How do you find a pension after someone passes away? (UK)

30 September 2026 · Inherit Vault

Pensions are one of the easiest things to miss after someone passes away. There's no single list you can search, and a pension can sit quietly for years with nobody claiming it. The good news is that there's a sensible order to work through, and most of it costs nothing.

Start with their bank statements

MoneyHelper, the free government-backed guidance service, suggests starting with the bank statements. Look for regular money coming in. That shows you who was paying them. It matters because pension income isn't always paid by the pension scheme itself. If they bought an annuity, or moved their pot into drawdown, the payments may come from an insurance company. That name on the statement is your lead.

Then the paperwork and the inbox

Next, look through their papers and emails. MoneyHelper says this is usually where you'll find the scheme names and contact details. Look for anything with a scheme name and a policy number on it. Even an old letter helps. GOV.UK says an employer must write to staff when it puts them into a workplace pension, so those letters are worth hunting for too.

List every job they ever had

For pensions they hadn't started taking yet, the best clue is their work history. MoneyHelper suggests listing all the employers the person had. GOV.UK says employers must enrol most staff into a workplace pension if they're aged between 22 and State Pension age and earn at least £10,000 a year.* So each job could mean a separate pot. Ask family, old colleagues and their CV if you can find one.

Use the free Pension Tracing Service

Once you have employer names, the government's Pension Tracing Service can find the contact details for each scheme. It's free. GOV.UK is clear about what it doesn't do. It won't tell you whether there's a pension, or what it's worth. It just gives you who to write to. You need the name of an employer or pension provider to use it. You can use it online, or call 0800 731 0175, Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm. It's listed in our directory as the Pension Tracing Service.

Tell Us Once covers some public sector schemes

If they lived in England, Scotland or Wales, the registrar will offer you Tell Us Once when you register the death. It tells the Department for Work and Pensions, which stops the State Pension. It also tells some public sector pension schemes. GOV.UK lists the Armed Forces, Civil Service and Local Government schemes. It also names NHS Pensions for England and Wales, the Pension Protection Fund, and the Scottish Public Pensions Agency schemes. You must use the service within 28 days of getting your reference number. See Tell Us Once in our directory. Every other scheme, you'll need to contact yourself.

Tell each provider as soon as you can

MoneyHelper gives two good reasons not to wait. Some pension may be paid out after the date they passed away, and it might need paying back. And extra tax might be due if the provider isn't told within two years. You'll find bereavement contacts for many schemes in our insurance and pensions list.

The State Pension usually stops there

MoneyHelper says that in most cases the State Pension can't be passed on. But a husband, wife or civil partner might be able to claim some of it, or boost their own. GOV.UK has a tool to check this. In England, Scotland and Wales, the Pension Service can help. In Northern Ireland it's the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

Pensions dashboards can't help you yet

You may have read about pensions dashboards, where you'll see all your pensions in one place. Schemes in scope have to connect by 31 October 2026.* But the Money and Pensions Service says the public MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard is expected in the 2027/28 financial year.* So for now, the steps above are the way to do it. Our guide to tracing a lost pension goes further into working through old employers.

What you might find

It depends on the type of pension. With a pension pot, MoneyHelper says any money left can usually be passed on to the people they nominated. The provider will usually get in touch with them. That's why an expression of wish form matters so much. With a final salary pension, there's no pot to pass on. But most schemes pay something, like a pension for a partner or children, or a lump sum if they were still working there. Our post on how long a pension payout takes covers the timings.

A note on tax

MoneyHelper says that if they were under 75, there's often no income tax on what's paid out. That's as long as the first payment is taken within two years of the scheme hearing about it. From age 75, income tax is usually charged. The rules on inheritance tax are changing from April 2027, which we've set out here.*

The families who find every pension are usually the ones who were left a list. A line for each scheme, with a policy number and a phone number, does more than hours of tracing. Inherit Vault is a simple place to keep that list for the people who'll one day need it.

*Correct at the time of writing, 29 September 2026. These can change, so check with the organisation before you rely on them.

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