Track down lost money you'd forgotten about
Somewhere out there, billions of pounds are sitting in accounts, pensions and pots that people have simply forgotten about — a savings account from a job you left, a pension from two employers ago, a Premium Bond prize that was never claimed. None of it goes anywhere; it just goes quiet. And finding out whether some of it is yours is completely free and takes minutes. Here’s where to look.
This is information, not financial advice. Every service below is free — never pay a company to trace money you can find yourself.
Forgotten bank and savings accounts
Old accounts don’t vanish. If you’ve moved house, changed banks, or inherited an estate, there may be money sitting dormant.
The one place to start is mylostaccount.org.uk — a free service that searches banks, building societies and NS&I together in a single form. You’ll need some ID details and any old account information you have, but even a rough memory of who you banked with can be enough to start a search.
Lost pensions
This is where the biggest sums often hide. Every time you change jobs you may leave a workplace pension behind, and it’s easy to lose track of the paperwork over a career.
The free Pension Tracing Service on GOV.UK finds the current contact details for schemes you’ve paid into. Track them down, and you can bring old pots into view (and decide whether to combine them). Don’t pay a “pension finder” firm — the official service is free.
Child Trust Funds — a common one
If you were born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011, the government opened a Child Trust Fund in your name with an initial deposit — and many have never been claimed. Hundreds of thousands sit waiting, often worth £1,000 or more each now they’ve matured.
Find yours free through GOV.UK (you can also check on a child’s behalf). Again — some firms charge to do this; you never need to pay.
Unclaimed Premium Bond prizes
If you (or a relative) hold Premium Bonds, prizes can go unclaimed for years — especially after a house move. NS&I’s prize checker lets you check for any unclaimed prizes against your holder’s number, free, going back to the start. There are tens of millions of pounds in prizes waiting to be claimed.
Other pots worth a look
- Old workplace shares or dividends, and shares from privatisations or building-society windfalls.
- Life insurance or investment policies taken out years ago.
- Free reunification services like Gretel search several of these at once and are free to use.
The rule that saves you money
Every one of these searches is free. If a company offers to “find your lost money” for a fee or a percentage, walk away — you can do exactly the same thing yourself in an afternoon, and keep all of whatever turns up. Set aside half an hour, work through the list, and you may well find a pleasant surprise with your name on it.
Last checked 31 July 2026. All tracing services listed are free and official — beware fee-charging imitators.
Sources
Just so you know: this guide is information and journalism, not financial advice, and we don't recommend specific financial products. Your circumstances are your own — if you need personal advice, speak to a suitably qualified adviser. Information was correct at the "last updated" date above but things change; always check the linked primary sources.