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Find My Lost Pension

A lost pension refers to a retirement savings account that you have accrued over your working life but have lost track of. This situation often arises due to changing jobs, moving home, or even the complex nature of multiple pension schemes. As you switch employers, you may leave behind pension pots in various schemes, and over time, these can be forgotten or become difficult to locate. Additionally, changes in pension providers, mergers of companies, or updates in contact information can contribute to pensions becoming “lost.”

Lost pensions represent a significant issue for many individuals, potentially impacting your financial security in retirement. By understanding what lost pensions are, the importance of managing your pensions and investments, and the benefits of consolidating pensions into one pot, you can take proactive steps to safeguard your retirement income. Addressing common questions about lost pensions further demystifies the process, enabling you to make informed decisions about your financial future.

At Pension Advice London, we can help you trace, switch, manage and grow your pension. Our initial advice is always free, so there’s no charge to explore your options. If you need to find a lost pension, we would be delighted to help.

Why It’s Important to Manage Your Pensions and Investments

There’s 5 main reasons we recommend actively managing your pensions and investments. These include:

  1. Retirement Income: Ensuring that all your pension pots are accounted for and effectively managed is crucial to allow you to try to maximising your retirement income. Lost pensions represent a significant part of your retirement savings, and not having access to them can lead to a lower standard of living in retirement.
  2. Cost Efficiency: Managing your pensions helps in minimising management fees and administrative costs. Different pension schemes have varying fee structures, and consolidating pensions can often reduce the overall cost, ensuring more of your money goes towards your retirement fund rather than fees.
  3. Investment Performance: Regularly reviewing your pension investments allows you to optimise your portfolio according to your risk tolerance and retirement goals. It ensures that your investments are performing well and are aligned with your financial objectives.
  4. Tax Efficiency: Proper management of pensions can try to help maximise tax benefits. Different pension schemes offer various tax advantages, and understanding these can help in minimising your tax liability.
  5. Peace of Mind: Knowing that all your pensions are accounted for and managed gives you peace of mind. It removes the uncertainty and potential financial stress associated with not knowing whether you have forgotten or misplaced part of your retirement savings.

The value of pensions and investments and the income they produce can fall as well as rise. You may get back less than you invested.

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    There’s believed to be £26 billion in lost / frozen pensions in the UK, according to the Pensions Policy Institute (ABI, news release, 2022).

    It’s possible to find these pensions, switch them into one easy to manage account and ensure your investments are in line with your attitude to risk. We can help with all of these services.
    Free Initial Pension Check

    Lost Pensions FAQs

    Read our answers to the most common lost pension questions below.

    Pensions can become lost due to job changes, relocations, changes in personal details like name or address, mergers of pension providers, or simply due to the passage of time and forgetfulness.

    You can trace lost pensions using government services like the Pension Tracing Service, which can help locate pensions based on your previous employers or pension scheme details.

    Typically, you’ll need your National Insurance number, details of previous employers, dates of employment, and any information about the pension scheme.

    It’s free to trace your own pension. Some companies will charge to assist you, however we don’t charge to assist you with your pension tracing if we’re helping you consolidate and manage your pensions.

    Yes, lost pensions continue to be invested and can grow over time, though they may also incur management fees that could affect their growth. Your pension may also be in a fund that doesn’t match your attitude to risk profile and the platform fees may be higher than necessary. If you decide to move your pension you would still be subject to fees, such as management charges.

    Once we have found a lost pension we’ll review the details of the pension, consider the fees, investment performance, and whether it makes sense to consolidate it with other pensions for better management.

    Yes, in many cases, you can switch a lost pension into your current pension scheme. However, we’ll check for any fees or potential loss of benefits before doing so.

    Lost pensions are typically passed on according to the terms of the pension scheme, which may involve payments to beneficiaries or being part of the deceased’s estate.

    Keep your contact details updated with your pension providers, consolidate pensions where possible, maintain records of all pension schemes, and regularly review your retirement savings.

    As your pension adviser, we would help manage your pension with the intention of helping your funds grow. We would also ensure you are provided with annual statements and meet with you regularly to ensure your pension is invested according to your wishes.