0000822671 tsr:C000010861Member 2026-01-01 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010861Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010861Member tsr:bench202409043992_7819Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010861Member tsr:bench202409043997_7819Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010861Member tsr:bench202409043993_7819Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010861Member tsr:bench202409043994_7819Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010861Member tsr:bench202409043996_7819Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010861Member tsr:bench202409043999_7819Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010861Member tsr:bench202409044001_7819Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010861Member tsr:bench202409043998_7819Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010861Member tsr:bench202409043995_7819Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010861Member tsr:bench202409044003_7819Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 2026-01-01 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010862Member 2026-01-01 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010862Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010862Member tsr:bench202409043992_7818Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010862Member tsr:bench202409043997_7818Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010862Member tsr:bench202409043993_7818Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010862Member tsr:bench202409043994_7818Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010862Member tsr:bench202409043996_7818Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010862Member tsr:bench202409043999_7818Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010862Member tsr:bench202409044001_7818Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010862Member tsr:bench202409043998_7818Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010862Member tsr:bench202409043995_7818Member 2026-06-30 0000822671 tsr:C000010862Member tsr:bench202409044003_7818Member 2026-06-30 iso4217:USD pure iso4217:USD shares false 0000822671 N-1A N-CSRS Putnam Variable Trust 2026-06-30 Putnam VT Small Cap Growth Fund Class IA 2026-06-30 <span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">This </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">semi-annual shareholder report</span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;"> contains important information about </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">Putnam VT Small Cap Growth Fund for the period </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">January 1, </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">2026, to </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">June 30, 2026.</span> semi-annual shareholder report <span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">You can find additional information about the Fund at </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;">https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents</span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">. You can also </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">request this information by contacting us at </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">(800) 225-1581</span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">.</span> https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents (800) 225-1581 <div><span style="text-transform:uppercase;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12.024pt;text-transform:uppercase;color:#1447FF;;"><b>WHAT WERE THE FUND COSTS FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS? </b></span></span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.824pt;color:#2D2D2D;;">(based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)</span></div> <div> <table cellspacing="0" style="width:98%;cellspacing:0;border-top:1.5pt solid #E6FAFF;border-left:1.5pt solid #E6FAFF; border-right:1.5pt solid #E6FAFF; border-bottom:1.5pt solid #E6FAFF; margin-left:7.9pt;"> <tr style="height:1px;"> <td style="height:1px;width:50%;background-color:#E6FAFF;"></td> <td style="height:1px;width:22.33812949640288%;background-color:#E6FAFF;"></td> <td style="height:1px;width:27.661870503597125%;background-color:#E6FAFF;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="1" style="background-color:#E6FAFF;;border-bottom:1.5pt solid #1447FF;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#E6FAFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1.5pt;padding-bottom:0;align:left;text-align:left;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;"><b>Class Name</b></span></div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="background-color:#E6FAFF;;border-bottom:1.5pt solid #1447FF;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#E6FAFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1.5pt;padding-bottom:0;align:center;text-align:center;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;"><b>Costs of a $10,000 </b></span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;"><b>investment</b></span></div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="background-color:#E6FAFF;;border-bottom:1.5pt solid #1447FF;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#E6FAFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1.5pt;padding-bottom:0;align:center;text-align:center;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;"><b>Costs paid as a percentage of a </b></span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;"><b>$10,000 investment</b></span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;"><sup>†</sup></span> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="1" style="background-color:#E6FAFF;;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#E6FAFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1.5pt;padding-bottom:0;align:left;text-align:left;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;">Class IA</span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:7.5pt;;"><sup>1</sup></span> </div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="background-color:#E6FAFF;;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#E6FAFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1.5pt;padding-bottom:0;align:center;text-align:center;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;">$48</span></div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="background-color:#E6FAFF;;white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#E6FAFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1.5pt;padding-bottom:0;align:center;text-align:center;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;">0.85%</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> 48 0.0085 <div><span style="text-transform:uppercase;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12.024pt;text-transform:uppercase;color:#1447FF;;"><b>KEY FUND STATISTICS </b></span></span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.824pt;color:#2D2D2D;;">(as of </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.824pt;color:#2D2D2D;;">June 30, 2026)</span></div> <div> <table cellspacing="0" style="width:98%;cellspacing:0;border-top:1.5pt solid #6B6B6B;margin-left:7.75pt;border-bottom:1.5pt solid #6B6B6B;margin-top:10px;"> <tr style="height:1px;"> <td style="height:1px;width:74.41007194244604%;"></td> <td style="height:1px;width:25.58992805755396%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="1" style="border-bottom:0.75pt solid #6B6B6B;vertical-align:top"> <div style="background-color:#FFFFFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1pt;padding-bottom:0;align:left;text-align:left;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#2D2D2D;;"><b>Total Net Assets</b></span></div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="border-bottom:0.75pt solid #6B6B6B;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#FFFFFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1pt;padding-bottom:0;align:right;text-align:right;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;">$52,100,167</span></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="1" style="border-bottom:0.75pt solid #6B6B6B;vertical-align:top"> <div style="background-color:#FFFFFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1pt;padding-bottom:0;align:left;text-align:left;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#2D2D2D;;"><b>Total Number of Portfolio Holdings</b></span></div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="border-bottom:0.75pt solid #6B6B6B;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#FFFFFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1pt;padding-bottom:0;align:right;text-align:right;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;">108</span></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="1" style="vertical-align:top"> <div style="background-color:#FFFFFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1pt;padding-bottom:0;align:left;text-align:left;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#2D2D2D;;"><b>Portfolio Turnover Rate</b></span></div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#FFFFFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1pt;padding-bottom:0;align:right;text-align:right;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;">54%</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div>

