Worked at Woolwich in the UK? Your pension probably still exists. The name on your payslip may not.

If you worked for the Woolwich in the UK, in a branch or at head office, this page is for you. It was a building society for 150 years, a public company for three, and then it belonged to Barclays.

What happened

The Woolwich was established in 1847 as the Woolwich Equitable Benefit Building and Investment Association (Source: Barclays Group Archives, The Woolwich, read 27 October 2026). In 1990 the society's name was shortened to Woolwich Building Society (Source: Barclays Group Archives, The Woolwich, read 27 October 2026). The Building Societies Association lists the transfer of Woolwich Building Society to Woolwich plc on 7 July 1997 (Source: Building Societies Association, mergers and conversions, read 27 October 2026). Barclays says that, after the High Court sanctioned a scheme of arrangement, the entire share capital of Woolwich plc was transferred to Barclays Bank PLC on 25 October 2000 (Source: Barclays Group Archives, The Woolwich, read 27 October 2026).

Why the trail is hard

The building society and the plc were different legal bodies, and a third change came when Barclays took the share capital. A record can sit under any of those names, and the one you remember may not be the one on it. We have not read when Barclays announced its agreement to buy Woolwich, so we give no date.

Which era were you in?

The employer's name and owner changed over the years, so the first question is which one you worked for. This holds for the dates in the left column.

Which pension arrangement applied to you depends on the company that employed you in those years and on your own terms. This page does not name a scheme or say who holds one today. A name that is right for the bank today may not have been right for your years, so we do not guess. Your report names it.

Not sure which row fits? Start the free check and tell us when you worked at the Woolwich.

Do I have a pension from my Woolwich years?

It depends first on when you left. The law set a minimum, and a scheme could always be more generous than the law.

If you left after 6 April 1988 with 2 years or more of service, you very likely have a preserved pension, if you were in the scheme.

Sources: the age 26 and 5 year rule, Social Security Act 1973, Schedule 16, paragraph 6(1), read 20 October 2026, in force from 6 April 1975 (Social Security Act 1973 (Commencement No. 2) Order 1973, read 20 October 2026). The age condition ended on 1 January 1986 (Social Security Act 1985, section 1, read 20 October 2026, and Social Security Act 1985 (Commencement No. 2) Order 1985, read 20 October 2026). Five years became two with effect from 6 April 1988 (Social Security Act 1973, Schedule 16 as amended, note on the Social Security Act 1986, section 10, read 20 October 2026). Two years today, and 30 days for money purchase service that began on or after 1 October 2015 (Pension Schemes Act 1993, section 71, read 20 October 2026).

The free official route comes first

The UK government's free Pension Tracing Service gives you contact details for a workplace pension scheme from the name of an employer. It has a limit, in its own words: "This service will not tell you whether you have a pension, or what its value is." (Source: GOV.UK, Find pension contact details, read 20 October 2026.)

With an old City bank, the name is the hard part. The name on your payslip is rarely the name on the record today, and a search for the wrong name finds the wrong scheme or nothing you recognise.

Former colleagues

We have not yet checked for alumni groups or reunions for the Woolwich, so we list none. If you know of one, the notice board below is coming for exactly this.

Frequently asked questions

I worked for the Woolwich when it was a building society. Does that matter? Yes. The employer before 7 July 1997 was the society, and the plc is a different legal body. Tell us your years when you order.

Is the Woolwich the same as Barclays? Barclays Bank PLC held the entire share capital of Woolwich plc from 25 October 2000. Whether the pension you built up sits with Barclays depends on your years and your terms, and your report says.

Do you contact the pension scheme for me? No. We identify who holds the pension and give you what to send. You contact them yourself, and the pension stays yours throughout.

Is the government tracing service not enough? It is the right first step, and it costs nothing. It gives a contact for a scheme name you already have. It will not tell you whether you have a pension, and with Woolwich the name you remember is not the name on the record today.

What if you find nothing? We say so in the report. The refund promise sits next to the order button above.

More of the City's vanished banks: Halifax and HBOS, Barclays Bank International, Alliance & Leicester, and the A to Z of old names.