Unclaimed Pensions
It’s actually far more possible for a person to lose track on money in a pension, whether it’s occupational or personal, than you might imagine (for obvious reasons, this doesn’t include state pensions).
You might have been in a job for a short while and not realised money was being put in a pension fund, or it might involve someone else, now dead, who didn’t know they had some money in a pension, or had forgotten it was there (which might be more common in the case of a personal pension).
The Pension Service, which administers pensions in the UK, believes that there’s around £3 billion in pension money that’s lying around unclaimed, but it’s difficult to come up with a more exact figure.Finding a Pension
There’s a total of approximately 200,000 occupational and personal pension schemes in existence. That’s a massive figure, far, far bigger than banks or building societies. Trying to track one possible pension in all of those could be rather like looking for a needle in a haystack for an individual, at least without a great deal of information when starting.However, the Pension Service can help with this – at least to an extent. They maintain a database of all the schemes, both past and present. It costs nothing to use it, and you can access it through the website, via mail or on the phone.
After you’ve requested a trace, the service will contact you with the result. If they discover that you, or whoever you’re representing, has money in a pension, they’ll give you the contact details for the fund so you can follow up and claim the money.
What They Need From You
Be aware, though, that without a certain amount of information there’s not a lot they can do. You’ll need to supply them with your own details, obviously, as well as the name of the pension scheme or the employer (with their full name and address, information on whether the employer changed names and whatever else you know). If at all possible, it would also be useful to supply information on the type of pension scheme – occupational, personal, etc.Obviously, the more details you can supply, the greater the likelihood of them being able to locate the pension. You can even use this service if you live outside the UK but believe you have a claim on a UK private pension.
Claiming The Money
The Pension Service can help put you in touch with whoever has the pension, but you’ll be on your own when it comes to making the claim, although, in most cases, the procedure should be fairly straightforward.You’ll need to establish your claim and prove your identity. From that point it should be simple to obtain payment. If you’re the heir to an estate with a pension it might take a little longer for the claim to go through – but you might also have had quite a job even tracking down the pension in the first place.
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Hi my boys father past away he had pension at champions spark plug wirral but they went into administration and he was under the retirement age when past away how do we get in touch with the pension
Wen - 9-Jun-21 @ 10:01 AM
My father died about 15 years ago, he was self employed but did work in computers for a big company in London. I am sure he had a private pension. He lived in Maidenhead.
Please do contact me on where I should go next.
Kaye - 28-Sep-19 @ 3:38 PM
My Granda died 13 years ago 6 months before his 75th birthday. My grandad pension was to go to my nana but she was told no.. can you please give me some information on what she can do about getting the money she is entitled to
Staceypeaches - 17-Aug-19 @ 12:11 PM
My mother Barbara Dodd passed away 2004 age 64 she worked most of her life at Montgomery Tomlinson’s saltney chester. She mentioned she had a pension but was unaware at the time how to investigate. I would be very grateful if you can find out. Thank you
None - 10-Aug-19 @ 3:28 PM
Mother and father worked at champion spark plugs Wirral, both have now died before retirement age have either got paid into a pension , I am their daughter.
Monty - 1-Aug-19 @ 7:12 PM
My husband worked for a Canadian bank from 1975 to 1978. He was badly brain damaged in a car accident and was never able to work again. We separated and he to went to live in the country of his birth. I stayed on in Canada for another seven years during which time I resumed working. My husband died in 2004. I never remarried. Can I claim against his pension from the Canadian bank?
Babs - 27-Jun-19 @ 2:06 AM
My husband paid into a pension scheme at both the pit and steel works. Sadly my husband died before he could find where to claim these pensions. I would be very grateful for some advice on this matter please.
Jin - 13-Jun-19 @ 11:11 PM
My husband paid into a pension both at the pit and steel works. Sadly my husband died before he found out where to put a claim in for these pensions. I would be very grateful for some advice in this matter please.
Jin - 13-Jun-19 @ 11:07 PM
My husband paid into two work pension both steel works and pit. He's since died before we found who we needed to get in touch with to put a claim in. Would be grateful for some advice please.
Jin - 13-Jun-19 @ 11:03 PM
My dad passed away 2 years ago and trying to trace his pension please help
Jay - 5-Jun-19 @ 8:33 PM
My Dad died last year, as far as I know he had a couple of private pensions, how can I find out if any money was paid out, my brother dealt with this matter.
