Finding a Lost Pension

You should gather and keep in one place any documents you can find that may have a bearing on your eligibility. Any or all of the following types of documents can be highly valuable:

Documents showing the full official name of the company and its Internal Revenue Service ID number can also be helpful, in case you need to trace what happened to the company. Any documents that show your period of employment and your earnings while working for the company will also be useful to prove your eligibility after you have located the plan. Such documents include pay slips and W- 2 forms.

If you contact the Social Security Administration, you can get a copy of your “earnings record,” which will show how much you were paid each calendar year by each employer. From that record, you may get your employer’s federal ID number, which may be helpful in tracking down the plan. Call 1- 800- 772- 1213 and ask for Form SSA- 7050- F3, entitled “Request for Social Security Earnings Information.” This form will show whatever fees you may need to pay for the information. You should expect that the response from Social Security may take six weeks or more.