Workers are being urged to keep track of old workplace pensions as new figures highlight the growing number of retirement pots left behind when people change jobs.
The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows there were 22.9 million deferred memberships of private sector Defined Contribution (DC) occupational pension schemes in the first quarter of 2026. That is up from 22.1 million during the same period last year, an increase of around 800,000.
A deferred membership generally relates to someone who has stopped contributing to a pension but has not yet started receiving benefits from it.
Rise reflects mobile workforce
The figures come as the UK Government's pensions dashboards programme approaches an important deadline designed to make it easier for people to see their different retirement savings in one place.
The ONS figures also show active membership of private sector DC schemes increased slightly to 11.5 million, while employee contributions reached £3.2 billion during the first three months of this year.
Damon Hopkins, Head of DC Workplace Savings at Broadstone, said the increase in deferred memberships reflected an increasingly mobile workforce, with people building up different pension pots as they move between employers.
He said: “The continued rise in deferred membership also reflects an increasingly mobile workforce, with employees accumulating pension pots as they move between jobs.
“Consolidation and pensions dashboards should make those savings easier to manage, but the wider challenge is ensuring workers remain engaged with their pension throughout their careers.”
How to find an old pension
People who have changed jobs several times during their working life may have retirement savings held with a number of different pension schemes.
Anyone who has lost contact with an old workplace or personal pension can use the UK Government's free Pension Tracing Service to find contact details for the scheme. You will need the name of an employer or pension provider to use the service.
However, the Pension Tracing Service does not tell someone whether they actually have a pension with the scheme or how much it is worth. It provides contact details which can then be used to approach the pension provider directly.
The service can be used online through GOV.UK or people can contact the Pension Tracing Service by telephone or post. Anyone trying to track down an old pension should gather as much information as possible about their previous employment, including the name of the employer and approximately when they worked there.
Pensions dashboards deadline this month
A major change intended to make tracking different pensions easier is also approaching. Pensions dashboards will eventually allow people to see information about their pensions, including the State Pension, together online.
Occupational pension schemes and pension providers have been connecting to the pensions dashboards digital system in stages, with all schemes in scope required to be connected by October 31, 2026 at the latest.
Once connected, schemes must be able to receive requests used to search for a person's pensions, match the individual with pensions held in their records and provide pension information through dashboards. The system is intended to make it easier for people to reconnect with lost or forgotten pension pots and get a clearer picture of their overall retirement provision.
Workplace pension contributions rise
The latest figures also show the amount workers and employers are putting into private sector DC pensions has increased. Employee contributions reached £3.2 billion during the first quarter of 2026, around £600 million higher than the £2.6 billion recorded in the first quarter of 2025.
Employer contributions rose from £6.2 billion to £6.8 billion over the same period.
Hopkins said: “Auto-enrolment has transformed pension participation, but participation and adequacy are not the same thing.
“For many workers, particularly those on lower or middle incomes, the more important question is whether the amounts being saved today will ultimately provide the standard of living they expect in retirement.”
People who think they may have lost track of an old pension can use the free Pension Tracing Service on GOV.UK.
