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PBGC unclaimed pension search

Retirement benefits from private-sector employers whose plans ended and could not find the worker; the employer may have sent the money to PBGC for safekeeping.

Run by
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), a federal agency.
Cost
Free to search (no fee mentioned on the official site)

How to check and claim

  1. Search PBGC's database with your last name and the last four digits of your Social Security number.

  2. If there is a match, call PBGC and give more identifying information.

  3. Send the documents PBGC asks for to finish the claim.

Go to the official site.

Open official site

Claiming is free. Your state never charges a fee to search or to claim. Be careful with letters, calls or texts that ask for a fee, a percentage or your bank login to release money. Search the official state site yourself.

Other places to check

MissingMoney.com and NAUPA state unclaimed property searchU.S. savings bonds (TreasuryDirect)IRS refunds from tax returns never filed (3-year rule)IRS undelivered or lost refund checks (Where's My Refund?)NAIC Life Insurance Policy LocatorRetirement Savings Lost and Found Database (Department of Labor)FDIC unclaimed funds from failed banksNCUA unclaimed deposits from closed credit unionsHUD/FHA mortgage insurance premium refundsVA unclaimed life insurance fundsSEC and FTC refunds from enforcement casesClass action settlements: how to check that one is real
Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.