Finding A Lost Pension
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Publication 1012 (July 1999)
The Pension Action Center at the Gerontology Institute, University of Massachusetts Boston was a partner with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in the development of this booklet.
Arthur Kelly, who is now 68, worked for 20 years for the Grand Valley Tool & Die Corporation in Millville, Ohio in the 1960s and 1970s. He remembers that he was part of a pension plan which, as a young worker, he had paid little attention to. Now, he has just retired from his most recent job. He has a small pension from that employer, along with Social Security benefits, but he could use additional income.
He wants to track down his old employer and start collecting whatever pension money he is owed. But when he calls the company's old number, he finds it is "not in service." A call to the phone company's directory assistance for Millville draws a blank -- Grand Valley Tool & Die is not listed. He is at a loss. How can he find out if he still has a pension?
Arthur Kelly is a fictitious person, but his problem is all too real. Thousands of retired workers in the United States are entitled to pension payments that they have not claimed because they do not know where to look. After all, a private company may:
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move from one city or town to another; |
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close down a particular plant or office to consolidate its operations elsewhere; |
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be bought by another company and given a new name; |
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merge with another company; |
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divide into separate parts, none of which retains the old company name; |
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go bankrupt; |
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any combination of the above; or |
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simply close its doors and disappear. |
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Workers may be tempted to shrug their shoulders and write off the pensions as "lost." Indeed, some pensions may in fact be gone forever. In many cases, though, the pension money is sitting safely in a fund, waiting only for the worker (or a surviving spouse) to come forward to collect it. If you think you may have money in a pension fund, it makes sense to try to track down the fund. This booklet, which is based on the experience of pension counselors, gives advice on how to plan and conduct your search. A glossary (Appendix A) explains some of the terms that may be unfamiliar. |
