The old pension hunt: a checklist

Last checked: 24 September 2026

Ten steps for tracking down pensions from old jobs in Ireland, and what to ask once you find one. Tick them off here, or print it and keep it with your papers.

Print or save this checklist

Before you start

• List every employer since your first job, with rough years. Include short jobs: a year or two in a company scheme can still be there.
• Note every name you worked under, such as a name before marriage. Old records are held under the name you had then.
• Gather whatever paper you have: P60s and payslips that show a pension deduction, scheme booklets, annual benefit statements, and letters from trustees or insurance companies.
• Remember what you took out yourself, such as a PRSA (Personal Retirement Savings Account), a personal pension, or AVCs (additional voluntary contributions) on top of a work scheme.

Finding them

• Ask each old employer, through HR, payroll or the pension scheme’s trustees. Information about a scheme comes from its trustees.
• If an employer has closed, its scheme may still exist. Occupational pension schemes must register with the Pensions Authority, which regulates them.
• Worked in the UK? The UK government’s Pension Tracing Service finds contact details for UK schemes. It does not say whether you have a pension or what it is worth.
• Check your State Pension record on MyWelfare.ie, and see what it could pay with the State Pension entitlement check.

When you find one

• Ask the provider or trustees for: its current value and transfer value, what it charges, how it is invested, the age it can be taken from, any guarantees or special terms, and what happens to it if you die.
• Do not move anything yet. A transfer can mean giving up terms you cannot get back, such as the pension a defined benefit scheme promised. Moving is a separate decision, best made with advice.

Want help with it?

We can do the asking for you: see how we help you find old pensions. Once you know what you have, the pension charges calculator shows what its charges could take by retirement. Or book a free call with Damian.

This checklist is general information, not advice. It does not cover every kind of pension, and what applies to you depends on your own schemes.