How to find a pension you have lost track of

Many UK pensions have lost contact with their owners. Finding yours takes about ten minutes and costs nothing.

The short answer

Use the free government pension tracing service on GOV.UK to get the current contact details for an old scheme. Write to each one with your National Insurance number, former names and employment dates. Never pay a firm to do this, because they use the same free database.

£0Cost of the government tracing service

10 minutesTo start the search

11 jobsTypical working life, so up to eleven schemes

Never payFirms charging for this use the same free database

What is on this page

Why pensions get lost
The free way to find them
What each scheme needs from you
Never pay someone to do this
What to do once you find them

Why pensions get lost

Many people have several jobs over a working life. Each one may have started a pension. Nobody tells your old scheme when you move house.

Providers merge, change name and get bought. A scheme you remember as Scottish Amicable may now sit inside a completely different insurer.

Many UK pension pots have lost contact with their owners. Some of it is yours.

The free way to find them

The government runs a free tracing service. It finds the current contact details for a scheme from an employer name or a pension provider name.

List every employer you have had

Names, rough dates, and the town you worked in. Even part-time jobs count.

Use the government tracing service

Search on GOV.UK. It is free and gives you the scheme contact details.

Write to each scheme

Give your full name, any former names, date of birth, National Insurance number and dates of employment.

Ask three specific questions

What is it worth, what type is it, and does it carry any guarantees.

Record the answers in one place

One sheet with scheme, type, value and retirement age. That sheet is your plan.

What each scheme needs from you

Detail	Why they need it	Where to find it
Full name and any former names	Records are often held under a maiden name	Marriage certificate or old payslips
Date of birth	The primary identity check	Passport or driving licence
National Insurance number	How schemes index members	Payslip, P60 or your HMRC account
Employer name and dates	To find the right scheme and period	Old contracts, references or your employment history from HMRC
Current address	So they can write to you	Make sure it is your current one, since this is why pensions get lost

Send all five in the first letter. Missing one is the usual reason a scheme replies asking for more rather than with a value.

Want this checked against your own situation?

Send us the figures and we will tell you what they mean. If it is not ours to advise on, we will say who should.

Ask us a question

Prefer WhatsApp? Message us there. We are open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 8pm.

This goes to a separately authorised firm we have vetted. The introduction costs you nothing. If you go ahead, we may be paid a fee by that firm.

Never pay someone to do this

Firms advertise pension tracing for a fee. The government tracing service is free.

Worse, some tracing offers are a front for a scam. The pattern is a free review, then pressure to move the money somewhere unusual.

If anyone contacts you first about your pension, treat it as a warning sign. See how to spot a pension scam before you reply to anyone.

What to do once you find them

Small pots are often expensive to run relative to their size. Combining them can cut charges and make the whole thing easier to manage.

Two things stop that being automatic. Guaranteed annuity rates on older policies can be worth far more than the pot. Defined benefit schemes should almost never be folded in.

If combining looks right, that is regulated advice on a pension, which we do not give. We introduce you to a separately authorised firm. Our pensions page explains how that works.

Where you stand

Do this if

You have worked for more than two employers
You have moved house since a job ended
You remember a scheme but not the provider
A provider has been taken over or renamed

Be careful if

Someone contacted you first offering to trace pensions
A firm wants a fee to search
The offer comes with a free review attached
You are asked to transfer before you have seen the values

Check broadband before you make an offer

Broadband speeds can vary street by street, so check the exact address before you commit. Ofcom's free checker shows which broadband speeds and mobile coverage are available at any UK property.

Check broadband at an address (Ofcom)

Want all your bills in one?

We can introduce you to a specialist who can combine your mobile, broadband and utilities into one bill. There's no fee for the introduction.

WhatsApp us Contact us

We don't provide these services ourselves. Switching household bills is not a regulated financial service, so FCA protections and the Financial Ombudsman do not apply. We'll only pass your details to the specialist if you ask us to. See our privacy notice.

Questions people actually ask

How do I find an old pension?

Use the free government pension tracing service on GOV.UK. Search by employer or provider name, then write to the scheme with your National Insurance number and employment dates.

Is pension tracing free?

Yes. The government service costs nothing. Companies that charge a fee are using the same public database you can search yourself.

What information do I need to trace a pension?

Your full name and any former names, date of birth, National Insurance number, the employer's name and roughly when you worked there.

What if my old employer no longer exists?

The scheme usually still does. Pension money is held separately from the employer, so a company closing does not remove your pension.

Should I combine the pensions I find?

Often it cuts cost and admin, but not always. Check for guaranteed annuity rates and never fold a defined benefit scheme in. That decision needs regulated advice.

How do I check broadband speed at a property?

Use Ofcom's free broadband and mobile checker at checker.ofcom.org.uk. Enter the property's postcode and choose the address to see which broadband speeds and mobile coverage are available before you make an offer.

Where to go next

Where these figures come from

Figures checked on 1 September 2026 and correct for the 2026/27 tax year. Rates change, so check the source before you act on a number.

Written by Ben Tomlin. Pension advice goes to a separately authorised firm we have vetted. The introduction costs you nothing. If you go ahead, we may be paid a fee by that firm.

Last reviewed September 2026.

Found the pensions and not sure what to do next?

Send us the list. We will tell you what looks worth acting on and introduce you to the right kind of firm.

Start a conversation

Prefer WhatsApp? Message us there. We are open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 8pm.

This goes to a separately authorised firm we have vetted. The introduction costs you nothing. If you go ahead, we may be paid a fee by that firm.

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