Search "find my pensions UK free" and you'll get a mix of Government tools, fintech apps, charity advice services and tracing companies — all with slightly different definitions of "free". Some are free at every stage. Some are free to start, then charge later. Some don't trace pensions at all but provide free guidance about them.
This is the honest, side-by-side guide we'd want our friends and family to read before they pick. It covers what each service genuinely offers, what it doesn't, and which one fits which situation.
There are three free routes worth knowing about in the UK, plus our own service:
The Government's Find Pension Contact Details tool
The Government's Check State Pension service
MoneyHelper (and Pension Wise) — for free guidance, not tracing
The Pension Tracing Service® — free tracing, regulated advice, and an optional paid consolidation step
The paid-only route to ignore: any service that charges you upfront just to search for a pension. There's no need to pay for a search — every search step has a free option.
Where: gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details
What it does: Lets you search for a workplace or personal pension scheme by employer name or scheme name. Returns the current contact details for the scheme administrator.
What it doesn't do: Tell you whether you have a pension. Tell you what it's worth. Contact the scheme on your behalf.
Cost: Free.
The Government's tool is run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and holds records for over 200,000 UK pension schemes. It's a directory, not a search engine — it gives you contact details so you can then write to or phone the scheme yourself.
Best for: People who can remember the employer or scheme name and just need the right number to call.
Limitations: If you don't remember the employer, the tool can't help you. If you do remember it, you still have to do all the follow-up work yourself.
Where: gov.uk/check-state-pension
What it does: Shows your State Pension forecast — how much State Pension you're on track to receive, your State Pension age, and any gaps in your National Insurance record.
What it doesn't do: Tell you anything about workplace or personal pensions.
Cost: Free. Requires a Government Gateway / GOV.UK One Login account.
This is the only Government service that genuinely gives you pension information (not just contact details), but it's strictly limited to your State Pension. Your private and workplace pensions don't appear here at all.
Best for: Everyone — at some point, you should check your State Pension forecast regardless of what else you're doing.
Limitations: Doesn't cover the bigger picture of your private and workplace pensions.
Where: moneyhelper.org.uk
What it does: Free, impartial guidance on pensions and money. Includes Pension Wise, a free 60-minute appointment for over-50s explaining pension options.
What it doesn't do: Trace pensions. Pension Wise gives general guidance, not personalised advice.
Cost: Free. Government-backed (the Money and Pensions Service).
MoneyHelper is a useful resource for understanding pensions in general — what your options are, how tax works, what the rules are. It is not a tracing service. If you arrive at MoneyHelper hoping to find a lost pension, you'll be pointed back to the Government's Find Pension Contact Details tool or to a tracing service.
Best for: Background reading and free general guidance.
Limitations: Doesn't find pensions itself.
Where: pensiontracingservice.com (you're here)
What it does: Free tracing of all your UK workplace, personal and contracted-out pensions. Free regulated review of every pot we find. Optional paid consolidation if you decide it's right for you.
What it doesn't do: Search the US, EU or other countries' pension systems. Process tracing requests for someone else (data protection rules — you have to sign up yourself).
Cost: Tracing is free. Review is free. Only if you choose to combine your pensions into a new plan do fees apply: a one-off 1% on transfer, then 0.82–0.86% annually.
The Pension Tracing Service® has been operating since 2012 (FCA number 914746). The model is built around making the search and review free, so there's never a barrier to getting started. We earn money only at the consolidation step — and only if our advisers can demonstrate that consolidating is genuinely better for you than leaving things as they are.
