Lost track of a pension? How to trace it in 2026

Millions of us have a pension sitting somewhere we've forgotten about - and pension tracing calls are climbing to record levels as more people go looking. We break down why so many pots go missing, who's most likely to consolidate theirs and the quickest ways to track yours down, from the government's free tracing service to provider-led tools.

How many people are tracing lost pensions now?

A recent freedom of information (FOI) request to the Pension Tracing Service, submitted by Hargreaves Lansdown, has revealed a suite of new data about the demand for pension tracing services.

The new figures show that pension tracing calls are on track to reach a record high. There were 68,709 pension tracing calls placed in the 12 months to 30th September 2025, up from 43,614 in the same period the year before. [1]

Overall, there have been more than 274,000 pension tracing calls between January 2021 and September 2025 - though Hargreaves Lansdown notes the true figure could be even higher, as the service was temporarily merged with another Department for Work and Pensions helpline between May and October 2024. [2]

What actually is pension tracing?

Pension tracing is the process of tracking down old workplace or personal pensions you've lost contact with, usually after changing jobs or moving house.

Ever played "Where's Wally?" with your retirement savings? Welcome to pension tracing - it's like being a financial detective, but instead of looking for a little man in a stripy jumper, you're hunting down the nest eggs you've scattered throughout your career.

Think about it: Every time you've switched jobs, moved house, or watched companies play musical chairs with mergers, there's a chance a pension pot has slipped between the cracks. This has been exacerbated since auto-enrolment started in 2012, with many more of us racking up multiple pots across a lifetime of work.

The good news? Lost pensions are not gone forever. You can track them down, find out how much you had tucked away, and consider next steps such as pension consolidation – that is, the process of rounding all your retirement savings up into one single pot. More on this later.

Why do people lose track of a pension in the first place?

There are many reasons why someone might seek to relocate lost pensions. The most common causes are changing jobs, moving house without updating providers, and pension schemes merging or rebranding.

Here are some common triggers for pension tracing (note this is not an exhaustive list):

Why are more people choosing to consolidate their pensions?

More UK adults now hold multiple pensions than ever, making consolidation -combining pots into one - increasingly common.

Research from Boring Money’s Pension Report 2025 found that 38% of non-retired UK adults aged 25 and over hold two or more pensions, potentially making them more likely to lose track of old pots and need to consult a tracing service to find them again.[3]

Emma Douglas, Wealth Policy Director at Aviva, said this can be explained in part by changing employment habits and the advent of auto-enrolment:

Has general pension engagement increased?

Overall, activity around pension tracing and consolidation has been increasing in recent years. According to our research, 872 non-retired pension holders have taken some form of action with their retirement savings in the past five years - whether consolidating, opening a new pension, or taking advice. In the last 12 months alone, 12% of accumulators changed how their pension is invested, 6% consolidated their pensions, 4% opened a new pension, and 12% received financial advice. A further 72% checked their pension in the past year. [4]

Are younger people more likely to consolidate their pensions?

Breaking this down by age group, we can see that younger pension holders are more likely to pursue consolidation: 570,000 people aged 25-34 are considering consolidating - more than any other age group. Under-35s also show the highest recent activity, with 10% having consolidated in the last 12 months. [5] This may reflect data which indicates that younger adults are more likely to switch jobs and thus amass more pots: Gen Z workers are more likely to change jobs every one to two years (32%) than millennials (24%) or Gen X (15%).[6]

Are men more likely to consolidate pensions than women?

On a gender basis, men appear to be more likely to consolidate, with 32% having combined their pots at some point (compared to 23% of women), According to Boring Money’s Pensions Report 2025. Men are also more likely to open a new pension (5% vs 2% of women), and feel more confident in choosing a new provider (27% compared to 13%). [7] This difference may reflect differing attitudes to pension engagement across the sexes. Whilst the Gender Pension Gap is driven primarily by a difference in salaries amongst men and women, men are also more likely to engage with their pension and therefore are more likely to get better pension outcomes. Research conducted by now:pensions revealed that UK women retire on average with pension savings of £69,000, compared to £205,000 for men.[8]

How many UK pension holders are thinking about consolidating?

With this increased engagement in pension management, more individuals are thinking about what to do with their retirement savings and if they need to take action. Boring Money’s Pension Report 2025 revealed that 8% of UK pension holders are considering consolidating their pension with plans to do so in the next 12 months. Our report also showed that 1.9 million pension holders are expected to consolidate within the near-term. [9]

How can I trace a lost pension?

You can use the government's free Pension Tracing Service online, by phone, or by post - or ask your provider if they run their own tool.

Government pension tracing service

The UK government is developing a pensions dashboard which will allow individuals to see their pensions information, including their State Pension, for free in one place online at a time of their choosing. Pensions dashboards will also reunite savers with lost or forgotten pensions. All in-scope pension schemes and providers are legally required to connect to the dashboard infrastructure by 31 October 2026, though a public launch date has not yet been confirmed. [10] Pension holders will need to seek alternative services to track down lost pots.

The Pension Tracing Service can help you find contact details for:

However, it won’t tell you whether you have a pension or what its value is. You also need the name of an employer or a pension provider to kick-start the search process.

You can access the Pension Tracing Service via:

Alternatively, some pension providers, such as AJ Bell, Aviva, Hargreaves Lansdown and Pensionbee offer their own in-house pension tracing services. Get in touch with your primary pension provider to find out if they have their own.

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[1] MoneyWeek

[2] Which?

[3] Boring Money Pensions Report, 2025

[4] Boring Money Pensions Report, 2025

[5] Boring Money Pensions Report, 2025

[6] Zipdo

[7] Boring Money Pensions Report, 2025

[8] now:pensions

[9] Boring Money Pensions Report, 2025

[10] GOV.UK