How to find old pensions in the UK

Step by step

1. Write down every employer you can remember, and any pension provider names you recognise from old letters.
2. Use the GOV.UK Pension Tracing Service. GOV.UK says you need the name of an employer or a pension provider. It then gives you contact details for the scheme or provider.
3. Contact each scheme or provider yourself and ask whether they hold a pension in your name. The tracing service will not tell you whether you have a pension, or what its value is.
4. Keep a note of each reply, so you do not search for the same pension twice.

No paperwork? Start with the employer

You do not need old pension papers to begin. GOV.UK asks for the name of an employer or a pension provider, so a former employer's name is enough to start. The service is for your own pensions, or for someone else's if you have their permission.

GOV.UK describes your National Insurance record as showing what you have paid, the credits you received and whether some years do not count towards your State Pension. It does not describe the record as a list of past employers, so do not rely on it to name old pension schemes. You can check your National Insurance record on GOV.UK.

Your State Pension is a separate check

The State Pension is not found through the tracing service. GOV.UK has a separate route to check your State Pension forecast. You sign in, and you can create sign-in details if you have none. GOV.UK says applying online is the quickest way to get a forecast. If you already get your State Pension, you cannot use that service.

The pensions dashboard

The pensions dashboard is meant to show your pensions in one place, but it is not open to the public yet. The programme's delivery timeline page says: on current plans, the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard is expected to be available to the public in financial year 2027/28, with an update on launch plans promised around the 31 October connection deadline. We read that page on 2 November 2026. Until the dashboard opens, the tracing service above is the route to use.

Avoid tracing scams

The FCA's ScamSmart page lists early pension release scams and other pension scams among common scams, and links to a page on pension scams. Read it before you share your details with anyone who contacts you about your pensions.

Worked in other countries too?

The tracing service covers UK schemes. If you also worked abroad, see our guide to finding pensions you left in other countries, and our count of how many pensions you may have left behind. If you live abroad and want to check your State Pension, see how to check your UK State Pension from abroad. For more routes in the UK, see our United Kingdom page.

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. Its guide to finding a lost pension in the UK is a cross-border option, after the free government route above.

Common questions

Can I find old pensions with my National Insurance number?

The GOV.UK tracing page asks for the name of an employer or a pension provider, not a National Insurance number. Your National Insurance record helps with your State Pension and is a separate check.

Is the Pension Tracing Service free?

The GOV.UK page does not say in so many words that it is free, so check the page before you start. It is the government route, so use it before you pay any company.

When will the pensions dashboard be available?

The programme's delivery timeline page says that, on current plans, the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard is expected to be available to the public in financial year 2027/28. It also says an update on launch plans will be given around the 31 October connection deadline.

We always point people to the free government tracing route first, and we take nothing from financial advisers.

What we do and don't do