What sets it apart from the other free options:
We do the chasing on your behalf (the Gov.UK tool gives you contact details; we actually contact the schemes)
You get regulated advice on every pot we find (Gov.UK and MoneyHelper provide information or guidance, not advice)
We can handle complex cases (defined-benefit transfers, contracted-out histories, schemes that have been wound up or acquired)
Gov.UK Find Pension Contact Details
Returns valuations?: ❌
Provides advice?: ❌
Cost to find pensions: Free
Gov.UK Check State Pension
Returns valuations?: ✅ (State only)
Provides advice?: ❌
Cost to find pensions: Free
MoneyHelper / Pension Wise
Returns valuations?: ❌
Provides advice?: Guidance only
Cost to find pensions: Free
*Pension Tracing Service®*
Returns valuations?: ✅
Provides advice?: ✅ (regulated)
Cost to find pensions: Free to find; 1% one-off if you consolidate
It depends on your starting point.
You remember the employer → start with the Gov.UK Find Pension Contact Details tool. If you're happy chasing the scheme yourself, that may be all you need.
You want a State Pension forecast → use the Gov.UK Check State Pension service. Free, takes 5 minutes.
You want to understand your pension options before doing anything → start with MoneyHelper.
You want the search done for you, your pots valued, and clear advice on what to do next → use the Pension Tracing Service®.
There's nothing stopping you using more than one. Many people start with the Gov.UK tool, get stuck on a couple of old employers they can't track down, and then sign up for a full trace to finish the job.
The reason "free" gets so muddled in pension tracing is that there are two distinct stages — finding the pension, and doing something with it. Almost every service is free at the finding stage. The cost (when there is one) comes at the second stage, where regulated advice and product fees come into play.
The Pension Tracing Service® is built to make both stages transparent:
Finding: free, always
Reviewing: free, always
Consolidating into a new plan: 1% one-off fee + 0.82–0.86% annual management
If we don't find a pension or can't improve on what you have: you pay nothing
This is unusually transparent for the industry, and it's intentional. There should never be a reason not to start the search.
Yes. Both gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details (scheme contact details) and gov.uk/check-state-pension (State Pension forecast) are free to use.
Tracing your pensions is free. Reviewing what we find is free. The only fee is a one-off 1% if you choose to consolidate into a new plan — and an annual management fee of 0.82–0.86% on the new plan after that. If we can't find anything, or can't improve on what you have, you pay nothing.
The Gov.UK tool gives you scheme contact details — you then have to do the chasing yourself. The Pension Tracing Service® does the chasing on your behalf, gets valuations, and provides regulated advice on what to do with each pot. We compare the two in detail in Gov.UK vs PTS: what's the difference?.
Yes. Combining the Government's free tools with a free trace from a service like ours will get you to a complete picture of your pensions at no cost. Fees only enter the picture if you decide to act on what you find.
The Government services are run by Government departments (the DWP and HMRC). MoneyHelper is the Government-backed money guidance service. The Pension Tracing Service® is FCA-authorised under number 914746 — important if you want regulated advice on what to do with a pension once it's found.
Yes. There's no need to pay just to search — every search step has a free option. If a service is asking for an upfront fee before they've found anything, that's a red flag.
Free pension tracing is real and widely available. The Government covers the State Pension forecast and basic scheme lookups; MoneyHelper covers free guidance. For a full search with valuations and advice, the Pension Tracing Service® does the lot — for free at every stage except the optional consolidation step.
You can also request contact details from the Pension Tracing Service by phone or by post.
The Pension Tracing Service
Telephone: 0800 1223 170
From outside the UK: +44 (0) 1782 389134
Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
Address
The Pension Tracing Service
The Lantern
High Street
Ilfracombe
EX34 9QB
Copyright 2026 by Pension Tracing Service®
The Pension Tracing Service® is a trading style of Millennial Wealth Ltd. We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA number 914746). Pinnacle House, 34 Newark Road, Peterborough, PE1 5YD. Registered company number 11557299.
Profile Pensions is a trading name of Profile Financial Solutions Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA number 596398). Registered office: Norwest Court, Guildhall Street, Preston, PR1 3NU.
This service is not affiliated with the Department for Work and Pensions or any government body. When you click to get started, you'll be taken to Profile Pensions to complete your sign-up and begin the Find, Check & Transfer service. Capital at risk: the value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you put in. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change.
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