Pension Tracing Service UK 2025: How to Find Lost Pensions

The Scale of Lost Pensions in the UK

The lost pension problem in the UK is substantial and growing. Research by the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) estimates that there are approximately 3.3 million pension pots worth a total of £26.6 billion that have been lost or forgotten by their owners. The average lost pension pot is worth around £13,000 — a significant sum that many workers are unaware they are owed.

The problem has been exacerbated by the success of auto-enrolment. Since 2012, over 22 million workers have been automatically enrolled into workplace pensions. As these workers change jobs — and Britons change jobs on average 11 times during their working lives — the number of deferred pension pots multiplies. Without a centralised system to track them all, many pots become disconnected from their owners.

The good news is that these pensions do not disappear. They continue to be held by pension providers (or the Pension Protection Fund in the case of failed schemes) and legally belong to the individuals who accrued them. There is no time limit on claiming a lost pension — it remains yours regardless of how many years have passed.

Why Pensions Get Lost

Pensions become lost or forgotten for several common reasons:

1. Frequent Job Changes

Each time you change employer, you typically leave behind a deferred pension pot. With an average of 11 jobs over a working lifetime, the average person may have 11 separate pension pots. Keeping track of all of them — particularly those from early career jobs decades ago — becomes increasingly difficult.

2. Address Changes

Pension providers send annual statements to the last address they hold on record. If you move house and do not notify your pension provider, statements stop reaching you. Over time, you may simply forget you have a pot with that provider at all.

3. Company Mergers and Takeovers

When employers merge, are acquired, or go out of business, their pension schemes often transfer to new providers. The pension itself is protected, but the chain of communication can break down. Former employees may not know which company is now managing their pot.

4. Name Changes

Workers who change their name (for example through marriage or divorce) may find that pension records do not match their current identity, making it harder to locate or claim pots held under a former name.

5. Poor Record Keeping

Older pension schemes — particularly those from the 1980s and 1990s — were sometimes poorly administered, with incomplete member records. Digital record keeping has improved this significantly, but legacy issues remain.

6. Defined Contribution Growth

As DC pensions replaced DB schemes (where the pension office would typically track members diligently), the burden of tracking shifted to individuals — many of whom were not aware of this responsibility.

The Government Pension Tracing Service

The government operates a free Pension Tracing Service, managed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It holds a database of over 200,000 pension scheme records, covering virtually every UK workplace and personal pension scheme that has ever existed.

The service does not hold your personal pension details — it holds the contact information of pension scheme administrators. Once you find the relevant scheme contact, you contact them directly to enquire about your pension.

Warning: Pension Tracing Scams

Unfortunately, pension tracing scams are common. Fraudulent companies may cold-call, email, or text claiming to help find lost pensions — then charge significant fees or, in worse cases, transfer your pension to fraudulent schemes. Protect yourself:

• Never pay upfront fees to trace a pension
• Be suspicious of unsolicited contact about pensions
• Never give personal financial details to an unverified company
• Check the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) register before engaging any adviser
• Report suspicious contacts to Action Fraud: 0300 123 2040

Step-by-Step: How to Use the Pension Tracing Service

Information You Will Need

• Former employer's name — as it was when you worked there (check old payslips or P60s)
• Approximate employment dates — even a rough year is helpful
• Your National Insurance number — useful when contacting the scheme directly
• Your date of birth and any former names

The Process

1. Search for the pension scheme using the Pension Tracing Service website or phone line. Enter your former employer's name. The service will return contact details for any qualifying workplace pension schemes associated with that employer.
2. Note the scheme name and administrator contact details. There may be more than one scheme if the employer used multiple providers over different years.
3. Contact the scheme administrator directly. Write, email, or call them. Provide your full name (including any former names), National Insurance number, date of birth, and approximate employment dates.
4. Request a pension trace. Ask whether you have a deferred pension or any entitlement under the scheme. The administrator is required to respond.
5. Verify your identity. The administrator will ask for proof of identity — typically a copy of your passport or driving licence and a recent utility bill or bank statement as proof of address.
6. Receive confirmation. Once your identity is verified and a pension is found, the administrator will provide details of your entitlement — the current value (for DC) or projected pension amount (for DB).
7. Decide what to do — leave the pot where it is, transfer it, or (if you are at retirement age) begin drawing benefits.

If the employer is no longer trading or the original pension scheme has wound up, the tracing service may still be able to identify where the pension records were transferred. For schemes that failed, the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) may hold your pension — check at ppf.co.uk.

Other Ways to Trace Lost Pensions

The Pension Tracing Service is the best starting point, but several other routes can help:

HMRC Tax Records

HMRC holds records of all your employment going back many years, linked to your National Insurance number. By reviewing your employment history with HMRC, you can identify former employers you may have forgotten. You can then search for pension schemes associated with those employers. Contact HMRC on 0300 200 3300 or access your employment history through the Government Gateway at tax.service.gov.uk.

MoneyHelper (Formerly the Pensions Advisory Service)

MoneyHelper is a free government-backed service offering impartial pension guidance. Their trained advisers can help you navigate the pension tracing process and advise on next steps once a pension is found. Contact them at moneyhelper.org.uk or call 0800 011 3797.

