If you live in Scotland, work in Scotland, or have worked in Scotland in the past, the basic mechanics of finding lost pensions are the same as the rest of the UK — but a few of the public sector schemes are run differently, and there are a couple of regional contact points worth knowing about.
This guide covers what's specifically Scottish about pension tracing, alongside the wider UK process that applies to everyone.
The vast majority of UK pensions — workplace pensions at private employers, personal pensions, SIPPs, and contracted-out SERPS records held by HMRC — operate UK-wide. There's no separate "Scottish" version of an Aviva pension, an HSBC pension, or a Tesco workplace scheme. If you've worked for a private employer (anywhere in the UK) the tracing process is the same.
Scotland-specific differences only come in for certain public sector schemes, and a handful of regional administrative arrangements.
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) is the Scottish Government body that administers several major Scottish public sector pension schemes:
NHS Pension Scheme (Scotland) — for NHS Scotland employees
Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme — for Scottish teachers
Police Pension Scheme (Scotland) — for Scottish police officers
Firefighters' Pension Scheme (Scotland) — for Scottish firefighters
If you've worked in any of these roles in Scotland, your pension records will be held by SPPA, not the equivalent English administrators (NHSBSA, Teachers' Pensions, etc.).
Where to start: pensions.gov.scot
You'll need your name, date of birth, NI number and a rough date range of when you were a member
If you've moved between Scotland and the rest of the UK during your career — for example, working for the NHS in Scotland for some years and then NHS England — you may have two separate records to trace, one with SPPA and one with NHSBSA.
The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) operates in Scotland but with separate funds to the rest of the UK. There are 11 LGPS funds in Scotland, each administered by a Scottish council on behalf of a group of councils. The main Scottish LGPS funds are:
Strathclyde Pension Fund (largest, covers Glasgow and surrounding areas)
Lothian Pension Fund (Edinburgh area)
North East Scotland Pension Fund
Tayside Pension Fund
Highland Council Pension Fund
Falkirk Pension Fund
Dumfries and Galloway Pension Fund
Fife Pension Fund
Orkney Islands Council Pension Fund
Scottish Borders Council Pension Fund
Shetland Islands Council Pension Fund
If you worked for a Scottish council, university, college, or related body, your LGPS pension is held by one of these funds. The national LGPS member site (lgpsmember.org) covers the broader scheme; for a specific Scottish fund, contact the relevant council's pensions team.
The State Pension is administered UK-wide by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) — there's no separate Scottish State Pension. If you live in Scotland, your State Pension forecast is available the same way as anywhere else: gov.uk/check-state-pension with a Government Gateway / GOV.UK One Login account.
Bereavement Support Payment, if relevant, is also UK-wide — claim through the DWP.
A few benefits that interact with pensions are devolved to the Scottish Government (administered by Social Security Scotland) — for example, Pension Age Disability Payment (the Scottish equivalent of Attendance Allowance, replacing it from 2024 onwards). These don't change the State Pension itself, but if you receive both you may have separate touchpoints.
For everything else, the process is identical to the rest of the UK:
Private personal pensions — held by your provider (Aviva, Standard Life, Scottish Widows, Aegon, Royal London, AJ Bell, Hargreaves Lansdown, etc.). Standard Life and Scottish Widows are both Scottish-headquartered firms, but they sell pensions UK-wide and the tracing process is the same regardless of where you live.
Workplace pensions at private employers — held by the workplace pension provider (Nest, The People's Pension, Now Pensions, Smart Pension, Royal London, Standard Life, etc.). No Scotland-specific differences.
Contracted-out SERPS — HMRC records, UK-wide.
Old workplace pensions from previous employers — held by the original provider or its successor administrator.
The same four routes apply as anywhere in the UK:
Old paperwork — annual statements, joiner packs, payslips
Previous employers — HR teams in Scotland keep records the same way as elsewhere
Government tools — gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details for scheme contact details (UK-wide), gov.uk/check-state-pension for State Pension forecast, pensions.gov.scot for SPPA-administered schemes
Use a UK-wide pension finder service — the Pension Tracing Service® covers all of the UK including Scotland, contacting HMRC, the DWP, SPPA where relevant, and private providers on your behalf
If you're tracing pensions on behalf of a deceased relative in Scotland, the equivalent of probate (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) is Confirmation, granted by the Sheriff Court. Pension providers' bereavement teams accept Confirmation as the equivalent legal authority.
For more on tracing on behalf of someone who has passed, see our bereavement guide.
We're a UK-wide service and we cover all of Scotland. Our process is the same regardless of where you live:
You sign up online with your name, date of birth, NI number and rough work history
We contact HMRC for contracted-out SERPS records
We contact the DWP for your State Pension record
We contact relevant scheme administrators — including SPPA for Scottish public sector schemes if your work history includes them
We contact private providers in your work history (UK-wide; no Scotland/UK distinction)
Our regulated advisers review what we find and provide recommendations
There are no Scotland-specific fees or restrictions — pricing is the same UK-wide.
No. The UK pension finder market is UK-wide. The same providers, the same Government tools, and the same private services (including the Pension Tracing Service®) all cover Scotland.
Contact the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) at pensions.gov.scot. They administer the NHS Scotland pension scheme. You'll need your NI number and date of birth — they can recover your membership reference if you've lost it.
Through SPPA at pensions.gov.scot — they also administer the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme. The English/Welsh equivalent (Teachers' Pensions, run by Capita) is separate; if you've taught in both, you may have records with both.
These are held by one of the 11 Scottish LGPS funds, administered by individual Scottish councils. Identify the council you worked for, then contact that council's pensions team.
No. Both are Scottish-headquartered firms but they sell and administer pensions UK-wide on standard UK terms. Tracing one is no different from tracing an Aviva, Royal London, or Aegon pension.
No. The UK Government's free Find Pension Contact Details tool at gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details covers all of the UK including Scotland. SPPA covers the Scottish public sector schemes specifically; for everything else, the UK-wide tools apply.
Yes. We cover all of the UK. The process and pricing are identical to customers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Wherever in the UK you live, the pension finder mechanics are largely the same — and the hardest part is starting. Sign up for a free trace and we'll handle the rest, including any Scottish public sector scheme contacts where relevant.
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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