The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) estimates that around three million UK pension pots are lost, worth at least £18.7 billion. The average lost pot is £6,220.1 About 2.46 million of those pots belong to people under 55.2 This is not only a retirement-age problem, and some of those pots will belong to your customers.
The free service
The Pension Tracing Service is a free government service.3 Start here:
Find pension contact details on GOV.UK
Your customer needs the name of a former employer or, for a personal pension, the provider. The service gives them the scheme administrator’s contact details. It cannot tell them whether they have a pension, or what it is worth.3 For anyone who would rather phone, GOV.UK gives 0800 731 0175.3
Why it matters
Losing track of a pension is easier than it sounds. People change jobs, employers change providers, and schemes merge or wind up. The pot that turns up late is the one that causes trouble. In my experience, a small pot can carry guarantees worth keeping, so finding it early can change the options rather than just add to them.
Three things to ask your customers to do
- List. Write down every employer they have had a pension with, and any provider they remember.
- Search. Put each name into the service. Contact each administrator it gives and ask whether they have a pension and what it is worth.
- Check the State Pension. It is a separate record, and the forecast is free: Check your State Pension forecast4
What it means for your process
Ask the question before the first substantive meeting. You arrive with scheme names instead of a question mark, and letters of authority can go out while you prepare.
Two cautions. A search that finds nothing does not prove there is nothing to find, because the service works from names, and names change. And be wary of any firm that charges for what the free service does. Cold calls about pensions are illegal and probably a scam.5
A second way to help: the dashboard trial
The MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard is being tested with volunteers before it opens to the public. It is designed to show a person’s pensions, including the State Pension, in one place, and to help them spot pensions they have lost track of.6
Your customers can ask to join the trial: MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard research panel6 Testing is at an early stage, so they may not see all their pensions yet.7
References
1 Professional Pensions. PPI: over three million pension pots remain lost in the UK. 12 October 2026. https://www.professionalpensions.com/news/4537123/ppi-million-pension-pots-remain-lost-uk
2 Which?. ‘I assumed I had a pension’: 5 reasons you may not be able to find a lost pot. October 2026. Reports the PPI Lost Pensions 2026 figures: 2,460,070 lost pots belong to people under 55. https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/i-assumed-i-had-a-pension-5-reasons-you-may-not-be-able-to-find-a-lost-pot-a1eSz6W032Ff
3 GOV.UK. Find pension contact details. https://www.gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details
4 GOV.UK. Check your State Pension forecast. https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension
5 Financial Conduct Authority. Pension scams. https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/pension-scams
6 MoneyHelper. Pensions Dashboard research panel. https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/pensions-and-retirement/pensions-dashboard/research-panel
7 Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals. Testers needed for the new pension dashboard. 9 March 2026. https://www.cipp.org.uk/resources/news/testers-needed-for-the-new-pension-dashboard.html
Sea to Sea Consulting Limited is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This article is general information, not personal or financial advice. Views are those of Sea to Sea Consulting Limited.