Finding a lost pension in Ireland
Ireland has no official pension tracing service. There is no single Irish service that searches every scheme for you, so a lost workplace pension is found through the scheme that holds it, one employer at a time. This page sets out the free official routes and the written answer we hold from The Pensions Authority.
What The Pensions Authority told us
We asked the authority directly, in writing, whether it publishes a figure for unclaimed occupational benefits. That correspondence predates the six questions of our reachability study, which are still going out. This is the reply, quoted in full.
"The Pensions Authority do not publish such data."
The Authority supervises occupational schemes and holds the scheme register, and it publishes scheme and membership statistics, but no aggregate for benefits whose member cannot be traced. There is no national pot to look yourself up in.
The full reply sits alongside every other written answer we hold, on what the authorities told us, on the record.
How the Irish system is built
Ireland runs a State Pension Contributory based on PRSI contributions, plus occupational schemes and PRSAs supervised by The Pensions Authority. The two are traced in different places, which is the single most common reason a search stalls.
- Your PRSI record. Held by the Department of Social Protection, requested through MyWelfare at mywelfare.ie. This tells you when you were insured, which in turn tells you which employers to chase.
- The scheme register. Held by The Pensions Authority at pensionsauthority.ie. Search it for each former employer and write to the named trustee.
What you can do
- Request your PRSI contribution record through MyWelfare. It fixes the dates and the employer names, which is what every later step depends on.
- Search the Pensions Authority register of schemes for each former employer, including any name the employer traded under.
- Write to the named trustee of each scheme, giving your full name at the time, your date of birth, your PPS number and your employment dates.
- Keep every reply, including the ones that say no record. A written no record from a trustee is evidence, and it narrows the search rather than ending it.
Everything above is free. Try it first. We will always tell you that.
- Fixed fee from $99
- Full refund if nothing material is found
- Human review before release
Where a search usually stalls
The register names schemes, not people. If the employer has been renamed, merged or wound up, the scheme that holds your record today may carry a name you have never heard of. That succession work, tracing an employer through renames and acquisitions to whoever holds the records now, is the part that defeats most self searches, and it is the part we do.
Ireland is one of the countries covered by our paid research. See the Ireland country guide for the full picture, or start with the free check.
Questions people actually ask
Is there an official Irish pension tracing service?
There is no single Irish tracing service that searches every scheme for you. The Pensions Authority holds the register of occupational pension schemes and PRSAs, and the Department of Social Protection holds your PRSI record through MyWelfare. Tracing an Irish workplace pension means using both, then writing to the trustee of each former employer's scheme.
Does anyone publish how much Irish pension money is unclaimed?
No. The Pensions Authority confirmed to us in writing on 7 August 2026 that it does not publish such data. Scheme and membership statistics are published, but no aggregate for benefits whose member cannot be traced.
Can I check my Irish record from outside Ireland?
Your PRSI contribution record can be requested through MyWelfare, and the Pensions Authority register of schemes is public. The obstacle for people living abroad is identification and correspondence, not the existence of the record.
What is the difference between the State Pension Contributory and a workplace pension in Ireland?
The State Pension Contributory is built from PRSI contributions and is traced through the Department of Social Protection. A workplace pension is held by an occupational scheme or a PRSA, supervised by the Pensions Authority, and is traced through the employer and the scheme trustee.
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