coin icon

How to find lost pensions

Advertisement

Pension jar with classic alarm clock beside it

At a glance

  • Finding a lost pension is easy and could result in significantly growing the pension pot you can expect when you retire.
  • Billions of £ worth of funds lay unclaimed every year.
  • A pension is an important part of your ‘estate’ and one that your dependants could claim against should you die before retirement.

Saving enough for a comfortable retirement is probably the biggest financial challenge facing workers in the UK.

But with the average person having several employers during their lifetime, it's easy to lose track of an old pension.

It's thought that over £5 billion is currently lying unclaimed in private, workplace and additional state pensions, such as SERPS. Is any of this lost pension money yours?

How to find a lost pension

Fortunately, there's an easy place to start if you're looking to locate lost pensions.

The Pension Tracing Service is a free service that's run by the Government. It has details of over 200,000 pension schemes that it can search to help locate your lost pension.

Before contacting the Pension Tracing Service, it will help if you have as much information to hand as possible.

 

For an old work pension, gather information on:

  • Which company you worked for and if they have changed names/address since you left.
  • When you worked there, when you started contributing to the scheme and when you finished.

 

For an old personal pension, make sure you know: 

  • The name and address of the pension scheme
  • The bank, building society or insurance company that sold the scheme 

 

And of course, any paperwork you have will prove very helpful in tracing your lost pension, too.

Seasonal Banner Seasonal Banner

How to keep track of your pension

  • Keep details of all your pensions in one place
  • Let your pension provider know if you change address

Moneyfacts tip

Moneyfacts tip Image of nigel woollsey

Make sure your family know where you keep your pension documentation in case you die before retirement (your pension will form part of your estate)

Disclaimer: This information is intended solely to provide guidance and is not financial advice. Moneyfacts will not be liable for any loss arising from your use or reliance on this information. If you are in any doubt, Moneyfacts recommends you obtain independent financial advice.

Pension jar with classic alarm clock beside it

At a glance

  • Finding a lost pension is easy and could result in significantly growing the pension pot you can expect when you retire.
  • Billions of £ worth of funds lay unclaimed every year.
  • A pension is an important part of your ‘estate’ and one that your dependants could claim against should you die before retirement.

Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will never contact you by phone to sell you any financial product. Any calls like this are not from Moneyfacts. Emails sent by Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will always be from news@moneyfacts-news.co.uk. Be ScamSmart.

Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will never contact you by phone to sell you any financial product. Any calls like this are not from Moneyfacts. Emails sent by Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will always be from news@moneyfacts-news.co.uk. Be ScamSmart.