How to find old pensions
Updated 5 Nov 2026
How do I find an old pension?
Start with the employer. If you know who you worked for, or who ran the pension, the government's Pension Tracing Service gives you the scheme's current contact details. Then ask the scheme whether it holds a pension for you, and what it's worth.
The GOV.UK search asks for the name of an employer or a pension provider. Later, the scheme may ask for:
- roughly when you worked there;
- your National Insurance number, so it can find you.
What is the Pension Tracing Service?
It's a government service that finds the contact details you need to search for a lost workplace or personal pension. You can search online at gov.uk, or ask the Pension Tracing Service by phone or by post.
What it can't do: it can't tell you whether you have a pension, or what it's worth. Only the scheme can tell you that.
What do I ask the pension scheme?
Ask whether the scheme holds a pension for you, what it is worth or the income it will pay, its yearly charges and the earliest age you can take it.
- whether it holds a pension in your name;
- its current value, or for a final salary scheme, the yearly income it will pay and from what age;
- the yearly charges you're paying on it;
- the earliest age you can take it.
Ask for the answers in writing. Then you can keep it with your other pensions and see the whole picture.
A pension counts towards what you own. How to calculate your net worth explains how to value one, and the net worth calculator does the sum.
Why do people lose track of pensions?
People often change jobs several times, and since 2012 most jobs have enrolled people into a workplace pension automatically. Each job can leave a small pot behind. Moving house, changing name or a scheme merging with another can break the link.
Do I have to pay someone to find my pension?
No. You can use the Pension Tracing Service and contact the scheme yourself. Be wary of anyone who calls or messages offering to find or "release" a pension, especially before age 55 (57 from April 2028). That's a common sign of a scam.
What decides whether to combine old pensions?
That depends on charges, any guarantees the old scheme has, and exit fees, and it's a decision worth getting right. MoneyHelper's free pensions guidance can help you weigh it up. Blooom doesn't recommend moving a pension. It shows each pot, its charges and when you can take it, side by side.
Keep track of them: add each pension you find to Blooom and see them together, with what each one charges you a year.
Sources: gov.uk "Find pension contact details" (the Pension Tracing Service), read 5 Nov 2026. Normal minimum pension age rising to 57 from 6 Apr 2028: gov.uk. MoneyHelper pensions guidance. Review due October 2027, or sooner if a rule changes.