How to trace lost workplace pension schemes

Four top tips for tracking down lost pension pots

Tracing lost pensions

Here are four top tips on how you can track down your previous pension pots if they have gone astray: 

Paperwork

Sort through your files for any relevant paperwork such as policy documentation or annual statements. This will help you to identify the type  of pension, the provider/company and your policy/reference number.

Workplace pensions

Contact your previous employer

Workplace pension schemes are pension schemes that are set up by employers to provide their employees with retirement benefits. Workplace pensions may also be known as company pensions and occupational pension schemes. If you recall a pension scheme operated by a previous employer, contact their HR department. They will be able to confirm which pension arrangement (if any) was in place during your employment and where you can obtain further information. Remember enrolment into workplace pension schemes hasn’t always been automatic, so it may be that you would only have been a member if you completed an application to join.

Contact the pension provider

If you were a member of any workplace pension schemes run by a pension provider, or had an individual personal pension or stakeholder pension plan, you should contact the pension provider.  Helpdesk numbers can be easily found on their website. Panic not if you don’t have a policy number to hand, most are able to trace you using your National Insurance number, personal details and by answering a few security questions. If a policy record is found, they will be able to update your contact details and provide a plan statement.

Pension tracing service

There’s a government service that might be able to help. Best of all, it’s free and will search a database to find the names and contact details of your pension providers.  Their online form and helpline number can be found here on the Pension Tracing Website.

If your search is successful, what you could then do with the pension pot depends on your personal circumstances.