Finding old pension

judejames2511

I’m trying to find an old pension with a company I worked for over 20 years ago. I’m absolutely hitting my head against a brick wall now try to find it. The company says it only goes back 10 years. The pension department have not been able to help. 

Can you????

dunstonh

Whilst the company only keeps records for 10 years, could they not tell you the name of the insurance company to which their pension from that period was linked?   (if they had their own pension plan, they would hold records indefinitely on alive members ,with their administrator.  So, this suggests it would be a group personal pension or group stakeholder pension controlled by an insurer, if there was actually a pension to begin with).

xylophone

I’m trying to find an old pension with a company I worked for over 20 years ago.

See

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/78331478/#Comment_78331478

You could try SAR as above?

Or

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/financial-services/pensions-advice-service/find-my-pension/

TheBanker

Have a look here: https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/pensions-and-retirement/pension-problems/tracing-and-finding-lost-pensions

Are you still in touch with anyone who you used to work with? If so, ask them if they know. Do you have any paperwork at all (pay slips, P45/P60 etc) which may give a clue?

How long did you work there? I think some companies used to close your pension and refund any contributions if you left within a year of joining. Don't quote me on this though.

Marcon

TheBanker said:

Have a look here: https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/pensions-and-retirement/pension-problems/tracing-and-finding-lost-pensions

Are you still in touch with anyone who you used to work with? If so, ask them if they know. Do you have any paperwork at all (pay slips, P45/P60 etc) which may give a clue?

How long did you work there? I think some companies used to close your pension and refund any contributions if you left within a year of joining. Don't quote me on this though.

Then possibly better not to say it in the first place...! But you're on the right sort of track.

OP, can you remember your (rough) dates of employment with this company? The fact they have a pensions department suggests they probably had an occupational scheme. If you had less than two years of pension scheme membership (you might have had a waiting period before you could join the scheme, possibly to reach a minimum age or a minimum length of employment, so might have needed to be employed for more than two years), you would normally have received a refund of your own contributions, less tax and NI, often tucked in with your final pay packet - and equally often overlooked by the recipient. If it was a personal pension arrangement, then 'vesting' was immediate and there could be some money sitting somewhere for you, although if it was a very small pot with high charges, possibly not.

If you name the company (no reason not to, since you're asking for information, not going into battle), someone here may be able to help further.