Money tip #62 – Find a lost pension fund and get an unexpected windfall

As you change jobs throughout your working life it is easy to lose track of a pension contract, particularly if you changed jobs regularly. If you also take into account the number of address changes most people have it’s no wonder that there are millions of pounds worth of unclaimed pensions out there. However, if your think you might have a lost pension there is an easy way to track it down. It could take as little as 15 minutes of your time but best of all it's free!

The Pension Tracing Service (PTS) can help you trace a ‘lost’ pension even if you're not sure of the contact details of the original pension provider/trustee. The PTS has access to information on over 200,000 pension schemes and will search their database, free of charge, with the aim of providing you with the ‘lost’ pension scheme’s current contact details. You can then use this information to contact the scheme and find out about any pension entitlement you may have.

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

The great news is that you can complete an online form, with the few details you know, and the Pension Tracing Service will immediately start tracing your old pension for you! The online form can be found here

Alternatively you can contact the PTS by post or phone:

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

Tel: 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.

For more details on the Pension Tracing Service click here

So if you think there is even a chance you might have a lost pension pot just 15 minutes work could reunite you– and potentially give you a nice retirement windfall!