52100167

108

0.54

<div><span style="text-transform:uppercase;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12.024pt;text-transform:uppercase;color:#1447FF;;"><b>WHAT DID THE FUND INVEST IN? </b></span></span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.824pt;color:#2D2D2D;;">(as of </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.824pt;color:#2D2D2D;;">June 30, 2026)</span></div> <div><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12.024pt;color:#161616;;"><b>Portfolio Composition</b></span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12.024pt;color:#161616;;"><sup>*</sup></span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12.024pt;color:#161616;;"><b> (% of Total Investments)</b></span></div> <div><img alt="image" src="ts7819img004.jpg" style="width:96.41294838145232%"/></div> https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents true 0.249 0.222 0.218 0.091 0.060 0.046 0.024 0.014 0.004 0.072 Putnam VT Small Cap Growth Fund Class IB 2026-06-30 <span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">This </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">semi-annual shareholder report</span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;"> contains important information about </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">Putnam VT Small Cap Growth Fund for the period </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">January 1, </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">2026, to </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">June 30, 2026.</span> semi-annual shareholder report <span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">You can find additional information about the Fund at </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;">https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents</span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">. You can also </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">request this information by contacting us at </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">(800) 225-1581</span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#161616;;">.</span> https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents (800) 225-1581 <div><span style="text-transform:uppercase;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12.024pt;text-transform:uppercase;color:#1447FF;;"><b>WHAT WERE THE FUND COSTS FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS? </b></span></span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.824pt;color:#2D2D2D;;">(based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)</span></div> <div> <table cellspacing="0" style="width:98%;cellspacing:0;border-top:1.5pt solid #E6FAFF;border-left:1.5pt solid #E6FAFF; border-right:1.5pt solid #E6FAFF; border-bottom:1.5pt solid #E6FAFF; margin-left:7.9pt;"> <tr style="height:1px;"> <td style="height:1px;width:50%;background-color:#E6FAFF;"></td> <td style="height:1px;width:22.33812949640288%;background-color:#E6FAFF;"></td> <td style="height:1px;width:27.661870503597125%;background-color:#E6FAFF;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="1" style="background-color:#E6FAFF;;border-bottom:1.5pt solid #1447FF;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#E6FAFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1.5pt;padding-bottom:0;align:left;text-align:left;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;"><b>Class Name</b></span></div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="background-color:#E6FAFF;;border-bottom:1.5pt solid #1447FF;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#E6FAFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1.5pt;padding-bottom:0;align:center;text-align:center;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;"><b>Costs of a $10,000 </b></span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;"><b>investment</b></span></div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="background-color:#E6FAFF;;border-bottom:1.5pt solid #1447FF;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#E6FAFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1.5pt;padding-bottom:0;align:center;text-align:center;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;"><b>Costs paid as a percentage of a </b></span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;"><b>$10,000 investment</b></span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;"><sup>†</sup></span> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="1" style="background-color:#E6FAFF;;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#E6FAFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1.5pt;padding-bottom:0;align:left;text-align:left;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;;">Class IB</span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:7.5pt;;"><sup>1</sup></span> </div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="background-color:#E6FAFF;;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#E6FAFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1.5pt;padding-bottom:0;align:center;text-align:center;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;">$62</span></div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="background-color:#E6FAFF;;white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#E6FAFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1.5pt;padding-bottom:0;align:center;text-align:center;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;">1.10%</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> 62 0.0110 <div><span style="text-transform:uppercase;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12.024pt;text-transform:uppercase;color:#1447FF;;"><b>KEY FUND STATISTICS </b></span></span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.824pt;color:#2D2D2D;;">(as of </span><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.824pt;color:#2D2D2D;;">June 30, 2026)</span></div> <div> <table cellspacing="0" style="width:98%;cellspacing:0;border-top:1.5pt solid #6B6B6B;margin-left:7.75pt;border-bottom:1.5pt solid #6B6B6B;margin-top:10px;"> <tr style="height:1px;"> <td style="height:1px;width:74.41007194244604%;"></td> <td style="height:1px;width:25.58992805755396%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="1" style="border-bottom:0.75pt solid #6B6B6B;vertical-align:top"> <div style="background-color:#FFFFFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1pt;padding-bottom:0;align:left;text-align:left;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#2D2D2D;;"><b>Total Net Assets</b></span></div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="border-bottom:0.75pt solid #6B6B6B;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#FFFFFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1pt;padding-bottom:0;align:right;text-align:right;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;">$52,100,167</span></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="1" style="border-bottom:0.75pt solid #6B6B6B;vertical-align:top"> <div style="background-color:#FFFFFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1pt;padding-bottom:0;align:left;text-align:left;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#2D2D2D;;"><b>Total Number of Portfolio Holdings</b></span></div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="border-bottom:0.75pt solid #6B6B6B;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#FFFFFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1pt;padding-bottom:0;align:right;text-align:right;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;">108</span></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="1" style="vertical-align:top"> <div style="background-color:#FFFFFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1pt;padding-bottom:0;align:left;text-align:left;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="clear:both;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;color:#2D2D2D;;"><b>Portfolio Turnover Rate</b></span></div> </td> <td colspan="1" style="white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:bottom"> <div style="background-color:#FFFFFF;padding-left:2pt;padding-top:1pt;padding-bottom:0;align:right;text-align:right;padding-right:2pt;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top:1pt;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10.02pt;">54%</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div>

52100167

108

0.54