How to Find Out If I Have Pension Benefits Coming
With a pension, you can collect a monthly or lump sum of money after retirement long after you left that employer. However, if you are trying to find information about a pension from a company you worked for many years ago, it can take some time to track it down. That's especially true in cases where the company shut down or merged with another corporation. In such cases, the pension may still be available to you but from a different source than the original plan administrator.
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Instructions
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Find any documents related to the pension plan. This may include updated statements or information on your benefits package you received when you were first hired. You will need this information to know the company to contact and other details of the pension that may be requested of you during your search.
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Contact the human resource department of the company in which you think you may have a pension coming from. The human resources department at your current or past employer will have information on all the company's retirement benefits including any past or present pension plans.
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Ask the human resources specialist if you have a pension with that company and who the plan administrator is. Many companies and government agencies have outside organizations that manage the pension.
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Contact the plan administrator to determine if you have a pension and the details of that pension. From here, you can learn when and how you will receive payments and how much those payments would be.
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Search the database for your plan at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation if you cannot find your pension plan by contacting a past employer. This federal agency pays benefits owed to people by companies that are no longer in business or have otherwise stopped paying its pension benefits.
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Get professional pension help if you cannot find your pension on your own. The PensionHelp America website can offer you a referral to pension assistance in your area.
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Tips & Warnings
When contacting the pension benefits plan administrator, ensure that the organization has your most current contact information such as your address and phone number. This will allow you to receive updates to your plan and prevent your plan from becoming lost again.
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