AN INFORMATIONAL GUIDE: UNCLAIMED CASH AND LOST ACCOUNTS

Is some of it
still yours?

Money in a forgotten account is still yours.

Find the right search Read the short answer

A wooden desk by a window with a small stack of plain unmarked envelopes, a pair of reading glasses and a cup of tea — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Free searches first
Start with what you know
Keep your details up to date
Free services, a little patience

Here UCL stands for unclaimed cash and lost accounts: this is an independent informational guide, not a tracing company. People move house, change jobs and forget old savings. Official free services can help you find them.

THE SHORT ANSWER

Three searches,
all free.

Age UK notes it is free to find out whether you have
an old bank account, pension or Premium Bond.

BANK ACCOUNTS

One search, three schemes

My Lost Account combines the tracing schemes of UK Finance, the Building Societies Association and NS&I. Searches can take up to 3 months.

Find the right search

PENSIONS

Find the scheme first

The government's Pension Tracing Service finds contact details for an old workplace or personal pension scheme. You need the employer or provider name.

Steps to take

PRIZES

Check a holder's number

NS&I says over 99% of Premium Bond prizes are paid, but millions are still unclaimed, often after people move or change bank details.

See the numbers

General information only, not financial advice. For advice on your own situation, speak to a regulated financial adviser or a free money-advice service.

FIND THE RIGHT SEARCH

What might
be out there?

Pick what you are looking for. The bar shows roughly how much you need to know before you start, based on the official services' own descriptions.

Search finder

Choose a searchUnclaimed Premium Bond prizesAn old bank or building society accountA pension from an old jobAn account you think was closed as dormant

Unclaimed Premium Bond prizesHolder's number

Enter a holder's number in NS&I's online prize checker or app. Prizes over 18 months old are treated as unclaimed.

An old bank or building society accountMy Lost Account

One free search covers banks, building societies and NS&I. Online is quicker than paper, and firms can take up to 3 months to search.

A pension from an old jobEmployer's name

The Pension Tracing Service gives contact details for the scheme. It cannot tell you whether you have a pension or its value; you ask the scheme.

An account you think was closed as dormantStill yours

Under the Dormant Assets Scheme, owners keep their rights: they can reclaim money later, with full restitution of what the firm would have paid.

Sources: GOV.UK, Find pension contact details; NS&I press release, September 2026; Age UK, How to trace old bank accounts and lost money; DCMS, Dormant Assets Scheme Strategy.

Based on GOV.UK, NS&I, Age UK and DCMS information. General information only, not financial advice.

FOUR STEPS TO START

Gather, search,
then wait.

These follow the official services' own advice.

A small old tin money box with a coin slot sitting on a wooden shelf — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

List old addresses
Age UK notes accounts are often lost after a move, so jot down past addresses and old employers before you search.
Search accounts in one go
Use My Lost Account for banks, building societies and NS&I. If you know the firm, Age UK suggests contacting it directly.
Trace old pensions
Use GOV.UK's Find pension contact details, or call the Pension Tracing Service on 0800 731 0175.
Use the free routes
Age UK says it is free and easy to find out whether you have an old account, insurance policy, pension or Premium Bond.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

Small sums,
big totals.

One figure from NS&I,
one from the government's dormant assets strategy.

2.85m

Unclaimed prizes, September 2026

NS&I said 2,851,753 unclaimed prizes worth £126,787,100 were waiting to be claimed. Paying prizes straight into a bank account helps avoid this.

PREMIUM BONDS · NS&I

£1bn

Released for good causes so far

Money that firms cannot reunite with owners can go to the Dormant Assets Scheme. Reclaim Fund Ltd keeps a reserve so owners can still claim it back.

DORMANT ASSETS · DCMS

The DCMS strategy says firms must make extensive efforts to trace owners before transferring anything to the scheme, and that the scheme is voluntary for firms.

KEEP IT FROM HAPPENING

Update your details,
save a search.

Age UK says accounts usually become lost when a firm cannot contact you, often after a move, or when there has been no activity for a few years. The money is still yours and you can claim it at any time.

NS&I says nine in ten Premium Bond prizes are now paid straight into a bank account or reinvested, which stops prizes going unclaimed.

Two people's hands lifting the lid off a plain cardboard box of old folded papers on a wooden table — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Questions

Questions people ask

What does UCL stand for here?

Unclaimed cash and lost accounts. This is an independent informational guide, not a tracing company, bank or government service.

Is it free to trace a lost bank account?

Yes. Age UK describes My Lost Account as a free service covering banks, building societies and NS&I.

Will the Pension Tracing Service tell me how much I have?

No. GOV.UK says it gives contact details for the scheme but cannot tell you whether you have a pension or its value.

Can I lose money that went to the Dormant Assets Scheme?

The government's strategy says owners' rights are protected: Reclaim Fund Ltd takes on the liability to repay owners who come forward later, with full restitution.

How do I check for old Premium Bond prizes?

Enter the holder's number in NS&I's prize checker or app. NS&I treats prizes over 18 months old as unclaimed.

Where the facts come from

Updated 18 October 2026

Is some of itstill yours?

Three searches,all free.

One search, three schemes

Find the scheme first

Check a holder's number

What mightbe out there?

Gather, search,then wait.

List old addresses

Search accounts in one go

Trace old pensions

Use the free routes

Small sums,big totals.

Update your details,save a search.