Each underlying fund is subject to the laws of the state in which it is organized concerning, among other things, the matters which are subject to a shareholder vote, the number of shares which must be present in person or by proxy at a meeting of shareholders (a “quorum”), and the percentage of such shares present in person or by proxy which must vote in favor of matters presented. Because shares of the underlying fund held in the VAA are owned by us, and because under the 1940 Act we will vote all such shares in the same proportion as the voting instructions which we receive, it is important that each Contractowner provide their voting instructions to us. For funds un-affiliated with Lincoln, even though Contractowners may choose not to provide voting instruction, the shares of a fund to which such Contractowners would have been entitled to provide voting instruction will be voted by us in the same proportion as the voting instruction which we actually receive. For funds affiliated with Lincoln, shares of a fund to which such Contractowners would have been entitled to provide voting instruction will, once we receive a sufficient number of instructions we deem appropriate to ensure a fair representation of Contractowners eligible to vote, be voted by us in the same proportion as the voting instruction which we actually receive. As a result, the instruction of a small number of Contractowners could determine the outcome of matters subject to shareholder vote. All shares voted by us will be counted when the underlying fund determines whether any requirement for a minimum number of shares be present at such a meeting to satisfy a quorum requirement has been met. Voting instructions to abstain on any item to be voted on will be applied proportionately to reduce the number of votes eligible to be cast.
Whenever a shareholders meeting is called, we will provide or make available to each person having a voting interest in a Subaccount proxy voting material, reports and other materials relating to the funds. Since the funds engage in shared funding, other persons or entities besides Lincoln Life may vote fund shares. See Investments of the Variable Annuity Account.
Return Privilege
Within the free-look period after you receive the Contract, you may cancel it for any reason by sending us a letter of instruction, indicating your intent to exercise the free-look provision. A Contract canceled under this provision will be void. Except as explained in the following paragraph, we will return the Contract Value as of the Valuation Date on which we receive the cancellation request, plus any premium taxes which had been deducted. There are no additional Investment Requirements during the free-look period other than as required under an elected optional benefit. A purchaser who participates in the VAA is subject to the risk of a market loss on the Contract Value during the free-look period.
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For contracts written in those states whose laws require that we assume this market risk during the free-look period, a Contract may be canceled, subject to the conditions explained before, except that we will return the greater of the Purchase Payment(s) or Contract Value as of the Valuation Date we receive the cancellation request, plus any premium taxes that had been deducted. IRA purchasers will also receive the greater of Purchase Payments or Contract Value as of the Valuation Date on which we receive the cancellation request.
State Regulation
As a life insurance company organized and operated under Indiana law, we are subject to provisions governing life insurers and to regulation by the Indiana Commissioner of Insurance. Our books and accounts are subject to review and examination by the Indiana Department of Insurance at all times. A full examination of our operations is conducted by that Department at least every five years.
Records and Reports
As presently required by the 1940 Act and applicable regulations, we are responsible for maintaining all records and accounts relating to the VAA. We have entered into an agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company, c/o WeWork, 1100 Main Street, Suite 400, Kansas City, MO 64105, to provide accounting services to the VAA. We will mail to you, at your last known address of record at the Home Office, at least semi-annually after the first Contract Year, reports containing information required by that Act or any other applicable law or regulation.
A written confirmation of each transaction will be mailed to you on the next Valuation Date, except for the following transactions, which are mailed quarterly:
deduction of any account fee or protected lifetime income fees;
any rebalancing event under Investment Requirements or the portfolio rebalancing service;
any transfer or withdrawal under any applicable additional service: dollar cost averaging, AWS, or the cross-reinvestment service; and
Regular Income Payments from i4LIFE® Advantage.
Other Information
You may elect to receive your prospectus, prospectus supplements, quarterly statements, and annual and semiannual reports electronically over the Internet, if you have an e-mail account and access to an Internet browser. Once you select eDelivery, via the Internet Service Center, all documents available in electronic format will no longer be sent to you in hard copy. You will receive an e-mail notification when the documents become available online. It is your responsibility to provide us with your current e-mail address. You can resume paper mailings at any time without cost, by updating your profile at the Internet Service Center, or contacting us. To learn more about this service, please log on to www.LincolnFinancial.com, select service centers and continue on through the Internet Service Center.
Legal Proceedings
In the ordinary course of its business and otherwise, the Company and its subsidiaries or its separate accounts and Principal Underwriter may become or are involved in various pending or threatened regulatory or legal proceedings, including purported class actions, arising from the conduct of its business. In some instances, the proceedings include claims for unspecified or substantial punitive damages and similar types of relief in addition to amounts for alleged contractual liability or requests for equitable relief.
After consultation with legal counsel and a review of available facts, it is management’s opinion that the proceedings, after consideration of any reserves and rights to indemnification, ultimately will be resolved without any material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries, or the financial position of its separate accounts or Principal Underwriter. However, given the large and indeterminate amounts sought in certain of these proceedings and the inherent difficulty in predicting the outcome of such proceedings, it is reasonably possible that an adverse outcome in certain matters could be material to the Company’s operating results for any particular reporting period.
Please refer to the Statement of Additional Information for possible additional information regarding legal proceedings.
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Appendix A — Funds Available Under The Contract
The following is a list of funds currently available under the Contract. Depending on the optional benefits you choose, you may not be able to invest in certain funds. Current performance of the Subaccounts can be found at www.lfg.com/VAprospectus. More information about the funds is available in the prospectuses for the Funds, which may be amended from time to time and can be found online at www.lfg.com/VAprospectus. You can also request this information and current fund performance at no cost by calling 1-800-4LINCOLN (454-6265) or by sending an email request to Multi-FundE-Service@lfg.com.
The current expenses and performance information below reflects fees and expenses of the Fund, but do not reflect the other fees and expenses that your Contract may charge. Expenses would be higher and performance would be lower if these other charges were included. Each fund’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of future performance.
Investment Objective
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1
Current Expenses
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023)
 
 
 
