Lost Pensions and Old Retirement Accounts: Where to Look After a Death

Many people don’t know what retirement benefits their parents or spouse earned over a long career. Pensions can be hiding in plans from jobs held decades ago, and retirement accounts can sit untouched when no one knows they exist. This guide explains what to look for, which search tools work for someone who has died, and which ones don’t. It builds on how to find everything a person owned.

What kinds of plans are there?

The government booklet Finding a Lost Pension, published by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) and the Department of Labor, distinguishes two basic types:

• Defined benefit plan: a traditional pension that promises participants a specified benefit, often a monthly payment starting at retirement
• Defined contribution plan: a plan, such as a 401(k), in which money is contributed to an individual account, and the benefit depends on the balance

It also describes beneficiaries as people designated by the participant or the plan to receive benefits upon the participant’s death. Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and many 401(k)s pass to named beneficiaries outside probate; see probate vs. non-probate assets.

Why doesn’t the Labor Department’s search work?

It’s built for living people. The Labor Department’s Retirement Savings Lost and Found searches only by your own Social Security number through your own verified account, and its FAQ says it can’t be used to look up a deceased spouse’s benefits. It also doesn’t cover IRAs or government and certain religious plans, and a result shows only that someone participated in a plan, not that money is still owed. For a person who has died, the Labor Department advises contacting the employers or unions directly, and an EBSA Benefits Advisor can help you find them at AskEBSA.dol.gov or 1-866-444-3272.

How do I work out where to look?

Build a work history, then contact each employer or union.

• Gather clues. Old pay stubs, W-2s, tax returns, letters from plan administrators, retirement account statements, and Forms 1099-R (which report retirement distributions) show where benefits came from. The Finding a Lost Pension booklet also suggests looking at earlier jobs for valuable clues about a pension plan
• Contact each employer’s benefits office or union. Ask whether the person was in a pension or retirement plan, and request the plan’s administrator contact. Companies merge, change names, and move, so tracing a former employer’s current name and location may take some work
• Check Form 5500 filings. Plans file annual reports on Form 5500, which can help identify a plan and its administrator. The booklet points to the Department of Labor’s EFAST site at efast.dol.gov to view them

What can PBGC do?

PBGC insures most defined benefit pension plans sponsored by private companies, and when a plan ends, the employer may transfer benefits to PBGC. PBGC runs an unclaimed pension search, and archived PBGC materials explain two points that matter after a death:

• If the participant is deceased, you should inform PBGC (PBGC takes reports of a participant’s death)
• If you’re a beneficiary and you find the participant’s name in the unclaimed pension list, contact PBGC to find out whether you’re entitled to a benefit

The archived page says the list includes only pensions in plans that are single-employer plans covered by PBGC’s insurance program, among other conditions, and doesn’t include all people PBGC holds pensions for. An asterisk next to a name means PBGC is uncertain whether a benefit is owed. If the plan isn’t covered, see the Finding a Lost Pension booklet. PBGC’s page and contact methods change, so use pbgc.gov to start.

Is a surviving spouse owed something?

Possibly. The booklet explains that married workers generally have the right to a qualified joint and survivor annuity (QJSA), which provides an annuity to the participant and survivor benefits to the spouse, unless the worker waived it with the spouse’s consent. If you are a surviving spouse, ask the plan administrator in writing what survivor benefits apply. Other beneficiaries may be entitled to benefits depending on how the participant chose to receive the pension and what the plan provides, so ask the plan.

What about government and military pensions?

They generally work differently. PBGC’s unclaimed pension list covers plans sponsored by private companies; federal civilian, military, state and local, and railroad retirement benefits are generally administered by separate agencies and systems, so contact the relevant agency or retirement system and report the death. Social Security survivor benefits are also separate; see taxes and benefits after a death.

What do I need to make a claim?

Plans and PBGC typically ask for a certified death certificate and proof of your relationship or authority, such as a marriage certificate, a beneficiary designation, or letters from the court if you’re the executor. Ask each plan for its claim form and its documentation list. Keep a log of each plan you contact: date, who you spoke with, and what they said.

Should I pay someone to find it?

No. The Labor Department says it never charges a fee to recover funds, and PBGC works with pension search partner organizations such as AARP to help people find unclaimed pensions. Heirs can also search state unclaimed property programs for free; see unclaimed property after a death. Services that take a percentage are generally using the same public tools.

What about taxes on inherited retirement accounts?

Inherited IRAs and 401(k)s have special tax rules that depend on who the beneficiary is. A tax professional can explain them before you take any distribution. See taxes and benefits after a death.

Where else should I look?

See old bank accounts and safe deposit boxes and savings bonds after a death.

If you find an account, see inheriting an IRA or 401(k).

For a step-by-step checklist with links to each official search, use our interactive Find the Money checklist.

This is general educational information, not legal or tax advice. Pension rules, plan terms, and agency contact details vary and change; some PBGC pages cited here are archived. An ERISA or probate attorney, an EBSA Benefits Advisor, or the plan administrator can address your situation.