How to Trace a Lost UK Pension When You Live Abroad

Many people who spent part of their career in the UK have a pension they have lost track of. Moving abroad makes it more likely: old employers close, providers merge and letters go to an address you left years ago. This guide explains how to trace a lost pension from overseas, who to contact, what to have ready, and how to avoid the scams that target people searching.

This guide is general information, not personal advice.

Why pensions get lost

• You changed address and never updated the scheme.
• The employer was bought, renamed or closed.
• The provider merged with another or changed its name.
• You moved jobs often and ended up with several small pots.
• Statements went to an old UK address and were thrown away.

A small forgotten pot can still be worth having, and an old defined benefit pension can be worth a great deal.

Step 1: Gather what you can

Before contacting anyone, collect:

• the names of every UK employer you worked for, with approximate dates
• old payslips, P60s, contracts or pension letters
• your National Insurance number
• any scheme or policy reference numbers
• old email accounts that may hold statements

You do not need everything. The name of an employer or a pension provider is the minimum.

Step 2: Use the Pension Tracing Service

The Pension Tracing Service is run by the government. It gives you contact details for workplace and personal pension schemes so you can contact them. It does not tell you whether you have a pension or what it is worth. You need the name of an employer or pension provider to search.

You can use it:

• Online: at findpensioncontacts.service.gov.uk
• By phone from outside the UK: +44 (0)191 218 7777
• By post: The Pension Service, Post Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1AF, United Kingdom

Phone lines are open in UK office hours, so allow for the time difference. Calls from abroad may cost money, so the online service is often easier.

Step 3: Contact each scheme

Once you have contact details, write or email each scheme. Ask for:

1. confirmation that you have a pension with them
2. its current value, or the expected income at retirement age
3. the type of pension, whether defined contribution or defined benefit
4. the earliest and normal retirement ages
5. the charges you are paying
6. what you must do to update your address and bank details
7. whether transfer values are available, and any exit charges

Keep copies of everything. Expect to be asked to prove your identity, and be ready to send certified copies of a passport or proof of address.

Step 4: Check your State Pension too

A lost workplace pension is separate from your State Pension. While you are tracing, get a State Pension forecast so you know what you have there, and read our guide to the UK State Pension abroad for how claiming and increases work from overseas.

If the employer or provider no longer exists

• Search for the successor company. Providers often merged rather than closed.
• Search the Pension Tracing Service under both the old and the new company names.
• If a defined benefit scheme’s employer has become insolvent and cannot pay, the Pension Protection Fund is usually the safeguard. It pays 100% of the pension if you have reached the scheme’s pension age, and 90% if you are below it.
• Keep trying other names the employer traded under.

Watch out for tracing scams

People searching for lost pensions are targeted. Scammers call to say they have found a pension for you and offer to “release” or “transfer” it, or charge a fee for a search you can do yourself.

• Never act on an unsolicited call or message about a lost pension.
• Do not pay a company to trace a pension that the official service can search for you.
• Never give bank details or ID to someone who contacted you first.
• Check any adviser on the Financial Conduct Authority register using the contact details shown there.

Our full guide to pension scams for expats lists the red flags and shows how to check a transfer.

What a scheme will ask when you contact it

Expect the scheme to check who you are before it tells you anything. Be ready with your full name and any previous names, your date of birth, your National Insurance number, your last UK address and your current address. Many schemes ask for certified copies of a passport and proof of address, and some want a signed letter of authority if someone else writes on your behalf. Allow extra time for documents to cross borders, and ask whether a scanned copy or a copy certified locally will do.

Keep a tracing log

A simple record stops you repeating work and shows which pensions are still outstanding. For each one, note:

• the employer and the years you worked there
• the scheme or provider and its contact details
• the date you wrote and the response you received
• the type of pension and its value
• what you decided to do next

Update it each time you hear back, and keep it with your list of other pensions, so that your family can find everything if they ever need to.

What to do once you find it

Do not rush to move it. First decide what you want:

• Leave it. Often the simplest answer, especially for a defined benefit pension.
• Combine it. Some people move small pots into one UK pension to cut costs and paperwork. Compare charges and check for lost guarantees.
• Transfer it abroad. This needs care, because a transfer to a QROPS can carry a 25% overseas transfer charge. Read about transferring a UK pension abroad and QROPS first.

If you find a final salary pension, read about final salary transfer before taking any step. A UK pension review can then bring everything you have found into one clear picture, and our expat pensions hub covers your options.

Keep it from happening again

• Tell every scheme when you move, and give a contact address that will last.
• Keep one list of all your pensions, with references and contacts.
• Use online accounts where they are offered and update the email.
• Review the list once a year.

Frequently asked questions

How do I trace a lost pension from abroad?

Use the Pension Tracing Service online, by phone on +44 (0)191 218 7777 or by post. You need the name of a past employer or pension provider.

Does the Pension Tracing Service tell me how much I have?

No. It gives you contact details for the scheme. You then contact the scheme to confirm your pension and its value.

What if my old employer has closed?

Look for a successor company or the scheme administrator. The Pension Tracing Service may be able to point you to the right contact.

Can someone trace a pension for me?

You can give someone permission to search on your behalf, but be wary of firms that charge for a service you can do yourself, and of anyone who contacts you unprompted.

Can I move a lost pension abroad once I find it?

Possibly, but a transfer to a QROPS can attract a 25% charge. Take regulated advice first.

This article is for information only and is not financial advice. Take regulated advice before moving a pension.