1 year
5 year
10 year
Capital Appreciation.
LVIP American Century Select Mid Cap
Managed Volatility Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
1.17%2
9.13%
10.18%
N/A
Reasonable income.
LVIP BlackRock Dividend Value Managed
Volatility Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.91%2
9.12%
9.27%
6.16%
Capital Appreciation. A fund of funds.
LVIP BlackRock Global Allocation
Managed Risk Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
1.18%2
11.25%
4.66%
2.44%
A balance between current income and
growth of capital, with a greater
emphasis on growth of capital. A fund of
funds.
LVIP BlackRock Global Growth ETF
Allocation Managed Risk Fund - Service
Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.77%2
11.29%
4.45%
N/A
To maximize real return, consistent with
preservation of real capital and prudent
investment management.
LVIP BlackRock Inflation Protected Bond
Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.88%
4.81%
2.90%
1.93%
A balance between current income and
growth of capital, with a greater
emphasis on growth of capital. A fund of
funds.
LVIP BlackRock U.S. Growth ETF
Allocation Managed Risk Fund - Service
Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.74%2
11.96%
5.36%
N/A
Long-term growth of capital in a manner
consistent with the preservation of
capital.
LVIP Blended Large Cap Growth
Managed Volatility Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.92%2
33.81%
13.53%
9.01%
Capital Appreciation.
LVIP Blended Mid Cap Managed Volatility
Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.98%2
17.46%
9.94%
6.14%
Capital Appreciation.
LVIP ClearBridge Franklin Select Large
Cap Managed Volatility Fund - Service
Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
1.01%2
22.11%
10.71%
N/A
A-1

Investment Objective
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1
Current Expenses
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023)
 
 
 
1 year
5 year
10 year
Long-term capital appreciation. A fund of
funds.
LVIP Dimensional International Equity
Managed Volatility Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
1.01%
16.40%
5.24%
2.03%
Long-term capital appreciation. A fund of
funds.
LVIP Dimensional U.S. Equity Managed
Volatility Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.86%2
21.64%
12.58%
7.75%
Capital Appreciation. A fund of funds.
LVIP Fidelity Institutional AM® Select
Core Equity Managed Volatility Fund -
Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.99%2
24.81%
12.84%
8.06%
Long-term capital growth.
LVIP Franklin Templeton Global Equity
Managed Volatility Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.98%2
16.95%
8.71%
4.32%
A high level of current income with some
consideration given to growth of capital.
A fund of funds.
LVIP Global Conservative Allocation
Managed Risk Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
1.02%2
9.45%
3.97%
3.26%
A balance between a high level of current
income and growth of capital, with a
greater emphasis on growth of capital. A
fund of funds.
LVIP Global Growth Allocation Managed
Risk Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
1.01%2
13.05%
4.71%
3.46%
A balance between a high level of current
income and growth of capital, with an
emphasis on growth of capital. A fund of
funds.
LVIP Global Moderate Allocation
Managed Risk Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
1.00%2
11.56%
4.30%
3.30%
Capital Appreciation.
LVIP Invesco Select Equity Income
Managed Volatility Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.93%2
11.79%
9.71%
N/A
To maximize total return by investing
primarily in a diversified portfolio of
intermediate- and long-term debt
securities.
LVIP JPMorgan Core Bond Fund -
Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.74%
5.66%
1.04%
1.56%
Long-term capital appreciation.
LVIP JPMorgan Select Mid Cap Value
Managed Volatility Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
1.03%2
11.80%
8.97%
5.35%
A-2

Investment Objective
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1
Current Expenses
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023)
 
 
 
1 year
5 year
10 year
Maximum current income (yield)
consistent with a prudent investment
strategy.
LVIP Macquarie Bond Fund - Service
Class3
(formerly LVIP Delaware Bond Fund)
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.72%
5.57%
1.14%
1.64%
Total return.
LVIP Macquarie Diversified Floating Rate
Fund - Service Class3
(formerly LVIP Delaware Diversified
Floating Rate Fund)
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.88%2
5.31%
2.13%
1.43%
Maximum long-term total return
consistent with reasonable risk.
LVIP Macquarie Diversified Income Fund
- Service Class3
(formerly LVIP Delaware Diversified
Income Fund)
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.84%2
5.94%
1.75%
1.80%
Maximum total return, consistent with
reasonable risk.
LVIP Macquarie Limited-Term Diversified
Income Fund - Service Class3
(formerly LVIP Delaware Limited-Term
Diversified Income Fund)
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.83%2
4.68%
1.56%
1.36%
Capital Appreciation. A fund of funds.
LVIP MFS International Equity Managed
Volatility Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
1.18%2
13.59%
6.52%
3.94%
Current income consistent with the
preservation of capital.
LVIP Mondrian Global Income Fund -
Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.90%2
3.76%
-1.16%
0.01%
Long-term growth of capital. A fund of
funds.
LVIP Multi-Manager Global Equity
Managed Volatility Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
1.14%2
25.58%
10.25%
N/A
To seek a high level of current income
consistent with preservation of capital.
LVIP PIMCO Low Duration Bond Fund -
Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.93%2
4.61%
1.04%
N/A
To match as closely as practicable,
before fees and expenses, the
performance of the Bloomberg U.S.
Aggregate Index.
LVIP SSGA Bond Index Fund - Service
Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.62%2
5.03%
0.52%
1.23%
Long-term growth of capital. A fund of
funds.
LVIP SSGA Global Tactical Allocation
Managed Volatility Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.84%2
13.22%
6.02%
3.65%
A-3

Investment Objective
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1
Current Expenses
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023)
 
 
 