Deb - 20-May-19 @ 1:27 PM
My father passed away 29 years ago never gave his pension a thought at the time he was only 52. He worked for one company for over 17 years and another for 17 years. I do know he had a pension not sure if it was one or a continuation. How do I trace them?
I do realise it's been a long time but have only just received his will which I could not find at the time of his death.
Please get back to me Yvonne
Von - 27-Apr-19 @ 1:18 PM
My father worked for Newman’s in yate Bristol and had a pension with them . The company is now closed down . Can’t find his pension
Kaz - 21-Apr-19 @ 10:57 AM
My father died Dec 2018 we are sure he had a private pension but cannot trace anything or even remember his last occupation.
Moby - 18-Apr-19 @ 6:21 PM
How do I check if my dad had any work pension if there is no paper work for me to check and thecompay he worked for at Norman Jackson Ltd has closed down many years ago.
Bexs - 22-Mar-19 @ 11:10 AM
My father died in 1991 and had worked for a number of employer's but we never found out whether hehad contributed into any pension schemes his widow is still alive is it too late to make claims if he has any lostpensions
Johnny 54 - 16-Mar-19 @ 1:47 PM
How do I validate if my dad paid into a miners pension scheme. He was made redundant in 1968.
Lynn - 8-Mar-19 @ 7:34 PM
My dad was a miner and not sure if he paid into a pension. He was on permantley sickness benefit due to lung infection due to the pit. He left the pit approx 1970. If he did pay into a pension how would I find out.
Lynn - 8-Mar-19 @ 7:31 PM
My father died 26 years ago , he had his own building company & he paid in to a private pension for some years .
We don’t know the name if the pension .
What information do we need to go further on claiming ?
Many Thanks
Karin - 7-Mar-19 @ 7:20 AM
My father passed away in 2002 and was in the army in the 70s/80s would I be able to claim his pension?
Rach79 - 21-Feb-19 @ 12:02 PM
How do I go about checking if my dad paid into any pension when I don't know any details
Stace - 5-Feb-19 @ 3:32 PM
My dad past away last may he had a working pension they are saying that on the plan if he had a spouse or children under 21 i am the youngest at 46 and he has been divorced for over 30 years what can we do about claiming it back as he worked for the company for about 50 years
Ang - 18-Jan-19 @ 12:02 AM
My father never claimed a war pension and now hehas died almost 7years ago can I find out if he is owed any money and could it be claimed by myself his daughtermargaret Gilbert
Mags - 16-Jan-19 @ 7:04 PM
My father is alive at tge age of 73 and a uk citizen living in the Republic of Eire .He has been there 30 yrs .He claims the irish state pension but has never claimed a uk pension at all .Is he entitled to claim and can he get paid backdated unclaimed money. He has no workplace pensions but would be claiming the badic uk state pension ...can somebody help ...???
Te` - 26-Oct-18 @ 11:54 PM
My father passed away 20 years ago and he left me something but his family went where he was working and claim without me knowing
Stain - 7-Sep-18 @ 10:14 PM
My husband died in 2011, at the age of 83, he had been collecting his state pension, but prior to this had been off work through ill health, we never discussed pensions or money etc, but now I was wondering if it was possible if he had, work place pensions that I did not know about, I have no idea of the companies he worked for in the past, would it still be possible for me to check if he had any forgotten pensions?
San - 20-Aug-18 @ 1:58 PM
My dad died 10 yrs ago some of our family have just found out in 1990 we got out a pension I was wondering if my dad did and how to get it
Kabab - 3-Jul-18 @ 8:00 AM
My dad passed away in 2004 and he had a pit pension an nothing was ever heard about it. I was his next of kin am I able to do something about it now thank you
Pazza - 22-Jun-18 @ 12:01 PM
My father Jack Craddock worked for Balfour Beatty, he paid into the pensions scheme all his life, but unfortunately he died in 1990, 3 weeks before he was going to retire at 60.My Mum received some sort of pension, but she died in 1995.What happended to all the funds my dad contributed?
My name was Susan Craddock, I married David Brownbill - divorced, then David Stinson - divorced.I can send over any information you may require
99Suzique99 - 21-Jun-18 @ 1:50 PM
My dad passed away over a year ago I. Thailand and I’m finally getting his death certificate as he was cremated without one ?? I have few details, I know he was getting things sent to a uk address but I don’t know which also don’t know the companies he used to work for. Anyway I can find out?
Emchap - 1-Jun-18 @ 8:05 AM
