How to Find Unclaimed 401(k) and Retirement Accounts
Job-hopping leaves behind old 401(k)s. Here's how to find forgotten retirement accounts and roll them into your current plan.
Updated
The big national databases
The Department of Labor's Abandoned Plan Search and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's Unclaimed Pensions tool are the first stops for 401(k) and pension accounts whose employers went out of business.
The National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits (unclaimedretirementbenefits.com) aggregates data from participating plan administrators.
Employer-by-employer search
If the employer is still in business, call HR directly. Most can trace a 401(k) by your Social Security number even 20 years after you left. If HR says "we don't have records going back that far," ask them to contact their current 401(k) recordkeeper (Fidelity, Vanguard, Empower, etc.) — the recordkeeper usually keeps records longer.
What to do when you find one
Roll it into your current 401(k) or an IRA. Keeping small accounts scattered across old employers means losing track of them again and paying multiple administration fees. A direct rollover avoids taxes and penalties.
Frequently asked questions
What if the employer went bankrupt?
401(k) assets are held separately from the employer's assets, so bankruptcy doesn't affect your balance. The plan may be taken over by the PBGC or a successor trustee — search their databases.
Can the state hold my 401(k)?
Some states now require abandoned 401(k)s to be escheated (usually after age 70.5 when required minimum distributions aren't being taken). Search state unclaimed-property databases in addition to retirement-specific ones.
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Check your state's database
Every state runs a free unclaimed-property database. Start with the state where you (or your relative) last lived.