Pension plan tracing

How to request pension plan tracing assistance from the Office of the PBGC Participant and Plan Sponsor Advocate

Are you struggling to locate your pension plan to claim a pension benefit? The Office of the Advocate’s Pension Tracing Service uses historical information that PBGC has on file about the pension plans it insures to help individuals track down the right points of contact for their pension plans.

Please go through the following steps before reaching out to the Office of the Advocate for pension tracing assistance. Taking these steps will help make sure that the Office of the Advocate is the most appropriate resource to help you with your inquiry. It will also make sure that you have gathered the information necessary for our office to be effective. If you do not complete these steps, it can reduce the likelihood that our office will be able to assist you and/or impact the quality of the research our office can perform on your behalf.

Please note, though, that going through these steps does not guarantee that our office will find information useful to you in PBGC’s records. Additionally, PBGC is unlikely to have any records related to pension plans sponsored by governmental employers or by certain religiously affiliated employers.

An additional resource you might check is the Department of Labor’s new Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database. This database serves as a centralized location to find lost or forgotten benefits and get information on how to obtain those funds.
 

1. Do you have any documents containing information about your pension plan/pension benefit (such as a plan name or plan identification number)?

   Examples:

   • Notice of potential private retirement benefit from the Social Security Administration (SSA)
   • Deferred vested letter from your employer

   • Summary plan description.

     Yes No

     Contact SSA to request a notice of potential private retirement benefit (Form SSA-L99-C1). Click here for a helpful template request form: Form SSA-L99-C1 fillable request letter

2. What type of retirement plan is it?

   The Office of the Advocate's pension plan tracing is only for certain defined benefit pension plans. A defined benefit plan is a pension plan that promises participants a specified benefit, usually a monthly amount, at retirement.

   Types of retirement plans that are NOT defined benefit pension plans include 401(k) plans, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), thrift savings plans, money purchase plans, profit-sharing plans and others.

   Defined Benefit Plan Not Defined Benefit Plan Unsure

   Check PBGC's unclaimed retirement benefit search. If no information is found, contact the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) for assistance

   Consult the Department of Labor's Types of Retirement Plans website

3. Have you checked PBGC's website to see if contact information for the pension plan is available there?

   Yes No

   Search for Plans Paying PBGC Premiums. If you are able to locate a phone number for the pension plan, contact the pension plan at that phone number. You can also contact EBSA for assistance working with the pension plan

4. Did PBGC trustee the plan?

   No Yes Unsure

   Contact PBGC’s Customer Contact Center at 1-800-400-7242 or customerservice@pbgc.gov

   Search PBGC's Trusteed Plan list

5. Contact the Office of the Advocate for pension plan tracing assistance.

   Please email the completed Pension Plan Tracing Intake questionnaire (PBGC Form ADV-001) to advocate@pbgc.gov. If you are unable to access or complete the intake questionnaire, e-mail advocate@pbgc.gov for further assistance.