My husband and I sold our previous company in 2022, and I was just contacted by our 401(k) plan administrator that, as of today (2025), 22 of our former employees still have money in the 401(k) account that they likely don’t even know about. This is not uncommon at all.
401(k) plans don’t automatically transfer when you start a new job, which means accounts can get left behind. According to Capitalize, a service that helps people find and rollover 401(k)s, there was $1.65 trillion in 29.2 million forgotten 401(k) plans as of May 2023, and that number could be higher today.
If you’re one of the many who has left a 401(k) behind, the good news is that money will always be yours, no matter how long it’s been. You’ll just need to track it down. Here’s how to do it.
5 ways to find an old 401(k)
1. Contact your previous employer about the lost 401(k)
Employers will try to track down a departed employee who left money behind in an old 401(k), but their efforts are only as good as the information they have on file. Beyond providing 30 to 60 days’ notice of their intentions, there are no laws that say how hard they have to look or for how long.
If it’s been a while since you’ve heard from your former company, or if you’ve moved or misplaced the notices it sent, start by contacting your old company’s human resources department.
If there was more than $7,000 in your retirement account when you left, your money is still in your workplace account. (SECURE 2.0 says employers can’t involuntarily move your 401(k) if your balance is above that amount.)
2. Check old statements.
If it’s been so long that you’re not sure whether you had a retirement plan at a past employer, review old pay stubs or W-2s. A pay stub will show regular contributions to a 401(k) plan, while a W-2 form may list participation in a retirement plan in Box 12.
You can also look for old 401(k) account statements, which would show your plan administrator (that’s the financial firm that held the account), so you know who to contact. You can also look for any paper mail or e-mail notices, as plan administrators may send out quarterly or yearly statements as a status update on the account.
3. Reach out to the plan administrator directly
If you can’t find anything from the past, but know the company that administered your old 401(k) plan, you can reach out to the company directly. Information you’ll need to share to find your lost 401(k) plan includes your name, previous employer, and other personal identifying information.
When it comes to amounts within the account, plan administrators have more leeway than employers. If the balance is $1,000 or less, they can cut a check for the total and send it to your last known address, leaving you to deal with any tax consequences. For amounts between $1,000 $7,000, they’re allowed to move funds into an IRA without your consent. These specialty IRAs are set up at a financial institution that has been federally authorized to manage the account.
4. Use your Social Security number to find an old 401(k)
If the old plan administrator cannot tell you where your 401(k) funds went, several databases can assist. You can use your Social Security number to find your lost 401(k) by popping it into the databases below.
National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits
The National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits works like a “missed connections” service, where companies register with the site to help facilitate a reunion between ex-employees and their retirement money. Not every company is registered with this site, so if none of these searches yields results, move on to the next step.
Department of Labor’s abandoned plan database
Another good place to start is with the Department of Labor’s abandoned plan database. The Employee Benefits Security Administration provides it. The tool helps you find out if you have a plan that’s been terminated or is in the process of being terminated. You can also figure out who is doing the terminating in case you need to contact them directly.
U.S. Pension Guaranty Corp. database of unclaimed pensions
If you were covered under a traditional pension plan that was disbanded, search the U.S. Pension Guaranty Corp. database of unclaimed pensions. You’ll need to provide your name, address, Social Security number, the employer’s name, and the dates you worked for the company, as well as your phone number.
Capitalize is a service that helps people find old 401(k)s with major employers and companies, performing rollovers via a concierge service.
Beagle: Like Capitalize, Beagle presents itself as a one-stop shop for finding and rolling over old 401(k)s.
5. Search unclaimed property databases
If a company terminates its retirement plan, it has more options on what it’s allowed to do with the unclaimed money, regardless of the account balance.
It might be rolled into an IRA set up on your behalf, deposited at a bank, or left with the state’s unclaimed property fund. Missingmoney.com, run in part by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, can help you to do a multistate search of state unclaimed property divisions.
Note that if a plan administrator cashed out and transferred your money to a bank account or the state, a portion of your savings may have been withheld to pay the IRS.
That’s because this kind of transfer is considered a distribution (also known as cashing out) and is subject to income taxes and penalties. Some 401(k) plan administrators withhold a portion of the balance to cover any potential taxes and send you and the IRS a Form 1099-R to report the income. Others don’t, which could leave you with a surprise IRS IOU to pay.
I hope this helps you on your treasure hunt for lost money!
