Lost 401(k)s and Pensions: How to Find Old Retirement Money (Free)
To find a lost 401(k) or pension for free, search the Department of Labor’s abandoned-plan database and the new Retirement Savings Lost & Found at lostandfound.dol.gov, and check the PBGC’s unclaimed pensions list for ended pension plans. Also contact your old employer and search your state’s unclaimed property site. Every search is free.
When you leave a job, your 401(k) doesn’t leave with you unless you move it. Companies merge, get sold, or shut down their plans, and after a few address changes the plan simply loses track of you. The money is still yours. Here is exactly where to look, and every step is free.
Step 1: Search the Department of Labor's abandoned-plan database
When an employer’s retirement plan is terminated — often because the company went out of business — it becomes an “abandoned plan.” The Department of Labor tracks these and the firms hired to wind them down.
Search the DOL Abandoned Plan Search by company name. If your old plan is listed, you’ll see the qualified termination administrator handling it and how to file for your balance.
Step 2: Check the Retirement Savings Lost & Found
The Retirement Savings Lost & Found is a free national database created by the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 and launched by the Department of Labor in late 2024. It’s designed to reconnect workers with plans they’ve lost track of and point you to the plan administrator to contact.
Search it at lostandfound.dol.gov. You’ll sign in through Login.gov to protect your information.
Step 3: Look for a lost pension at the PBGC
A traditional pension is different from a 401(k). If your employer’s pension plan ended and it couldn’t find you, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) — a federal agency — may be holding your benefit.
Search the PBGC unclaimed pensions database by your name or your former employer’s name. If there’s a match, PBGC pays the benefit to you directly.
Step 4: Go straight to the source — your old employer
Databases don’t catch everything. If your former company still exists, contact its HR department or benefits administrator and ask for the current 401(k) plan administrator (the firm like Fidelity, Vanguard, or Empower that actually holds the money). Have your dates of employment and Social Security number ready. This is often the fastest route for a plan that’s still active.
Step 5: If all else fails, check your state
If a plan can’t find you, small balances are frequently rolled into a default IRA, and genuinely abandoned accounts can eventually be turned over to your state’s unclaimed property program. Search your state unclaimed property site under your name and any former names.
Is there a middleman fee? No.
You may get a letter from a company offering to “recover” your retirement money for a percentage. You never need it. Every search above — the Department of Labor, the PBGC, and your state — is free and open to the public. A finder simply runs the same searches and bills you for the result. Read our finder-fee guide before you sign anything.
The bottom line
A lost 401(k) or pension is almost always recoverable, and it costs nothing but your time. Work the free searches — Department of Labor, Lost & Found, PBGC, your old employer, and your state — and you’ll cover every place the money can hide.
This is one of several federal sources people miss. See the full federal money hub for the rest, or start with how to find unclaimed money in your name for free.
Common questions
Start with the Department of Labor's abandoned-plan search at askebsa.dol.gov, which finds plans that were shut down. Also check the new Retirement Savings Lost and Found at lostandfound.dol.gov, contact your old employer's HR or plan administrator, and search your state's unclaimed property site. All of these are free.
It's a free national database run by the Department of Labor, created by the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 and launched in late 2024. It helps workers find retirement plans they may have lost track of and locate the plan administrator to contact. Search it at lostandfound.dol.gov.
If your former employer's pension plan ended, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) may hold your benefit. Search the PBGC's unclaimed pensions database at pbgc.gov/search-unclaimed-pensions using your name or your former employer's name. It's free, and PBGC pays the benefit directly.
No. Every official search — the Department of Labor, the PBGC, and your state's unclaimed property office — is free. A paid 'finder' only looks in the same public databases you can search yourself in a few minutes.
Yes. If a plan can't locate you, small balances are often rolled into an IRA, and truly abandoned accounts can eventually be turned over to your state's unclaimed property program. So if the federal searches come up empty, check your state site too.
This guide is maintained by the Unclaimed Guide Editorial Team and reviewed each quarter. Found something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it, or check the corrections log.