1 year
5 year
10 year
Capital Appreciation. A fund of funds.
LVIP SSGA International Managed
Volatility Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.88%2
17.15%
4.68%
N/A
Capital Appreciation. A fund of funds.
LVIP SSGA Large Cap Managed Volatility
Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.72%2
24.13%
12.94%
8.64%
Capital Appreciation. A fund of funds.
LVIP SSGA SMID Cap Managed Volatility
Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.86%2
13.41%
6.71%
3.95%
High level of current income and growth
of capital, with an emphasis on growth of
capital. A fund of funds.
LVIP U.S. Growth Allocation Managed
Risk Fund - Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
1.04%2
14.72%
5.88%
N/A
Total return consistent with the
preservation of capital. A fund of funds.
LVIP Vanguard Bond Allocation Fund -
Service Class
advised by Lincoln Financial Investments
Corporation
0.62%
5.73%
0.33%
1.02%
1
The name of the adviser or sub-adviser is not listed if the name is incorporated into the name of the fund or the fund company.
2
This fund is subject to an expense reimbursement or fee waiver arrangement. As a result, this fund’s annual expenses reflect temporary expense reductions. See the fund prospectus for additional information.
3
Investments in Macquarie VIP Series, Delaware Funds, Ivy Funds, LVIP Macquarie Funds or Lincoln Life accounts managed by Macquarie Investment Management Advisers, a series of Macquarie Investments Management Business Trust, are not and will not be deposits with or liabilities of Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46008 583 542 and its holding companies, including their subsidiaries or related companies, and are subject to investment risk, including possible delays in prepayment and loss of income and capital invested. No Macquarie Group company guarantees or will guarantee the performance of the series or funds or accounts, the repayment of capital from the series or funds or account, or any particular rate of return.
4
The Index to which this fund is managed to is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (SPDJI) and has been licensed for use by one or more of the portfolio’s service providers (licensee). Standard & Poor’s®, S&P®, S&P GSCI® and S&P 500® are registered trademarks of S&P Global, Inc. or its affiliates (S&P) and Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (Dow Jones). The trademarks have been licensed for use by SPDJI and sublicensed for certain purposes by the licensee. The licensee’s products are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, S&P, their respective affiliates, or their third party licensors, and none of these parties or their respective affiliates or third party licensors make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products, nor do they have liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of the Index.
5
Standard & Poor’s®,” “S&P®,” “Standard & Poor’s Equal Weight Index,” “S&P EWI,” “S&P 500®,” “Standard & Poor’s 500” and “500” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by the Invesco V.I. Equally-Weighted S&P 500 Fund. The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P, and S&P makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the fund.
6
Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”). The trademark has been licensed to S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and has been sublicensed for use for certain purposes by First Trust Advisors L.P. The product is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor's and Standard & Poor's makes no representation regarding the advisability of purchasing the product.
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Appendix B — Investment Requirements
As long as either the Guaranteed Benefit rider or i4LIFE® Advantage with the Guaranteed Income Benefit rider is in effect, you will be subject to Investment Requirements. This means you will be limited in how much you can invest in certain Subaccounts of your Contract. You must comply with the Investment Requirements during the period of time you own the rider (the minimum time period for ownership, if any, is specified in the termination section of each rider). After that period, if you no longer comply with the Investment Requirements, the rider will be terminated. We impose Investment Requirements to reduce the risk of investment losses that may require use to use our own assets to make guaranteed payments under a Living Benefit Rider.
Certain of the underlying funds that are included in the Investment Requirements, including funds managed by an adviser affiliated with us, employ risk management strategies that are intended to control the funds’ overall volatility, and for some funds, to also reduce the downside exposure of the funds during significant market downturns.
These funds are included under Investment Requirements (particularly in the Investment Requirements for the Managed Risk riders) in part because the reduction in volatility helps us reduce the risk of investment losses that may require us to use our own assets to make guaranteed payments under a Living Benefit Rider. At the same time, risk management strategies in periods of high market volatility or other market conditions could limit your participation in market gains. This may conflict with your investment objectives by limiting your ability to maximize potential growth of your Contract Value and, in turn, the value of any guaranteed benefit that is tied to investment performance. You should consult with your registered representative to determine whether these funds align with your investment objectives. For more information about the funds and the investment strategies they employ, please refer to the funds’ current prospectuses. Fund prospectuses are available by contacting us.
We have divided the Subaccounts of your Contract into groups and have specified the minimum or maximum percentages of Contract Value that must be in each group at the time you purchase the rider. The Investment Requirements may not be consistent with an aggressive investment strategy. You should consult with your registered representative to determine if the Investment Requirements are consistent with your investment objectives.
You can select the percentages of Contract Value (or Account Value if i4LIFE® Advantage Guaranteed Income Benefit is in effect) to allocate to individual Subaccounts within each group, but the total investment for all Subaccounts within the group must comply with the specified minimum or maximum percentages for that group.
In accordance with these Investment Requirements, you agree to be automatically enrolled in the portfolio rebalancing option under your Contract and thereby authorize us to automatically rebalance your Contract Value on a periodic basis. On each quarterly anniversary of the effective date of the rider, we will rebalance your Contract Value in accordance with your allocation instructions in effect at the time of the rebalancing. Any reallocation of Contract Value among the Subaccounts made by you prior to a rebalancing date will become your allocation instructions for rebalancing purposes. Confirmation of the rebalancing will appear on your quarterly statement and you will not receive an individual confirmation after each reallocation. If we rebalance Contract Value from the Subaccounts and your allocation instructions do not comply with the Investment Requirements, portfolio rebalancing will be paused, and any subsequent transfer requests will be considered not in Good Order until updated allocation instructions are received. These investments will become your allocation instructions until you tell us otherwise.
We may change the list of Subaccounts in a group, change the number of groups, change the minimum or maximum percentages of Contract Value allowed in a group, change the investment options that are or are not available to you, or change the rebalancing frequency at any time in our sole discretion. You will be notified at least 30 days prior to the date of any change. We may make such modifications at any time when we believe the modifications are necessary to protect our ability to provide the guarantees under these riders. Our decision to make modifications will be based on several factors including the general market conditions and the style and investment objectives of the Subaccount investments.
At the time you receive notice of a change to the Investment Requirements, you may:
1.
submit your own reallocation instructions for the Contract Value, before the effective date specified in the notice, so that the Investment Requirements are satisfied; or
2.
take no action and be subject to the quarterly rebalancing as described above. If this results in a change to your allocation instructions, then these will be your new allocation instructions until you tell us otherwise; or
3.
terminate the applicable rider immediately, without waiting for a termination event if you do not wish to be subject to these Investment Requirements.
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At this time, the Subaccount groups are as follows:
Group 1
Investments must be at least 30% of Contract
Value or Account Value
Group 2
Investments cannot exceed 70% of Contract
Value or Account Value
Group 3
Investments cannot exceed 10% of Contract
Value or Account Value
LVIP BlackRock Inflation Protected Bond Fund
LVIP JPMorgan Core Bond Fund
LVIP Macquarie Bond Fund
LVIP Macquarie Diversified Floating Rate Fund
LVIP Macquarie Diversified Income Fund
LVIP Macquarie Limited-Term Diversified Income
Fund
LVIP Mondrian Global Income Fund
LVIP PIMCO Low Duration Bond Fund
LVIP SSGA Bond Index Fund
LVIP Vanguard Bond Allocation Fund
LVIP American Century Select Mid Cap Managed
Volatility Fund
LVIP BlackRock Dividend Value Managed
Volatility Fund
LVIP BlackRock Global Allocation Managed Risk
Fund
LVIP BlackRock Global Growth ETF Allocation
Managed Risk Fund
LVIP BlackRock U.S. Growth ETF Allocation
Managed Risk Fund
LVIP Blended Large Cap Growth Managed
Volatility Fund
LVIP Blended Mid Cap Managed Volatility Fund
LVIP ClearBridge Franklin Select Large Cap
Equity Managed Volatility Fund
LVIP ClearBridge Large Cap Managed Volatility
Fund
LVIP Dimensional International Equity Managed
Volatility Fund
LVIP Dimensional U.S. Equity Managed Volatility
Fund
LVIP Fidelity Institutional AM® Select Core Equity
Managed Volatility Fund
LVIP Franklin Templeton Global Equity Managed
Volatility Fund
LVIP Global Conservative Allocation Managed
Risk Fund
LVIP Global Growth Allocation Managed Risk
Fund
LVIP Global Moderate Allocation Managed Risk
Fund
LVIP Invesco Select Equity Income Managed
Volatility Fund
LVIP JPMorgan Select Mid Cap Value Managed
Volatility Fund
LVIP MFS International Equity Managed Volatility
Fund
LVIP Multi-Manager Global Equity Managed
Volatility Fund
LVIP SSGA Global Tactical Allocation Managed
Volatility Fund
LVIP SSGA International Managed Volatility Fund
LVIP SSGA Large Cap Managed Volatility Fund
LVIP SSGA SMID Cap Managed Volatility Fund
LVIP U.S. Growth Allocation Managed Risk Fund
No Subaccounts at this time.
The fixed accounts are not available with these riders.
As an alternative to satisfy these Investment Requirements, you may allocate 100% of your Contract Value or i4LIFE® Advantage Account Value among the funds listed below. If you allocate less than 100% of Contract Value or i4LIFE® Advantage Account Value among these funds, then the funds listed below that are also listed in Group 1 will be subject to Group 1 restrictions. Any remaining funds listed below that are not listed in Group 1 will fall into Group 2 and be subject to Group 2 restrictions.
LVIP BlackRock Global Allocation V.I. Managed Volatility Fund
LVIP BlackRock Global Growth ETF Allocation Managed Risk Fund
LVIP BlackRock Inflation Protected Bond Fund
LVIP BlackRock U.S. Growth ETF Allocation Managed Risk Fund
LVIP Global Conservative Allocation Managed Risk Fund
LVIP Global Growth Allocation Managed Risk Fund
LVIP Global Moderate Allocation Managed Risk Fund
LVIP JPMorgan Core Bond Fund
LVIP Macquarie Bond Fund
LVIP Macquarie Diversified Floating Rate Fund
LVIP Macquarie Diversified Income Fund
LVIP Macquarie Limited-Term Diversified Income Fund
LVIP Mondrian Global Income Fund
LVIP PIMCO Low Duration Bond Fund
B-2

