How do I find a lost pension?

If you’re not close to retirement, you may think there’s no rush to find your old pensions. But the sooner you sort it out, the better.

Without the details of your pensions you won’t know how your money is being invested, or what you’re paying in fees. Both can make a big difference to how the amount you’ve paid in could grow over the years.

By finding that pension you can check how it's being run and what you're paying in fees. So, if you don’t like how it’s performing, you can move it. To see how you could take control of your retirement money, check out our six simple tricks that can help boost your pension.

There are a few simple steps to tracking down any lost pensions. You can either do a bit of detective work and track down your pensions yourself or use a pension tracing service.

Check your paperwork

You could start by seeing if you have any paperwork from your old employer stashed away that might have details about your old pension, like old payslips. If you can’t find anything, get in touch with the HR department or pension administrator at your old jobs. They should be able to give you information about the pension scheme you were enrolled in.

Use a free service

At Aviva, we have a new Find and Combine service that's free to use with no obligation - you don't even have to be an Aviva Customer. 

Just give us a few bits of personal information like your name, address, National Insurance number and any pension details you have. We’ll contact your previous employers for you to track down any old pensions. Then we’ll put together a report with details of the pensions we've found. What you decide to do with that information is up to you.

The money in your pension plans belongs to you. Once you have the details, you can choose to leave it where it is or move it to another provider.

One thing that can be worthwhile is to move your scattered pensions into one pot. Bringing them together can mean a lot less admin to worry about. You’ll also have a much clearer idea of how much income you can expect for your retirement. And you may even have lower charges, which over the years can make a difference. 

If you've found your pensions our Find and Combine service can take the next steps, it will check whether you'll lose any valuable benefits and look to see if you'll be charged fees to move them. Then we'll give you a report, so you can decide whether it’s the right move for you. 

If you're considering transferring your pensions, you should look at the charges and investment options available with the new pension, and also check whether you’d be giving up any benefits or need to pay exit fees. The value of your pension may go down as well as up and you could get back less than has been put in. 

If you’re still unsure you should seek financial advice. You can find a financial adviser at Unbiased – there may be a charge for advice. Aviva Financial Advice also offers pension advice.

In future, make sure you hold onto any pension information provided by your new employer. Keep a note of your pension number in a safe place and make sure your pension provider is on the list of companies to notify when you move house.

When you start a new job, you may have the option to transfer your old workplace pension to your new employer’s pension scheme. You’ll need to chat to your new employer to get the ball rolling. 

If you’d like to transfer any of your existing pensions to us, you can either use an existing Aviva Pension or open a new self-invested personal pension (SIPP). Our SIPP is a YourMoney best pension platform - large portfolio 2026 winner and may give you control over how you invest for your retirement.