Quick answer: No public service lets you look up your pensions by National Insurance number. What your NI number does is help each pension provider match you to their records once you contact them. To find out who to contact, you need your past employers or providers, which you can get from your own records, your HMRC account, or the free government Pension Tracing Service.
What your National Insurance number can do
- Prove a pension is yours. Providers match your NI number and date of birth to their records, which matters if you have changed your name or address since.
- Show your work history. Your HMRC online account and the HMRC app show your recent employers, which tells you where to look for workplace pensions.
- Show your State Pension. Your National Insurance record and State Pension forecast show the years you paid in and whether you were contracted out, which can point to a private pension you have forgotten.
What it can’t do
The government Pension Tracing Service does not search by National Insurance number. It searches by the name of an employer or pension provider and gives you their contact details. It can’t tell you whether you have a pension there or how much it is worth.
Websites that promise to “find your pension with your NI number” are either asking for it so they can contact providers on your behalf, or are using it to sell you something. Only give your NI number to a firm you have checked, and never to someone who has cold-called you.
How to use your NI number to find a pension
- Sign in to your HMRC account and note your past employers.
- Search for each employer on the Pension Tracing Service to get the scheme’s contact details.
- Write to each scheme with your NI number, date of birth, full name, any previous names and addresses, and the dates you worked there.
- Ask whether they hold a pension for you and what it is currently worth.
Keep your NI number safe
Your NI number is valuable to fraudsters. A genuine provider will ask for it to find your records, but nobody should cold-call you asking for it. Pension cold-calling is illegal in the UK. If in doubt, check the FCA’s ScamSmart guidance.
If you would rather someone did it for you
Tracing pensions yourself costs nothing but time. If you don’t have the time, or the letters and ID checks are putting you off, tell us what you remember and we’ll put you in touch with the right service:
- Pension Pie, our sister company, traces pensions of any size for one fixed fee of £249 including VAT. It never takes a percentage of what it finds and never moves your money.
- An FCA-authorised adviser may trace your pensions as part of an advice service, typically where they total £75,000 or more. The adviser explains any fees before you go ahead.
Frequently asked questions
Can I find my pension with just my National Insurance number?
Not on its own. There is no public lookup. Your NI number helps each provider match you to their records, but you first need to know which providers or employers to contact.
Does the government Pension Tracing Service use my NI number?
No. The government Pension Tracing Service searches by employer or provider name and gives you contact details. You give your NI number to the provider when you contact them.
Can HMRC tell me where my pensions are?
HMRC can show your employment history and National Insurance record, which helps you work out where your workplace pensions might be. It does not keep a list of your private pensions.
Is it safe to give my NI number to a pension tracing company?
Only to a firm you have checked and contacted yourself. Look for a clear company number and a fixed fee, and never give it to someone who cold-called you.
Why does a tracing form ask for my NI number and date of birth?
Providers use them to find your records and confirm they are writing to the right person. Without them, a provider may not be able to say whether it holds a pension for you.
More on finding lost pensions
- How do I find out what pensions I have?
- How to find a pension from an old job
- Finding a pension with a provider that changed its name
- Finding a pension from years ago
- How to check your pensions online
- Pensions dashboards: when can I see all my pensions?
- SERPS: how to check and find yours
- The government Pension Tracing Service or paid tracing?
- What could an old pension be worth?