LVIP SSGA Bond Index Fund
LVIP SSGA Global Tactical Allocation Managed Volatility Fund
LVIP U.S. Growth Allocation Managed Risk Fund
LVIP Vanguard Bond Allocation Fund
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The SAI includes additional information about the Contract, Lincoln Life, and the VAA, and is incorporated by reference in this prospectus. The SAI is dated the same date as this prospectus. We will provide the SAI without charge upon request. You may obtain a free copy of the SAI and submit inquiries by:
Mailing: The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, PO Box 2340, Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2340
Visiting: www.lfg.com/VAprospectus
Emailing: Multi-FundE-Service@lfg.com
Calling: 1-800-4LINCOLN (454-6265)
You may also obtain reports and other information about the VAA on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following email address: publicinfo@sec.gov. The SEC file numbers and the Contract’s contract identifier number are listed below.
SEC File Nos. 333-179107; 811-03214
EDGAR Contract Identifier C000112132

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (SAI)
Dated May 1, 2024
Relating to Prospectus Dated May 1, 2024 for
Multi-Fund® 5 Retirement Annuity
Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account C, Registrant
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, Depositor
The SAI provides you with additional information about Lincoln Life, the VAA, and your Contract. It is not a prospectus.
A copy of the product prospectus dated May 1, 2024, may be obtained without a charge by writing to the Home Office: Lincoln Life Customer Service, The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, PO Box 2340, Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2340, by calling: 1-800-4LINCOLN (454-6265), or by emailing: Multi-FundE-Service@lfg.com and requesting a copy of the Multi-Fund® 5 Retirement Annuity product prospectus.
TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE SAI

Special Terms
The special terms used in this SAI are the ones defined in the prospectus.
General Information and History
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company (Lincoln Life or Company), organized in 1905, is an Indiana-domiciled insurance company, engaged primarily in the direct issuance of life insurance contracts and annuities. Lincoln Life is wholly owned by Lincoln National Corporation (LNC), a publicly held insurance and financial services holding company incorporated in Indiana. Lincoln Life is obligated to pay all amounts promised to Contractowners under the contracts.
Our Financial Condition. Depending on when you purchased your Contract, you may be permitted to make allocations to the fixed account, which is part of our general account. See The Fixed Side of the Contract. In addition, any guarantees under the Contract that exceed your Contract Value, such as those associated with Death Benefit options and Living Benefit Riders are paid from our general account (not the VAA). Therefore, any amounts that we may pay under the Contract in excess of Contract Value are subject to our financial strength and claims-paying ability and our long-term ability to make such payments. We issue other types of insurance policies and financial products in addition to the Contract. We also pay our obligations under these products from our assets in the general account. Moreover, unlike assets held in the VAA, the assets of the general account are subject to the general liabilities of the Company and, therefore, to the Company’s general creditors. In the event of an insolvency or receivership, payments we make from our general account to satisfy claims under the Contract would generally receive the same priority as our other Contractowner obligations.
The general account is subject to regulation and supervision by the Indiana Insurance Department as well as the insurance laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which the contracts are distributed. The laws and regulations applicable to us regulate the investments we can make with assets held in our general account. In general, those laws and regulations determine the amount and type of investments which we can make with general account assets.
In addition, state insurance regulations require that insurance companies calculate and establish on their financial statements, a specified amount of reserves in order to meet the contractual obligations to pay the claims of our Contractowners. In order to meet our claims-paying obligations, we regularly monitor our reserves to ensure we hold sufficient amounts to cover actual or expected contract and claims payments. However, it is important to note that there is no guarantee that we will always be able to meet our claims paying obligations, and that there are risks to purchasing any insurance product.
State insurance regulators also require insurance companies to maintain a minimum amount of capital in excess of liabilities, which acts as a cushion in the event that the insurer suffers a financial impairment, based on the inherent risks in the insurer’s operations. These risks include those associated with losses that we may incur as the result of defaults on the payment of interest or principal on assets held in our general account, which include bonds, mortgages, general real estate investments, and stocks, as well as the loss in value of these investments resulting from a loss in their market value.
How to Obtain More Information. We encourage both existing and prospective Contractowners to read and understand our financial statements. We prepare our financial statements on both a statutory basis and according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Our audited GAAP financial statements, as well as the financial statements of the VAA, are located in the SAI. Instructions on how to obtain a free copy of the SAI, are provided on the last page of this prospectus. You may obtain our audited statutory financial statements and any unaudited statutory financial statements that may be available by visiting our website at www.LincolnFinancial.com.
You also will find on our website information on ratings assigned to us by one or more independent rating organizations. These ratings are opinions of an operating insurance company’s financial capacity to meet the obligations of its insurance and annuity contracts based on its financial strength and/or claims-paying ability. Additional information about rating agencies is included in the SAI.
Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) and its affiliates. Through its affiliates, Lincoln Financial Group offers annuities, life, group life and disability insurance, 401(k) and 403(b) plans, and comprehensive financial planning and advisory services.
Variable Annuity Account (VAA)
On June 3, 1981, the VAA was established as an insurance company separate account under Indiana law. It is registered with the SEC as a unit investment trust under the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act). The VAA is a segregated investment account. Income, gains and losses credited to, or charged against, the VAA reflect the VAA’s own investment experience and not the investment experience of Lincoln Life’s other assets. The assets of the VAA may not be used to pay any liabilities of Lincoln Life
B-2

