What is the Pension Tracing Service?

What the Pension Tracing Service is

Many people change jobs several times. Each job may have put money into a different pension. Over the years it is easy to lose the paperwork, or for a pension company to change its name or merge with another one.

The Pension Tracing Service helps with this. It is a government search run by The Pension Service. You give it the name of an old employer or a pension provider. It gives you back the contact details for the pension scheme, so you can get in touch with the scheme yourself.

Who it is for

It is for anyone who thinks they may have a lost:

• workplace pension (one your employer set up), or
• personal pension (one you set up yourself).

You can also look up a scheme for someone else, as long as you have their permission.

It covers people across the UK. The nidirect site sends people in Northern Ireland to the same GOV.UK service.

What it does not do

This is the part that catches people out. The service:

• will not tell you whether you actually have a pension
• will not tell you what a pension is worth
• does not give State Pension forecasts

It only finds contact details. The pension scheme itself checks its records and tells you what you have.

How to use it

1. Gather what you know: old employer names, rough dates you worked there, and any pension provider names from old letters or payslips.
2. Search online with the Find pension contact details service.
3. If you cannot use the online service, call the Pension Tracing Service on 0800 731 0175 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm). From abroad, call +44 (0)191 218 7777. Relay UK: 18001 then 0800 731 0175.
4. Or write to: The Pension Service, Post Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1AF.
5. Contact each scheme you find and ask them to check their records for you.

Tips for a better search

• Search under each employer you worked for, even for short jobs.
• If an employer was taken over, try the old name and the new name.
• Keep a list of every scheme you contact and what they say.

What about your State Pension?

Your State Pension is not a lost pension in the same way. It is based on your National Insurance record. To see how much you could get and when, use the Check your State Pension forecast service. You can also ask for a forecast by post (form BR19) or by phoning the Future Pension Centre.

Related guides

• How do I find a lost pension?
• How much goes into my workplace pension?
• Do I pay tax on my pension?
• How does pension tax relief work?

Where this comes from

• Find pension contact details (GOV.UK)
• Check your State Pension forecast (GOV.UK)
• Find a lost pension (nidirect)