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Pension TrailUK pension tracing
Pension Trail
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Finding a pension

Finding a pension held under a maiden or previous name (UK)

For anyone who changed their name after leaving a job and wonders whether an old pension is still sitting under the old one. Here is how to search, what to tell the scheme and what proof it may want.

Last reviewed November 2026. Correct as at 3 November 2026.

What this tool does. It writes the letters and asks the questions. It does not tell you what to do with the answers. It is not financial advice, and we are not authorised to give it.

If you changed your name through marriage, divorce or deed poll after leaving a job, an old pension scheme may still hold your record under the name you used then. That can make the record harder to match to you, but the routes for finding it are the same free ones anyone else uses. The difference is in what you tell the scheme.

Why an old surname can get in the way

The Pensions Regulator's guidance on pensions dashboards says it expects many schemes to match people to pensions using last name, date of birth and National Insurance number. It gives an example where the National Insurance number and date of birth match but the last name does not, which it says could happen if a member married without telling the scheme their new last name.

That guidance is written for schemes connecting to dashboards, but it shows why a scheme may need your old name as well as your current one.

Start with the free routes

  1. Look through old paperwork. MoneyHelper suggests checking for the name of your employer or pension scheme. It also suggests asking former colleagues, and checking bank statements to see where personal pension payments went.
  2. If you know the provider, contact them. MoneyHelper says that is your first step. If you do not have the provider's details, ask your former employer, who should be able to provide them.
  3. If you cannot find out who runs the scheme, use the government's free Pension Tracing Service to look for its contact details. You need the name of an employer or a pension provider. You can search online or call 0800 731 0175, Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm.

Be clear on what the tracing service does. GOV.UK says it will not tell you whether you have a pension, or what its value is. It gives you contact details, and the question of whether a record exists under your old name is one for the scheme itself.

For more on this, see what the Pension Tracing Service does and doesn't do .

Cannot remember the employers? Here is how to get your full employment history .

Employer no longer exists? Read what to do when the old company has gone .

What to tell the scheme

MoneyHelper lists the details a provider or former employer may want: a plan number, your date of birth, your National Insurance number, the date the pension was set up, the dates you worked there, and the dates you joined and left the scheme. Give whatever you have, and add:

  • Your current full name.
  • Every name you used while you were with that employer, including your maiden name if you had one.
  • Any addresses the scheme might hold for you, including old ones.

Your National Insurance number is especially useful here. GOV.UK says it remains the same for life, so it does not change when your name does. If you do not have it to hand, GOV.UK says it will be on tax documents such as a payslip or P60, and you can also find it online or get a letter showing it.

It is also worth asking the scheme, in writing, whether it holds a record of you, and under which name and reference.

Proof of your name change

Schemes do not all ask for the same thing, so check before you send anything. MoneyHelper's name-change checklist says most organisations will want some sort of certificate. If you changed your name through marriage or civil partnership, that means your marriage or civil partnership certificate. After a divorce or dissolution, you can use your marriage certificate with your decree absolute, final order or divorce certificate. If you changed your name another way, you may need a deed poll, and some organisations only accept an enrolled one. Some accept a scan or photo, while others require the hard copy. If you have lost your divorce document, MoneyHelper says you can request another copy from GOV.UK.

Two examples show how much the rules can differ:

  • NHS Pensions says people no longer paying into the scheme should contact it directly to confirm a name change. For people receiving an NHS pension, it accepts evidence such as a copy of a deed poll, or the original or a certified copy of a marriage certificate or decree absolute.
  • Hampshire's Local Government Pension Scheme says past members can update a name through its member portal or a change of details form.

Once you have found it

Ask the scheme to update its record. MoneyHelper lists pension providers among the organisations to tell when you change your name, and suggests checking each provider's website for its process. GOV.UK says you also need to tell HMRC if you have changed your name or address.

Will pensions dashboards solve this?

Not necessarily, and the picture is still moving. Under the Pensions Regulator's guidance, the extra information a person can give beyond their core identity details is limited to their National Insurance number, though it says this may in future also include previous or alternative surnames. If a scheme returns a possible match, the regulator says the person has 30 days to contact the scheme.

GOV.UK's guidance gives 31 October 2026 as the connection deadline for in-scope schemes and providers, but connection is not the same as public launch. At the time of checking, the Pensions Dashboards Programme says services will only launch to the public when a number of key requirements have been met. Do not wait for a dashboard if you can write to the scheme now.

Seen those words on a dashboard? Here is what a possible match means .

Where Pension Trail fits

Pension Trail is a website that writes letters for you to send to old pension schemes yourself, asking the questions that confirm whether a pension exists and what it is worth. It does not contact schemes for you, does not find pensions for you and does not give advice. Whatever letter you use, make sure it includes every name the scheme might know you by.

To see what a good first letter asks, read the seven questions to ask an old pension scheme .

Ready to write to a scheme? Start your letters .

Prefer to do it all yourself? Here is exactly where to go for free .

Sources

The two letters

The HMRC employment-history letter

The only route to a complete list of every employer you ever had. Written, addressed and ready to sign.

The seven-question scheme letter

Membership, value, retirement age, guarantees, transfer value, death benefits and the address on file — put to every scheme you were ever in.