other than those arising from the contracts supported by the VAA. Lincoln Life is obligated to pay all amounts promised to Contractowners under the contracts.
The VAA is used to support other annuity contracts offered by us in addition to the contracts described in this prospectus. The other annuity contracts supported by the VAA generally invest in the same funds as the contracts described in this prospectus. These other annuity contracts may have different charges that could affect the performance of their Subaccounts, and they offer different benefits.
Investment Results
At times, the VAA may compare its investment results to various unmanaged indices or other variable annuities in reports to shareholders, sales literature and advertisements. The results will be calculated on a total return basis for various periods, with or without surrender charges. Results calculated without surrender charges will be higher. Total returns include the reinvestment of all distributions, which are reflected in changes in unit value. The money market Subaccount's yield is based upon investment performance over a 7-day period, which is then annualized.
There can be no assurance that a money market fund will be able to maintain a stable net asset value of $1.00 per share. During periods of low interest rates, the yield of a money market fund may become extremely low and possibly negative. In addition, if the yield of a Subaccount investing in a money market fund becomes negative, due in part to contract fees and expenses, your Contract Value may decline. An investment in a money market fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The sponsor of a money market fund has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the fund at any time. If, under SEC rules, a money market fund suspends payments of redemption proceeds, we will delay payment of any transfer, withdrawal, or benefit from a Subaccount investing in the money market fund until the fund resumes payment. If, under SEC rules, a money market fund institutes a liquidity fee, we may assess the fee against your Contract Value if a payment is made to you from a Subaccount investing in the money market fund.
The money market yield figure and annual performance of the Subaccounts are based on past performance and do not indicate or represent future performance.
Capital Markets
In any particular year, our capital may increase or decrease depending on a variety of factors — the amount of our statutory income or losses (which is sensitive to equity market and credit market conditions), the amount of additional capital we must hold to support business growth, changes in reserving requirements, our inability to secure capital market solutions to provide reserve relief, such as issuing letters of credit to support captive reinsurance structures, changes in equity market levels, the value of certain fixed-income and equity securities in our investment portfolio and changes in interest rates.
Advertising & Ratings
We may include in certain advertisements, endorsements in the form of a list of organizations, individuals or other parties which recommend Lincoln Life or the policies. Furthermore, we may occasionally include in advertisements comparisons of currently taxable and tax deferred investment programs, based on selected tax brackets, or discussions of alternative investment vehicles and general economic conditions.
Our financial strength is ranked and rated by nationally recognized independent rating agencies. The ratings do not imply approval of the product and do not refer to the performance of the product, or any separate account, including the underlying investment options. Ratings are not recommendations to buy our products. Each of the rating agencies reviews its ratings periodically. Accordingly, all ratings are subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the rating agencies, and therefore, no assurance can be given that these ratings will be maintained. Our insurer financial strength ratings are on outlook stable except for the ratings assigned by Fitch for all three insurance subsidiaries and the rating assigned by AM Best for First Penn Pacific Life Insurance Company, which are on outlook negative. Our financial strength ratings, which are intended to measure our ability to meet contract holder obligations, are an important factor affecting public confidence in most of our products and, as a result, our competitiveness. A downgrade of our financial strength rating could affect our competitive position in the insurance industry by making it more difficult for us to market our products as potential customers may select companies with higher financial strength ratings and by leading to increased withdrawals by current customers seeking companies with higher financial strength ratings. For more information on ratings, including outlooks, see https://www.lfg.com/public/aboutus/investorrelations/financialinformation/ratings.
About the S&P 500 Index. The S&P 500® Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC or its affiliates (“SPDJI”), and has been licensed for use by Lincoln Financial Investment Corporation (“LFI”) on behalf of certain LVIP Funds (the “Funds”). S&P®, S&P 500®, US 500, The 500, iBoxx®, iTraxx® and CDS® are registered trademarks of S&P Global, Inc. or its affiliates (“S&P”) and Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”). The trademarks have been licensed to SPDJI and have been sublicensed for use for certain purposes by LFI on behalf of the Funds. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. The Funds is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, S&P, any of their respective affiliates (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices”). S&P Dow Jones Indices does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the
B-3

