Putnam VT Government Money Market Fund

Fund Summary

Goal

Putnam VT Government Money Market Fund seeks as high a rate of current income as Putnam Investment Management, LLC believes is consistent with preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity.

Fees and expenses

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. The fees and expenses information does not reflect insurance-related charges or expenses borne by contract holders indirectly investing in the fund. If it did, expenses would be higher.

Annual fund operating expenses
(expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - Putnam VT Government Money Market Fund	Class IA	Class IB
Management fees	0.28%	0.28%
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees		0.25%
Other expenses	0.17%	0.17%
Total annual fund operating expenses	0.45%	0.70%

Example

The following hypothetical example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example does not reflect insurance-related charges or expenses. If it did, expenses would be higher. It assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all your shares at the end of those periods. It assumes a 5% return on your investment each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.

Expense Example - Putnam VT Government Money Market Fund - USD ($)	Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years	Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years
Class IA	46	144	252	567
Class IB	72	224	390	871

Investments, risks, and performance

Investments

We invest at least 99.5 percent of the fund’s total assets in cash, U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements that are fully collateralized by U.S. government securities or cash. We invest mainly in debt securities that are obligations of the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities and accordingly are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States (e.g., U.S. Treasury bills) or by the credit of a federal agency or government-sponsored entity (e.g., Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed bonds). The U.S. government securities in which we invest may also include variable and floating rate instruments and when-issued and delayed delivery securities (i.e., payment or delivery of the securities occurs at a future date for a predetermined price). Under normal circumstances, we invest at least 80% of the fund’s net assets in U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements that are fully collateralized by U.S. government securities. This policy may be changed only after 60 days’ notice to shareholders. The securities purchased by the fund are subject to quality, maturity, diversification and other requirements pursuant to rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. We may consider, among other factors, credit and interest rate risks, as well as general market conditions, when deciding whether to buy or sell investments.

Risks

The values of money market investments usually rise and fall in response to changes in interest rates. Interest rate risk is generally lowest for investments with short maturities (a significant part of the fund’s investments). Changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular type of issuer, and changes in general economic or political conditions can increase the risk of default by an issuer or counterparty, which can affect a security’s or instrument’s credit quality or value. Certain securities in which the fund may invest, including securities issued by certain U.S. government agencies and U.S. government sponsored enterprises, are not guaranteed by the U.S. government or supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Mortgage-backed investments carry the risk that they may increase in value less when interest rates decline and decline in value more when interest rates rise. We may have to invest the proceeds from prepaid investments, including mortgage- and asset-backed investments, in other investments with less attractive terms and yields.

The fund may not achieve its goal, and is not intended to be a complete investment program. You could lose money by investing in the fund. Although the fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share it cannot guarantee it will do so. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund’s sponsor 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.

Performance

The performance information below gives some indication of the risks associated with an investment in the fund by showing the fund’s performance year to year and over time. The performance information does not reflect insurance-related charges or expenses. If it did, performance would be lower. Please remember that past performance is not necessarily an indication of future results.

Annual total returns for class IA shares

Year-to-date performance
through 3/31/18   0.25%

Best calendar quarter
Q1 2008   0.95%

Worst calendar quarter
Q3 2016  0.00%

Average annual total returns
(for periods ending 12/31/17)

Average Annual Total Returns - Putnam VT Government Money Market Fund	1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
Class IA	0.47%	0.10%	0.37%
Class IB	0.24%	0.06%	0.31%

Effective April 30, 2016, Putnam VT Money Market Fund was renamed Putnam VT Government Money Market Fund. Performance for periods prior to April 30, 2016 is based on the fund’s prior investment strategy, which allowed the fund to invest in a broader range of money market securities.