Former Employer Records

If the former employer is still trading (or its successor company is), you may be able to contact their HR department directly. They should have records of which pension scheme you were enrolled in during your employment. Even if the company was taken over or rebranded, HR records are often retained.

Old Payslips, P60s, and Employment Contracts

Old paperwork is invaluable. Pension deductions on payslips will show the scheme name or provider. P60s confirm your employer's details for each tax year. Employment contracts sometimes specify which pension scheme you were enrolled in. Dig out any paperwork from previous jobs — even a single payslip can provide the scheme name you need.

Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Financial Services Register

If you know the name of the pension provider (not the employer scheme) you can look it up on the FCA register at register.fca.org.uk to confirm it is a legitimate regulated entity and find its current contact details.

The Pensions Dashboard: Seeing All Your Pensions in One Place

The Pensions Dashboard is a long-awaited government initiative to create a single digital interface where individuals can view all their pension entitlements — workplace pensions, personal pensions, and State Pension — in one place.

The project is being delivered by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) and underpinned by the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP). Key milestones:

• By September 2025: All pension providers above a certain size are legally required to connect their data to the Pensions Dashboards ecosystem
• From 2026: Consumer-facing dashboards — operated by both MaPS and regulated commercial providers — are expected to become more widely available
• State Pension: Included from launch via HMRC data

Once fully operational, the dashboard will dramatically reduce the problem of lost pensions by allowing anyone to see all their pots in one place with a single login using their Government Gateway ID. It will not, however, facilitate transfers or financial advice — it is a viewing tool only.

Should You Consolidate Your Old Pension Pots?

Once you have traced your old pensions, you face a decision: leave them where they are, or bring them together into one pot. Pension consolidation has real advantages:

Advantages of Consolidation

• Simplicity: One pot is easier to monitor, manage, and plan around than multiple scattered pots
• Potentially lower charges: A larger pot in a modern low-cost scheme may attract lower percentage charges than several small legacy pots with older, higher-charge structures
• Better investment choice: Modern pensions typically offer a wider range of funds than older schemes
• Easier to track performance: Viewing one pot's investment performance is simpler than comparing several
• Fewer organisations to communicate with: Nominating beneficiaries, updating addresses, and managing withdrawals is simpler with one provider

Checking Charges and Exit Fees Before Transferring

Before transferring any pension pot, always check:

• Exit charges: Some older schemes charge a percentage of the pot value to transfer out (capped at 1% for pensions opened after 2012)
• Guaranteed annuity rates (GARs): Some older pensions include a right to buy an annuity at an above-market rate. Transferring out forfeits this valuable benefit permanently
• Protected tax-free cash: Some pensions entitle holders to more than the standard 25% tax-free lump sum. Transferring out may lose this protection
• Enhanced protection or fixed protection: If you have lifetime allowance protections from before April 2024, check whether a transfer affects these

When NOT to Consolidate Your Pensions

Pension consolidation is not always the right choice. There are situations where keeping pots separate — or seeking specialist advice — is essential:

Defined Benefit and Final Salary Pensions

This is the most critical exception. A defined benefit (DB) or final salary pension provides a guaranteed income for life, typically increasing with inflation. Converting a DB pension into a lump sum (a transfer to a DC scheme) means exchanging lifetime certainty for investment risk. In most cases, the DB pension is far more valuable than the cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) offered.

If your CETV exceeds £30,000, you are legally required to take regulated financial advice before transferring. Even if the CETV is below this threshold, transferring a DB pension without advice is rarely in your best interests unless there are exceptional personal circumstances (such as serious ill-health with a short life expectancy, or no dependants).

Pensions with Guaranteed Annuity Rates (GARs)

Guaranteed annuity rates were offered by some pension providers in the 1970s–1990s and can be worth significantly more than current market rates. For example, a GAR of 10% would provide an annuity income of £10,000/year on a £100,000 pot — compared to market rates in 2025 of around £5,500-£6,500 for the same pot without the guarantee. Transferring out forfeits this benefit forever.

Pensions with Protected Tax-Free Cash Above 25%

Some pension holders have a right to take more than 25% of their pot as tax-free cash, based on rights accrued before pension rules changed in 2006. This "enhanced tax-free cash" right is lost if the pension is transferred to a new scheme.

Pot Follows Member Reform

The government has been consulting on a "pot follows member" (or "small pots") reform that would automatically transfer small pension pots to a new employer's scheme when a worker changes jobs, rather than leaving deferred pots behind. This reform is designed to reduce the accumulation of small pots and the lost pension problem.

As of early 2026, the small pots working group has recommended a framework for automatic consolidation of small DC pots (under £1,000 or similar threshold). Legislative implementation is expected to progress during the current Parliament. A small number of consolidators — authorised by The Pensions Regulator — would be designated to receive and manage these automatic transfers.

This reform, combined with the Pensions Dashboard, should significantly reduce the £26.6 billion lost pension problem over the coming decade.

Unclaimed Pensions Statistics 2025

Frequently Asked Questions