Funds or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Funds particularly or the ability of the S&P 500® Index to track general market performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to the Funds with respect to the Index is the licensing of the Index and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices and/or its licensors. The S&P 500® Index is determined, composed and calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices without regard to LFI or the Funds. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation to take the needs of LFI or the owners of the Funds into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the S&P 500® Index. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Funds. There is no assurance that investment products based on the S&P 500® Index will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC is not an investment adviser, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, broker dealer, fiduciary, promoter (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended), “expert” as enumerated within 15 U.S.C. § 77k(a) or tax advisor. Inclusion of a security, commodity, crypto currency or other asset within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security, commodity, crypto currency or other asset nor is it considered to be investment advice.
NEITHER S&P DOW JONES INDICES NOR A THIRD PARTY LICENSOR GUARANTEES THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE S&P 500® INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN. S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE FUNDS, OWNERS OF THE FUNDS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. S&P DOW JONES INDICES HAS NOT REVIEWED, PREPARED AND/OR CERTIFIED ANY PORTION OF, NOR DOES S&P DOW JONES INDICES HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER, THE FUNDS REGISTRATION STATEMENT, PROSPECTUS OR OTHER OFFERING MATERIALS. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND LFI ON BEHALF OF THE FUNDS, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.
Non-Principal Risks of Investing In The Contract
Opportunity Cost. Principal amounts committed to an annuity contract are only available to choose from investment options available on the Contract, potentially causing you an opportunity cost.
Dying early. If you die earlier than expected, your designated beneficiary may not receive the full benefit of the future payments.
Divorce. If you get divorced, you could forfeit some or all of the value of your annuity to your former spouse.
Affiliated Funds. We may have incentive to select affiliated funds because we receive more revenue from an affiliated fund than a non-affiliated fund.
Fund of Funds. In some fund of funds (or master-feeder) arrangements, you may pay fees and expenses at both fund levels, which can reduce your investment return.
Services
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, One Commerce Square, 2005 Market Street, Suite 700, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103, has audited a) the financial statements of each of the subaccounts listed in the appendix to the opinion that comprise Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account C, as of December 31, 2023, the related statements of operations and the statements of changes in net assets for each of the periods indicated in the appendix to the opinion; and b) the consolidated financial statements of The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023 as set forth in their reports, which are included in this SAI and Registration Statement. The aforementioned financial statements are included herein in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP's reports, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
Keeper of Records
All accounts, books, records and other documents which are required to be maintained for the VAA are maintained by us or by third parties responsible to Lincoln Life. We have entered into an agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company, c/o WeWork, 1100
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Main Street, Suite 400, Kansas City, MO 64105, to provide accounting services to the VAA. No separate charge against the assets of the VAA is made by us for this service.
Purchase of Securities Being Offered
The variable annuity contracts are offered to the public through licensed insurance agents who specialize in selling our products; through independent insurance brokers; and through certain securities brokers/dealers selected by us whose personnel are legally authorized to sell annuity products. There are no special purchase plans for any class of prospective buyers. However, under certain limited circumstances described in the prospectus under the section Charges and Other Deductions, any applicable account fee and/or surrender charge may be reduced or waived.
Both before and after the Annuity Commencement Date, there are exchange privileges between Subaccounts, and from the VAA to the general account (if available) subject to restrictions set out in the prospectus. See The Contracts, in the prospectus. No exchanges are permitted between the VAA and other separate accounts.
The offering of the contracts is continuous.
Principal Underwriter
Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc. (“LFD”) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lincoln National Corporation and an affiliate of Lincoln Life. LFD serves as the principal underwriter (the “Principal Underwriter”) for the contracts, as described in the prospectus. The Principal Underwriter currently offers, and expects to continue offering, the contracts to the public on a continuous basis, but reserves the right to discontinue offering the contracts at any time. The Principal Underwriter offers the contracts through sales representatives, who are registered with either Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation (“LFA”) or Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation (“LFS”) (collectively, “LFN”), both of which are affiliates of LFD. The Principal Underwriter also may enter into selling agreements with other broker-dealers (“Selling Firms”) for the sale of the contracts. Sales representatives who are registered with Selling Firms are appointed as our insurance agents. LFD, in its capacity as Principal Underwriter, paid to LFN and Selling Firms, sales compensation totaling $30,411,728, $25,930,823 and $24,387,933 in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively, in connection with all of the contracts offered under the VAA. The Principal Underwriter retained no underwriting commissions for the sale of the contracts. LFD maintains its principal place of business at 130 North Radnor Chester Road, Radnor, Pennsylvania 19087.
Contract Information
Additional Services
Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA)—You may systematically transfer, on a monthly basis or in accordance with other terms we make available, amounts from certain Subaccounts, or the fixed side (if available) of the contract into the Subaccounts or in accordance with other terms we make available. You may elect to participate in the DCA program at the time of application or at any time before the Annuity Commencement Date by completing an election form available from us. The minimum amount to be dollar cost averaged is $2,000 over any time period between six and 60 months. We may offer different time periods for new Purchase Payments and for transfers of Contract Value. State variations may exist. Once elected, the program will remain in effect until the earlier of:
the Annuity Commencement Date;
the value of the amount being DCA'd is depleted; or
you cancel the program by written request or by telephone if we have your telephone authorization on file.
We reserve the right to discontinue or restrict access to this program at any time.
A transfer made as part of this program is not considered a transfer for purposes of limiting the number of transfers that may be made, or assessing any charges which may apply to transfers. Upon receipt of an additional Purchase Payment allocated to the DCA fixed account, the existing program duration will be extended to reflect the end date of the new DCA program. However, the existing interest crediting rate will not be extended. The existing interest crediting rate will expire at its originally scheduled expiration date and the value remaining in the DCA account from the original amount as well as any additional Purchase Payments will be credited with interest at the standard DCA rate at the time. DCA does not assure a profit or protect against loss.
Automatic Withdrawal Service (AWS)—AWS provides an automatic, periodic withdrawal of Contract Value to you. AWS may take place on either a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis, as selected by the Contractowner. You may elect to participate in AWS at the time of application or at any time before the Annuity Commencement Date by sending a written request to us. The minimum Contract Value required to establish AWS is $10,000. You may cancel or make changes to your AWS program at any time by
