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Tracing a pension scheme

It can be easy to lose track of a pension if you change jobs through your working life.

The Pension Tracing Service (part of The Pension Service) will try and help you trace a pension even if you're not sure of the contact details. It has access to information on over 200,000 pension schemes. The Pension Tracing Service will use this database, free of charge, to search for your scheme.

The Pension Tracing Service may be able to provide you with current contact details for a pension scheme. You can then use this information to contact the pension provider and find out if you have any pension entitlement.

Information to give to the Pension Tracing Service

The more information you can give the Pension Tracing Service, the more likely you will be able to get an up-to-date contact address for the pension scheme you're tracing.

It will help if you can tell the Pension Tracing Service what type of pension scheme you are searching for. They hold details of two types of pension scheme: company pension schemes and personal pension schemes.

Company pension scheme

This is a pension scheme an employer offers to its employees. It can also be known as an occupational or works pension scheme.

If you are trying to trace a company pension scheme, start by working out:

• whether the employer traded under a different name
• the type of business the employer ran
• whether the employer changed address at any time
• when you belonged to the pension scheme

Find out more about Company Pensions:

• Company pensions

Personal pension scheme

This is a scheme bought from a pension provider, like a bank, life assurance company or building society. It is entirely your own, which means you can continue to contribute to it if you move jobs.

If you are trying to trace a personal pension scheme, start by working out:

• the name of the personal pension scheme
• the address where the personal pension scheme was run from
• the name of the bank, insurance company or building society involved with the personal pension scheme
  

Find out more about Personal Pensions: 

• Personal pensions

Contact the Pension Tracing Service online

You can complete an online form and start tracing your old pension right away. It should take about 15 minutes to complete the form.

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Contact the Pension Tracing Service by phone

You can phone the Pension Tracing Service on 0845 6002 537 (lines are open 8.00 am to 6.00 pm), from overseas +44 191 215 4491, or by textphone call 0845 3000 169.

You can also ask someone to call you from the Pension Tracing Service by using the ‘call back request form’. Enter your name and telephone number on the form and one of the team will call you back to carry out the trace for you.

• Pension Tracing Service call back form Opens new window

Contact the Pension Tracing Service by post

You can also trace your pension by writing to the Pension Tracing Service:

Pension Tracing Service
The Pension service
Tyneview Park
Whitley Road,
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE98 1BA

More useful links

• Getting a State Pension forecast