Where are all your pensions?
If you’ve changed jobs a few times, worked abroad for a spell, or moved from PAYE employment into self-employment, there’s a decent chance you have one or more “forgotten” pensions sitting quietly in the background. In Ireland, the UK and further afield, workplace pensions are often set up automatically and then left behind when you move on. Years later, people remember “I had something with that employer”, but the paperwork is gone, the provider has merged, and the pension becomes an afterthought.
From a financial planning perspective, old pensions are rarely small potatoes. They can represent years of contributions, employer matching, tax relief, and investment growth. The good news is that most can be traced, brought back into your planning and put to better use.
Why old pensions go missing
Pensions get lost for very normal reasons:
You moved house (possibly multiple times) and the provider’s letters stopped reaching you.
Your old employer changed name, merged, or closed.
The pension scheme transferred to a new provider without you paying much attention at the time.
You worked abroad and didn’t think of the pension as part of your “Irish finances”.
You had several short-term roles where a pension was set up without much fanfare.
In the UK in particular, auto-enrolment has led to millions of small pots being created across different employers. Add in Irish occupational schemes, PRSAs/Personal Retirement Bonds, and overseas plans, and it’s easy to see how things get fragmented.
The potential financial benefits of tracking them down
Finding an old pension isn’t just about tidying up paperwork, it can materially improve your financial position.
You may discover more retirement money than you expected: It sounds obvious, but it happens regularly. Once the statement arrives, people realise the pension is worth far more than the vague memory in their head. Years of compounded investment growth can do that.
Consolidation can make your retirement plan clearer: Multiple small pots across different providers can make it hard to know “Am I on track?” Bringing pensions into one place (when appropriate) can make your overall retirement picture easier to manage, monitor, and explain.
You can reduce unnecessary fees and complexity: Older schemes sometimes carry higher charges, outdated fund ranges, or layers of administration. Modern arrangements can be more transparent and cost effective. At a minimum, the charging structure should be reviewed.
You can review your investment strategy and risk level: A pension set up in your 20s may still be invested as if you’re 25, or it may have drifted into a “default” fund that doesn’t suit you. Once you find old pots, you can align them with your real time horizon and objectives.
You can identify valuable features that shouldn’t be lost: This is a big one. Some pensions (particularly older UK schemes, or older Irish arrangements) can include features that are difficult or impossible to replicate today – for example, in some cases there may be guaranteed benefits. Tracking a pension down allows you to assess what you actually have before making any changes.
It can improve beneficiary planning
Old pensions may have outdated “expression of wish/nomination of beneficiary” forms. If something happened to you, you’d want the benefits to go where you intend. Tracing pensions gives you the chance to update beneficiary details and ensure the paperwork matches your current family situation.
So what do you do now?
If you approach this challenge systematically, there’s hopefully value to be unlocked and the good news is - it’s usually very doable with a bit of effort and persistence. Here are some steps to take.
Create a simple pension timeline: Write down every employer you’ve had (including part-time roles), the years you worked there, and the country. Don’t worry about being perfect, you’re just building a trail.
Gather data that will help to identify you: This is where you make it easy to be found… Write down,
Your name including your maiden name (if applicable)
Your date of birth
PPS number and your National Insurance number if you worked in UK
Previous addresses
Approximate employment dates
Check your own paperwork and digital trails: Look for clues in old HR emails or offer letters. Check any old payslips as they often reference a pension provider or scheme name. If you have them, check old bank statements for standing orders or deductions if you made AVCs. Then check any old Revenue documents as old tax returns for example might offer some useful data.
Contact the employer or the scheme provider if you know it: Many HR departments can point you to the pension administrator or confirm the provider name. If the employer has ceased trading, a former colleague, LinkedIn, or the company’s successor entity can sometimes help.
Use official tracing supports where available: In Ireland if it was an occupational scheme, the employer or scheme trustees/administrator are usually the starting point. For PRSAs or Personal Retirement Bonds, the provider is key. If you’ve genuinely hit a wall, we can often help by contacting providers and administrators for you. The UK has an official Pension Tracing Service that can help you find contact details for pension schemes connected to former employers. It won’t tell you the value, but it can point you to the right place to request information.
Request a current statement and key scheme details: Once located, you’ve done the hard work! Ask for comprehensive details to include,
Current fund value
Fund choices and charges
Any guarantees or protected benefits
Retirement options and scheme rules
Beneficiary nomination status
Get advice: Now you need expert advice. Sometimes it makes sense to consolidate your pensions, but this needs to be considered with care. Before moving anything, we will compare charges, investment options, and crucially, any special features you might lose by transferring. In some cases, leaving a pension where it is may be the best decision. In others, bringing pots together can improve control, reduce costs, and simplify retirement planning.
If you do nothing else this month, take the first action. Write down your employer timeline and identify one pension to trace. Momentum matters - once the first one is found, the rest tend to follow. Your pensions are a critical part of your financial future. Keeping track of them isn’t just good admin. It’s good planning, and it can pay off in very real ways.