If you are not in PBGC’s unclaimed retirement benefits database, you can find information about your pension plan that may help you locate your benefit through the following resources:
Insured and trusteed plan databases
PBGC maintains two databases containing information about insured defined benefit plans on its website (PBGC.gov). You can find information about plans that are ongoing plans, as well as plans that have been trusteed by PBGC.
For ongoing pension plans insured by PBGC
Search Plans Paying PBGC Premiums and contact the administrator at the phone number listed in the database. PBGC does not have the authority to assist you in disputes involving ongoing plans. Contact the Department of Labor / Employee Benefits Security Administration for assistance.
For pension plans trusteed by PBGC
PBGC is the right place to contact about obtaining any benefits you may be owed under a trusteed pension plan. Search the database of trusteed plans to see if PBGC took over your pension plan. This database contains a listing of the single-employer defined benefit pension plans trusteed by the PBGC.
Please note: If your plan is on the list, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have met the plan’s requirements for a benefit. Not all employees may be eligible to participate under the terms of the plan and the plan may have other requirements, such as a certain number of years of service before an employee is entitled to a benefit.
Pension plan tracing assistance
PBGC has historical information about its insured pension plans that may be able to help you track down the right point of contact for your benefit. If you know the name of your pension plan and have the pension plan’s identification number, contact PBGC’s Office of the Participant and Plan Sponsor Advocate at advocate@pbgc.gov to see if you are eligible for pension plan tracing assistance.
If you do not know the name of your pension plan or have the plan’s identification number, you can obtain this information by sending a written request for a Notice of Potential Private Retirement Benefit Information to the Social Security Administration at:
OCO Office of Earnings Operations
Attention: ERISA Correspondence Group
P.O. Box 33007
Baltimore, MD 21290-3307
A sample request letter is available.
If you do not find your plan in PBGC’s databases, it may be that:
- Your pension plan ended in a standard termination.
- Your pension plan is a multiemployer plan.
- Your plan is not a defined benefit plan.
If you didn’t find your plan on PBGC’s list of trusteed plans or list of ongoing plans but are pretty sure you were in a defined benefit plan, your plan may have ended in a standard termination. Learn more at What to do before contacting PBGC.
If you are not sure whether your plan was a defined benefit plan, there are documents you may have received that can help you. Review Important documents to learn about these documents and how they can help you find a lost benefit.
