How to Trace a Lost Pension
There is a free government service for this. You do not need to pay anyone to find your own money.
The Pension Tracing Service on GOV.UK is free and will give you contact details for a scheme from an employer or provider name. You do not need your National Insurance number to search, though it helps the scheme find you.
The free government service
The Pension Tracing Service on GOV.UK searches a database of workplace and personal pension schemes and gives you current contact details. It is free, it is run by the Department for Work and Pensions, and it is the correct first step. It does not tell you what your pension is worth. It tells you who to ask.
What to do when you have no paperwork
You do not need policy numbers. An employer name and roughly when you worked there is often enough, because the service searches by employer as well as by scheme. Old payslips, P60s and even a former colleague's memory of the provider all help.
We are not pension advisers. We introduce you to one who is, and the introduction costs you nothing.
Using your National Insurance number
You do not need it to search, but you will need it when you contact a scheme, because that is how they match you to a record. Have previous addresses and any former surname ready too. Schemes lose touch with members mainly because people move house, so the address history is often what unlocks it.
What to ask once you have found it
Ask for the current value, the type of scheme, whether there are guarantees attached, what charges apply and what death benefits it carries. Those five answers tell you whether it is worth doing anything with. Get them in writing before you make a decision.
Never pay a fee to trace a pension
Firms exist that charge to do what GOV.UK does free, and some of them are a front for something worse. A cold call offering to find or free up your pension is a scam pattern, not a service. If you have already given details to one, contact your scheme and tell them.
A worked example: Three employers, no paperwork
Michelle worked for three companies in her twenties and has no documents from any of them. Two have since been taken over and renamed.\nShe searches the Pension Tracing Service by employer name, and because the database records former names it returns current contact details for all three. She writes to each with her National Insurance number, dates of employment and her maiden name. Two hold pensions for her. It cost nothing and took an afternoon.
Figures are illustrative and rounded, used to show how the rule works. Your own numbers will differ.
A second example: The pension that was worth chasing
Ron worked somewhere for two years in the 1990s and assumed a short spell could not amount to much.\nTraced and valued, the pot had been invested and left alone for nearly thirty years. It was worth several times what he had put in. Short service does not mean small; a pension left untouched for decades has had the longest possible time to compound.
At a glance
| What you have | What to do |
|---|---|
| Employer name and rough dates | Use the Pension Tracing Service |
| Provider name only | Search by scheme on the same service |
| Nothing at all | Check old payslips, P60s and bank records for deductions |
| Contact details found | Write with your NI number, former addresses and any former name |
Common mistakes
- Paying a firm to do what the government service does free.
- Responding to a cold call offering to find or release your pension.
- Giving up because the employer no longer exists; former names are still traceable.
- Finding the pension and then not asking what it is actually worth.
We are introducers, not pension advisers. We put you in front of someone who is, and it costs you nothing.
What to do next, in order
- Search the Pension Tracing Service on GOV.UK.
- Write to each scheme with your NI number, dates of employment and former addresses.
- Ask for value, scheme type, guarantees, charges and death benefits.
- Only then decide whether anything needs doing.
Key terms, in plain English
- Pension Tracing Service
- A free GOV.UK service that returns current contact details for workplace and personal pension schemes.
- Deferred member
- Someone who has left a scheme but still has benefits in it.
- Preserved benefits
- Pension benefits left behind in a scheme after you stopped contributing.
- Defined contribution
- A pension built from contributions and investment growth. What you end up with depends on what went in and how it performed. Most modern workplace and personal pensions are this type.
- Defined benefit
- A pension that promises an income for life based on your salary and service, rather than a pot of money. Final-salary and career-average public-sector schemes are defined benefit.
Who this affects most
Anyone who has changed jobs more than twice, moved house without telling old schemes, or changed name is likely to have at least one pension they have lost sight of. Short periods of employment matter more than people expect, because a small pot left invested for decades compounds.
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Common questions
How do I find a lost pension?
Use the free Pension Tracing Service on GOV.UK. It searches workplace and personal schemes and returns current contact details. It will not tell you the value, only who to ask.
Can I trace a pension with no paperwork?
Yes. The service needs the name of an employer or pension provider, so an employer name is often enough to start.
Do I need my National Insurance number?
Not to search, but you will need it when you contact the scheme, since that is how they match you to a record. Previous addresses and former surnames help too.
Should I pay a company to find my pension?
No. The government service is free, and cold calls offering to find or release your pension are a standard scam pattern rather than a service.
What should I ask once I find it?
The current value, the type of scheme, whether guarantees are attached, what charges apply and what happens on death. Get all five in writing before deciding anything.
How far back can I trace?
What if the employer no longer exists?
Try searching under the employer's name and any other names it traded under. The service needs the name of an employer or pension provider.
Can I trace a pension for someone who has died?
Yes. GOV.UK says you can find contact details for someone else's scheme if you have their permission.
Where to check the official figures
Pension figures change every tax year. These are the free, official sources. Check the current number before you act on anything here.
- Check your State Pension forecast, GOV.UK
- Check your National Insurance record, GOV.UK
- Pension Tracing Service, GOV.UK
- MoneyHelper, pensions and retirement
- The FCA Register, check any firm
Where to go next
- Combining pensions: our main guide
- The NHS Pension Scheme explained
- The LGPS explained
- The Teachers’ Pension Scheme explained
The bottom line
There is a free government service for this and it works, even with no paperwork and even where the employer has since been taken over. You do not need your National Insurance number to search, though you will need it when you contact the scheme. Never pay a firm to do it, and treat any cold call offering to find or release a pension as a scam rather than a service. Once you find a pension, ask for the value, the scheme type, any guarantees, the charges and the death benefits, and get all five in writing before deciding whether to do anything at all.
Want someone to look at your actual pensions?
Tell us what you hold. We will introduce you to a regulated pension adviser who can tell you whether anything is worth moving. If it is not, they will say so.
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We do not provide pension advice and we are not pension advisers. We introduce you to a carefully selected, FCA-regulated pension adviser. The introduction costs you nothing. If you go ahead, we may be paid a fee by that firm. Pension rules and figures change, and what is right depends on your own circumstances.