Pension Tracing Service Question

drummersdale

Hi 

I’ve just read an article about tracing old workplace pensions. When I left school way back in 1979 I joined a local shipping agents in Liverpool as a messenger.  I was 16 at the time so have no idea whether I was enrolled into their pension scheme as to be honest I wouldn’t have even given it a minutes thought.  

I was only there for a little over 2 years when I left for a post in the Civil Service and stayed there for the next 40 years.  If I had been enrolled in their scheme would there be any use in trying to trace it - the company no longer exists but I did find it on the Pensions Tracing Service site but it simply gave a generic address in Manchester (so I would have no idea which organisation to address it to - and the phone number it gave was in Edinburgh cor amongst others a company called JLT Benefit Solutions - Pensions and Life Assurance specialists. 

I suppose the question I’m asking is would there potentially be a small sum available worth tracing? I was on low pay (no minimum wage back in 1979!) so if there was anything I expect it would be a pittance - but I suppose better to have it than not - might pay for a litre of petrol at least!

hyubh

drummersdale said:

I suppose the question I’m asking is would there potentially be a small sum available worth tracing?

Unlikely to be honest. Back then you needed 5 years for a scheme to have to grant a deferred pension, and moreover, it was common for eligibility to only start well after the employee was 16. No harm in contacting Mercer (see below) however.

drummersdale said:

did find it on the Pensions Tracing Service site but it simply gave a generic address in Manchester (so I would have no idea which organisation to address it to - and the phone number it gave was in Edinburgh cor amongst others a company called JLT Benefit Solutions - Pensions and Life Assurance specialists. 

JLT, amongst other things, did outsourced pension administration. They got taken over by Mercer (well, Mercer's parent company) a few years back (https://contact.mercer.com/blue).

drummersdale

Thanks @hyubh I didn’t think there would be - cheers for the response.

westv

hyubh said:

drummersdale said:

I suppose the question I’m asking is would there potentially be a small sum available worth tracing?

Unlikely to be honest. Back then you needed 5 years for a scheme to have to grant a deferred pension, and moreover, it was common for eligibility to only start well after the employee was 16. No harm in contacting Mercer (see below) however.

Very true. I started at 16 in 1979 and my employer then had a pension scheme starting age of 25.