Understanding Delaware's guaranty association
An annuity isn't FDIC-insured. If a carrier fails, the Delaware Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association provides a limited backstop — up to $250,000 in present value per insurance company, per person. It exists to catch a worst case; it is not a reason to buy, and in most states it is illegal for an agent to present it as one. Choose on carrier financial strength first — the right goal is a carrier that never needs the safety net.
Delaware has no annuity premium tax
Delaware levies no premium tax on annuities, so the carrier's posted rate is the rate you actually earn — a quiet edge over premium-tax states when you compare quotes.
Illustrative, 24% tax bracket, both lines after tax: $9,276 more over 5 years, almost all of it from the rate difference (6.3% vs 4.4%) rather than from deferral. The 4.4% CD leg is an assumed APY, not a quote; the FDIC all-institution average is 1.41%. A MYGA is an insurance contract, not FDIC-insured.
The gap above is mostly the rate difference rather than the tax treatment, but the deferral is the structural reason to prefer a MYGA over a taxable account holding the same rate; Delaware's lack of a premium tax preserves all of it. Use the 20-day Delaware free-look window to have an independent professional review any contract before it's final.
Go deeper: how to vet carrier safety, the free-look period, and annuity tax rules.