Pension guide
If you ever worked somewhere for more than a few months, especially after auto-enrolment regimes started (UK 2012, IE 1 January 2026), a pension was almost certainly opened in your name. Short stints, overseas postings, and graduate-scheme jobs are the most-forgotten layers because the contribution looked small at the time.
Find my pensionsFull refund if we find nothing material.
Auto-enrolment opens a pension after a small earnings threshold. UK workers since 2012, AU workers under super since 1992, NL workers under sector mandate for decades, short or overseas stints are still in the system.
AU MyGov consolidates super; NL mijnpensioenoverzicht.nl consolidates every second-pillar fund; UK requires per-scheme identification because there is no single consumer portal.
Providers rebrand, schemes get bulk-bought, and a 1990s contribution can land today in a scheme with an entirely different name. The identification work is precisely about reading that history.
In the UK alone, the ABI and Pensions Policy Institute estimate billions in unclaimed pots, see our lost-pensions-by-country page for the official figures. In Australia, the ATO publishes a similar annual lost-super figure.
Yes. UK DC contributions made after October 2015 cannot be refunded after 30 days as cash, they remain as a preserved pot. DB benefits under 2 years' membership could be refunded historically; longer service is preserved.
Yes, auto-enrolment regimes opt you in by default. A small monthly deduction from a job you held briefly is the most-forgotten case.