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sending a written request to us. If telephone authorization has been elected, certain changes may be made by telephone. Notwithstanding the requirements of the program, any withdrawal must be permitted under Section 401(a)(9) of the IRC for qualified plans or permitted under Section 72 of the IRC for nonqualified contracts.
Portfolio Rebalancing — Portfolio rebalancing is an option, which, if elected by the Contractowner, restores to a pre-determined level the percentage of the Contract Value (or Account Value under i4LIFE® Advantage), allocated to each variable Subaccount. This pre-determined level will be the allocation initially selected when the Contract was purchased, unless subsequently changed. The portfolio rebalancing allocation may be changed at any time by submitting a written request to us. If portfolio rebalancing is elected, all Purchase Payments allocated to the variable Subaccounts must be subject to portfolio rebalancing. Portfolio rebalancing may take place on either a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis, as selected by the Contractowner. The Contractowner may terminate the portfolio rebalancing program or re-enroll at any time by sending a written request to us. If telephone authorization has been elected, the Contractowner may make these elections by phone. The portfolio rebalancing program is not available following the Annuity Commencement Date.
Please note that all of the services discussed in this section will stop once we become aware of a pending death claim.
SecureLine® Account – SecureLine® is an interest bearing draft account established from the proceeds payable on a Contract administered by us that helps you manage your surrender or death benefit proceeds. You are the owner of the account, and are the only one authorized to transfer proceeds from the account. You may choose to leave the proceeds in this account, or you may use the checkbook we previously provided and write checks against the account until the funds are depleted. The SecureLine® account is part of our general account. It is not a bank account and it is not insured by the FDIC or any other government agency. As part of our general account, it is subject to the claims of our creditors. We receive a benefit from all amounts left in the SecureLine® account.
Interest credited in the SecureLine® account is taxable as ordinary income in the year such interest is credited, and is not tax deferred. We recommend that you consult your tax advisor to determine the tax consequences associated with the payment of interest on amounts in the SecureLine® account. The balance in your SecureLine® account began earning interest the day your account was opened and will continue to earn interest until all funds are withdrawn. Interest is compounded daily and credited to your account on the last day of each month. The interest rate will be updated monthly and we may increase or decrease the rate at our discretion. The interest rate credited to your SecureLine® account may be more or less than the rate earned on funds held in our general account. The interest rate offered with a SecureLine® account is not necessarily that credited to the fixed account. There are no monthly fees. You may be charged a fee if you stop a payment or if you present a check for payment without sufficient funds.
Other Information
Due to differences in redemption rates, tax treatment or other considerations, the interests of policyholders under the variable life accounts could conflict with those of Contractowners under the VAA. In those cases, where assets from variable life and variable annuity separate accounts are invested in the same fund(s) (i.e., where mixed funding occurs), the Boards of Directors of the fund involved will monitor for any material conflicts and determine what action, if any, should be taken. If it becomes necessary for any separate account to replace shares of any fund with another investment, that fund may have to liquidate securities on a disadvantageous basis. Refer to the prospectus for each fund for more information about mixed funding.
Determination of Accumulation and Annuity Unit Value
A description of the days on which Accumulation and Annuity Units will be valued is given in the prospectus. The New York Stock Exchange's (NYSE) most recent announcement (which is subject to change) states that it will be closed on weekends and on these holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, President's Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. If any of these holidays occurs on a weekend day, the Exchange may also be closed on the business day occurring just before or just after the holiday. It may also be closed on other days.
Since the portfolios of some of the funds and series will consist of securities primarily listed on foreign exchanges or otherwise traded outside the United States, those securities may be traded (and the net asset value of those funds and series and of the variable account could therefore be significantly affected) on days when the investor has no access to those funds and series.
Annuity Payments
Variable Annuity Payouts
Variable Annuity Payouts will be determined on the basis of:
the dollar value of the Contract on the Annuity Commencement Date less any applicable premium tax;
the annuity tables contained in the Contract;
the type of annuity option selected; and
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the investment results of the fund(s) selected.
In order to determine the amount of variable Annuity Payouts, we make the following calculation:
first, we determine the dollar amount of the first payout;
second, we credit the Contract with a fixed number of Annuity Units based on the amount of the first payout; and
third, we calculate the value of the Annuity Units each period thereafter.
These steps are explained below.
The dollar amount of the first periodic variable Annuity Payout is determined by applying the total value of the Accumulation Units credited under the Contract valued as of the Annuity Commencement Date (less any premium taxes) to the annuity tables contained in the Contract. The first variable Annuity Payout will be paid 14 days after the Annuity Commencement Date. This day of the month will become the day on which all future Annuity Payouts will be paid. Amounts shown in the tables are based on the 1983 Table “a” Individual Annuity Mortality Tables, modified, with an assumed investment return at the rate of 3%, 4%, 5% or 6% per annum, depending on the terms of your Contract. The first Annuity Payout is determined by multiplying the benefit per $1,000 of value shown in the contract tables by the number of thousands of dollars of value accumulated under the Contract. These annuity tables vary according to the form of annuity selected and the age of the Annuitant at the Annuity Commencement Date. The assumed interest rate is the measuring point for subsequent Annuity Payouts. If the actual net investment rate (annualized) exceeds the assumed interest rate, the payout will increase at a rate equal to the amount of such excess.
Conversely, if the actual rate is less than the assumed interest rate, Annuity Payouts will decrease. If the assumed rate of interest were to be increased, Annuity Payouts would start at a higher level but would decrease more rapidly or increase more slowly.
We may use sex-distinct annuity tables in contracts that are not associated with employer sponsored plans and where not prohibited by law.
At an Annuity Commencement Date, the Contract is credited with Annuity Units for each Subaccount on which variable Annuity Payouts are based. The number of Annuity Units to be credited is determined by dividing the amount of the first periodic payout by the value of an Annuity Unit in each Subaccount selected. Although the number of Annuity Units is fixed by this process, the value of such units will vary with the value of the underlying fund. The amount of the second and subsequent periodic payouts is determined by multiplying the Contractowner’s fixed number of Annuity Units in each Subaccount by the appropriate Annuity Unit value for the Valuation Date ending 14 days prior to the date that payout is due.
The value of each Subaccount’s Annuity Unit will be set initially at $1.00. The Annuity Unit value for each Subaccount at the end of any Valuation Date is determined by multiplying the Subaccount Annuity Unit value for the immediately preceding Valuation Date by the product of:
The net investment factor of the Subaccount for the Valuation Period for which the Annuity Unit value is being determined, and
A factor to neutralize the assumed investment return in the annuity table.
The value of the Annuity Units is determined as of a Valuation Date 14 days prior to the payment date in order to permit calculation of amounts of Annuity Payouts and mailing of checks in advance of their due dates. Such checks will normally be issued and mailed at least three days before the due date.
Financial Statements
The December 31, 2023 financial statements of the VAA and the December 31, 2023 consolidated financial statements of Lincoln Life are incorporated into this SAI by reference to the VAA’s most recent Form N-VPFS (“Form N-VPFS”) filed with the SEC.
B-7

Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account C
PART C - OTHER INFORMATION
Item 27. Exhibits
(b) Not applicable
(h) Fund Participation Agreements and Amendments between The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company and:
(j) Rule 22c-2 Agreements between The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company and:

(m) Not applicable
(n) Not applicable
(o) Not applicable
Item 28. Directors and Officers of the Depositor
The following list contains the officers and directors of The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company who are engaged directly or indirectly in activities relating to Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account C as well as the contracts. The list also shows The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company's executive officers.
Name
Positions and Offices with Depositor
Craig T. Beazer*
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Director
Jayson R. Bronchetti*
Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer and Director
Adam M. Cohen*
Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer
Ellen G. Cooper*
President and Director
Stephen B. Harris*
Senior Vice President and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer
Christopher M. Neczypor*
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Director
Nancy A. Smith*
Senior Vice President and Secretary
Joseph D. Spada**
Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Separate Accounts
Eric B. Wilmer***
Assistant Vice President and Director
*Principal business address is 150 N. Radnor-Chester Road, Radnor, PA 19087
**Principal business address is 350 Church Street, Hartford, CT 06103
***Principal business address is 1301 South Harrison Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Depositor or Registrant
Item 30. Indemnification
a) Brief description of indemnification provisions.
In general, Article VII of the By-Laws of The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company provides that Lincoln Life will indemnify certain persons against expenses, judgments and certain other specified costs incurred by any such person if he/she is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to a suit or proceeding because he/she was a director, officer, or employee of Lincoln Life, as long as he/she acted in good faith and in a manner he/she reasonably believed to be in the best interests of, or act opposed to the best interests of, Lincoln Life. Certain additional conditions apply to indemnification in criminal proceedings.
In particular, separate conditions govern indemnification of directors, officers, and employees of Lincoln Life in connection with suits by, or in the right of, Lincoln Life.
Please refer to Article VII of the By-Laws of Lincoln Life (Exhibit no. f(b) hereto) for the full text of the indemnification provisions. Indemnification is permitted by, and is subject to the requirements of, Indiana law.
b) Undertaking pursuant to Rule 484 of Regulation C under the Securities Act of 1933:
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Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the provisions described in Item 28(a) above or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer, or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any such action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
Item 31. Principal Underwriter
(a) Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc. (“LFD”) currently serves as Principal Underwriter for: Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account C; Lincoln National Flexible Premium Variable Life Account D; Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account E; Lincoln National Flexible Premium Variable Life Account F; Lincoln National Flexible Premium Variable Life Account G; Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account H; Lincoln Life & Annuity Variable Annuity Account H; Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account J; Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account K; Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account L; Lincoln Life & Annuity Variable Annuity Account L; Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account M; Lincoln Life & Annuity Flexible Premium Variable Life Account M; Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account N; Lincoln New York Account N for Variable Annuities; Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account Q; Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account R; LLANY Separate Account R for Flexible Premium Variable Life Insurance; Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account S; LLANY Separate Account S for Flexible Premium Variable Life Insurance; Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account T; Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account W; and Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account Y and Lincoln Life & Annuity Flexible Premium Variable Life Account Y; Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account JF-H; Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account JF-I; Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account JF-A; Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account JF-C; Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account JL-A; Lincoln Life & Annuity Flexible Premium Variable Life Account JA-B; Lincoln Variable Insurance Products Trust; Lincoln Advisors Trust.
(b) Officers and Directors of Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc.:
Name
Positions and Offices with Underwriter
Adam M. Cohen*
Senior Vice President and Treasurer
Jason M. Gibson**
Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer
Claire H. Hanna*
Secretary
John C. Kennedy*
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Jared M. Nepa*
Senior Vice President and Director
Thomas P. O'Neill*
Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Financial
Institutions Group
Timothy J. Seifert Sr*
Senior Vice President and Director
*Principal business address is 150 N. Radnor-Chester Road, Radnor, PA 19087
**Principal business address is 1301 South Harrison Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802
(c) N/A
Item 32. Location of Accounts and Records
This information is provided in the Registrant’s most recent report on Form N-CEN.
Item 33. Management Services
Not Applicable.
Item 34. Fee Representation
Lincoln Life represents that the fees and charges deducted under the contracts, in the aggregate, are reasonable in relation to the services rendered, the expenses expected to be incurred, and the risks assumed by Lincoln Life.
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SIGNATURES

 

(a)As required by the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, each Registrant certifies that it meets the requirements of Securities Act Rule 485(b) for effectiveness of these registration statements and has caused these Post-Effective Amendments to the registration statements to be signed on its behalf, in the City of Fort Wayne, and the State of Indiana on this 2nd day of April, 2024 at 9:40 am.

 

Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account C

Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account L

Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account Q

(Registrants) By: /s/ John D. Weber
    John D. Weber
    Vice President, The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company

 

Signed on its behalf, in the City of Hartford, and the State of Connecticut on this 2nd day of April, 2024 at 11:47 am.

 

The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company

(Depositor)

  By: /s/ Matthew L. Condos
    Matthew L. Condos
    (Signature-Officer of Depositor)
    Senior Vice President, The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company

 

Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account C (File No. 811-03214; CIK: 0000353894)

 

  033-25990 (Amendment No. 69) 333-179107 (Amendment No. 18)  
  333-112927 (Amendment No. 34) 333-267957 (Amendment No. 4)  

 

Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account L (File No. 811-07645; CIK: 0001015434)

 

333-04999 (Amendment No. 39) 333-187069 (Amendment No. 15) 333-187070 (Amendment No. 15)
333-187071 (Amendment No. 15) 333-187072 (Amendment No. 15) 333-198911 (Amendment No. 12)
333-198912 (Amendment No. 12) 333-198913 (Amendment No. 12) 333-198914 (Amendment No. 12)

 

Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account Q (File No. 811-08569; CIK: 0001048604)

 

  333-43373 (Amendment No. 35)  

 

(b)As required by the Securities Act of 1933, these Amendments to the registration statements have been signed by the following persons in their capacities indicated on April 2, 2024 at 9:40 am.

 

Signature Title
   
*/s/ Ellen G. Cooper President and Director
Ellen G. Cooper (Principal Executive Officer)
   
*/s/ Christopher M. Neczypor Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Director
Christopher M. Neczypor  
   
* /s/ Craig T. Beazer Executive Vice President and Director
Craig T. Beazer  
   
* /s/ Jayson R. Bronchetti Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer, and Director
Jayson R. Bronchetti  
   
* /s/ Adam M. Cohen Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer (Principal Accounting Officer)
Adam M. Cohen  
   
*/s/ Eric B. Wilmer Assistant Vice President and Director
Eric B. Wilmer  
   
* By  /s/ John D. Weber, Pursuant to a Power of Attorney  
  John D. Weber  

 

 

 


ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS

ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS

EXHIBIT 99.B(L)(1)

EXHIBIT 99.B(L)(2)