Finding lost money in Iceland.
Most Icelandic pension money sits in occupational pension funds, and each fund keeps its own member records. The state pension is handled separately by the Social Insurance Administration.
Last read: 1 November 2026
Pensions
State pension: Tryggingastofnun (Social Insurance Administration). Tryggingastofnun pays the state old age pension. You must first apply to every pension fund where you have rights, then apply to Tryggingastofnun. From abroad: If you live abroad and have rights in another country, contact the pension institution in that country. Iceland has social security agreements, but the rules differ by country.
Workplace and private pensions: Lífeyrismál (Icelandic pension funds). Lifeyrisgattin shows rights earned in Icelandic pension funds. Log in through a fund's member site with Icelandic electronic ID, or phone the helpline if you have none. Then ask the fund for your record.
Key facts and sources
- Total contributions to mandatory pension funds are 15.5 per cent of wages: 4 per cent from the worker and at least 11.5 per cent from the employer. Source: Lífeyrismál (Icelandic pension funds), read 1 November 2026.
- Membership of a pension fund is mandatory for wage earners and the self-employed aged 16 to 70, and the fund is set by the wage agreement or employment contract. Source: Lífeyrismál (Icelandic pension funds), read 1 November 2026.
- Earned pension rights stay in the fund or funds you paid into, and you must apply when payments fall due. Source: Lífeyrismál (Icelandic pension funds), read 1 November 2026.
- Iceland has social security agreements with the EEA, the Nordic countries, the United States, Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Rights earned in each EEA country are paid by that country. Source: Island.is, read 1 November 2026.
- The Pension Gateway shows rights earned in Icelandic pension funds and, with your permission, rights at other funds. Login is with Icelandic electronic ID. Source: Lífeyrismál (Icelandic pension funds), read 1 November 2026.
Other lost money
- Official money registers: Register of pension funds (Central Bank of Iceland). The government's pension funds page says a register of funds with operating licences or approved articles is kept on the Central Bank's site.
Questions
How do I find a lost pension in Iceland?
Work out which fund your wage agreement or employer used, then ask that fund for your record. The Pension Gateway shows rights earned in Icelandic funds, and earned rights stay in the fund you paid into.
Can I check my Icelandic state pension from abroad?
Iceland has social security agreements with other countries, but the rules differ. If you have rights in another country, contact the pension institution there. Ask Tryggingastofnun about your own case.
Do I have to apply for my Icelandic fund pension?
Yes. Earned rights stay in the fund or funds you paid into, but you must apply when payments fall due. Contributions to the funds are 15.5 per cent of wages in total.
Worked in more than one country?
No national tool looks across borders. PensionHunter traces pensions left behind across borders. It is run by Battersea Park Capital. Capital Find Money's founder has an interest in it, and we feature it because no national tool looks across countries. Try the free lost pension checker. Our own count of pensions left behind and the guides are free.
We always point people to the free government tracing route first, and we take nothing from financial advisers.