Last checked against gov.uk: 1 October 2026. Information only, not financial advice.
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How to find a lost pension by National Insurance number

The free government Pension Tracing Service, what it does and does not do, and how to find old workplace pensions from past employers.

By Christopher Fagan. Published 1 October 2026. Checked against gov.uk 1 October 2026.

The average person has several jobs over a working life, and since 2012 every employer has had to enrol staff into a pension. The Pensions Policy Institute estimates tens of billions of pounds sit in pots people have lost track of. Finding yours is free.

The Pension Tracing Service

The Pension Tracing Service is run by the Department for Work and Pensions. You search by the name of your old employer or the pension provider. It gives you the contact details for the scheme. It does not tell you whether you have a pension there or how much is in it; you contact the scheme and ask.

It does not search by National Insurance number. Your NI number is what the scheme will use to find your record once you contact them.

Step by step

  1. List every employer you have had since 1988, with rough dates.
  2. Search each one on the Pension Tracing Service. Company names change, so try the name as it was when you worked there.
  3. Write to or call each scheme with your full name, date of birth, National Insurance number, and the dates you worked there.
  4. Ask for a current statement and the scheme's transfer value.

Your State Pension is separate

Workplace and private pensions are not held by the government. Your State Pension record is on your forecast.

Companies offering to find pensions for you

Some firms offer to trace pensions for free and then earn a fee if you move them into one new pot. Nothing stops you using the free government service and then deciding yourself. Never transfer a defined benefit (final salary) pension without regulated advice; above £30,000 it is a legal requirement.

The Pensions Dashboard, a government backed service to show all your pensions in one place, must be connected to by all pension schemes by 31 October 2026. The date it opens to the public has not been announced.

Sources

Information only, not financial advice. If a figure here and gov.uk ever disagree, gov.uk is right and we will fix it.

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Talk to a regulated adviser

Decisions about when to take your pension, topping up National Insurance years, or combining pots can be worth thousands either way. A regulated financial adviser (FCA registered) can look at your actual numbers. We may earn a referral fee if you use a partner service; it never changes what we publish.

Links to partners will appear here once agreements are in place. Until then: Pension Tracing Service (gov.uk) and check an adviser on the FCA register.