Posting this because anyone who's worked for more than 2 or 3 different employers in the UK probably has at least one pension pot they've forgotten about.
The Association of British Insurers and Pensions Policy Institute reckon there's around £31.1 billion sitting in unclaimed UK pension pots right now, across roughly 3.3 million pots. Average lost pot is £9,470. For people aged 55 to 75 the average rises to £13,620.
Big drivers: auto-enrolment since 2012 means every job adds a new pot, and most people don't update their address with old employers when they move house. So the provider has no way to send you statements.
The government runs a free Pension Tracing Service at gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details. It searches a database of 320,000 schemes. You give it the name of the old employer (or personal pension provider) and ideally rough dates, and it gives you back the contact details. You then have to write or call the scheme directly with your personal details to get the actual balance.
Worth doing for every employer you've worked at, even short-term jobs.
Wrote up the steps + what to do after you find one (consolidate or leave alone): trendingsheet.com/article/uk-lost-pensions-pension-tracing-service-31-billion-unclaimed
Anyone here actually used it and found a pot worth chasing?